Happy trails to you, until we meet again

And so it comes to this.

This is a very difficult decision, particularly because I've spent the last two-and-a-half years since my return to blogging in October 2006 working to build up the audience and interest in this sucky blog that I'd lost during the previous 18 months, when I was going through some really tough times. Since my comeback, I've been honored to receive a number of awards and develop a small but loyal following, and I greatly appreciate all of that.

But this is a momentous and tumultuous time in my life, largely (though not totally) because I've decided to sit for the Florida Bar exam at the end of next month. During the last couple of weeks, as I've been traveling and then starting my preparation for the exam in earnest, I've felt an inordinate amount of pressure to post to this blog regularly, cogently, and snarkily in spite of my unavailability. Indeed, I've actually felt guilty at not being able to post here as much as I'd like, and that means my priorities are kind of screwed up.

The truth is, as many of you know, a blog post that may take 15 minutes to write usually requires double or triple that amount of time to research the issue in question and discard other topics that, for whatever reason, don't make the cut -- not to mention the time I spend after posting trying to publicize the posts. And so, when I'm blogging at full bore (pun intended), I'm spending at least two or three hours a day on this blog that, frankly, doesn't pay the bills -- at a time when I need to be studying and looking for a job full-time. (Incidentally, unemployment sucks.)

So, regrettably, I've decided to go on hiatus. I just can't worry anymore about my blog when I have much, much more important things that require my attention.

My plan is this: the Bar exam is at the end of July. After that, I have to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), or the "ethics" exam*, the first week in August -- yes, lawyers are expected to be ethical. Once all that is overwith and, hopefully, I'm gainfully employed again, I'll return to the blog. In short, my hiatus -- from Blast Off! the blog and Blast Off! Radio -- should last two months at the most. So, please don't delete Blast Off! from blogrolls and such -- because it will be back before the summer ends.

I know I'll lose readers and Google placement and linky goodness and all that, but I just can't worry about that right now. I must focus on my life and the lives of my loved ones, and this sucky blog will have to take a back seat for now. It'll still be here when I return and, besides, it's an off-year for elections (believe it or not!), so campaigns still will be active, politicians still will be politicking, and Republicans still will be corrupt in August ...

Thanks so much for understanding. See you in August -- and keep smilin' until then.

---

* Of course, I've done all this before, back in 1994 in Missouri and 1995 in Illinois -- but scores are only good for a year before they expire -- plus Florida offers no reciprocity to attorneys from other jurisdictions even if I were eligible for it (which I'm not). So it's déjà vu all over again ...

Life, the universe, and everything

With apologies to Douglas Adams, I just wanted to put up a quick post to say yes, I'm alive, but life, as it all too regularly does, is taking precedence over blogging.

I do have a few posts percolating in my head (former U.S. senator and fervent wingnut Bob Smith, R-N.H., running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Florida? Seriously?), but I'll have to wait a bit to get them into pixelled format. Oh, and I guess this is as good a time to mention that my Florida Bar exam preparation schedule is quite likely to force a cutback in my blogging time. But I'm sure there are at least as many to whom that is good news as those who think it's bad news ...

Anyway, thanks for your patience ... and stay tuned.

No Blast Off! Radio today

Due to my much-needed absence from the Blast Off! Radio studios today, there will be no show broadcast today.

But join me again next Monday for more snarky debate and discussion, at the usual place. Also, normal blogging ("normal" being a relative term, of course) will return by Thursday.

Thanks.

Vacation: all I ever wanted

Before I settle into the drudgery of studying for the Florida Bar examination (did I happen to mention that I've decided to explore a return to the law profession ... after 13 years away? I know -- I can't believe it either), I'm taking a little trip with Miss July and our respective kids ... and her sister and her kids ... and her mother ... anyway, suffice to say I'll be fit to be tied tied up for a few days.

I may get a post or two up during my trip, but I'm not going to knock myself out trying to do so. Hey, we all need a break now and then ... and you deserve a break from having to read this sucky blog.

I imagine I'll still be active on Twitter, so if you want to laugh at -- I mean with -- me as I live-tweet selected parts of the trip, I'd love to have you follow me. Should be back to the blog in earnest by the latter part of this week. (Also no Blast Off! Radio tomorrow; I'll post a reminder to that effect tomorrow morning.) Thanks for your patience ...

UPDATE (1:27 pm 6/11/09): Returning to blogging now on Friday? See above ...

Florida GOP Police Blotter #12: Longtime Republican operative sentenced for corruption

It's been a while since we've had an addition to the Florida GOP Police Blotter. But this one has special significance to me personally, as well as to all my pals in my old stomping grounds down in America's Glans™.

As a former resident of Palm Beach County, I'd followed the saga of one-time County Commissioner Mary McCarty with somewhat detached interest. She had been on trial for, and subsequently was convicted of, federal fraud charges arising out of her activity while in office, which may have been blogworthy in and of itself.

Well, today McCarty was sentenced to 42 months in the slammer -- the federal prison, that is. Fair enough, I suppose. But if I'd dug down a little deeper before, I would have watched (and covered) the case far more closely, given her background and experience.

You see, it turns out McCarty is -- you guessed it -- a staunch and active wingnut Republican. Just take a look at part of her pre-incarceration résumé:

1998: Is Jeb Bush’s regional campaign chairwoman in his gubernatorial bid.

March 1999: Forms an exploratory committee looking at the possibility of a congressional bid.

December 1999: With her husband, Kevin, is named a chair of George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in Florida.

November 2000: Allows two dozen Republican operatives [to] turn her commission office into a makeshift war room and watch the 2000 manual recount on closed-circuit television.

December 2000: Is elected chairwoman of the county’s Republican Party.

As I keep saying, I realize that corruption and malfeasance in office are not unique to the Republican Party. But, boy, it sure seems to follow that party around far more than the Democrats -- especially in Florida.

Oh, it gets better: McCarty's aforementioned husband Kevin, co-chair of Drunky McStagger's 2000 campaign in Florida, already is in prison for his role in covering up his wife's misdeeds. Heckuva job, Kevy.

Well, good luck in prison, Mary, and in getting help for the undisclosed substance abuse your attorney revealed today in asking for you to be placed at a specific federal facility in Texas. You say you're "humbled." Well, around here, you're just another name in the long list of corrupt Republicans. Welcome to the club.

Not enough offices to go around

As Democratic candidates line up throughout Florida to run for state office in 2010, when every statewide office will be open for the first time since 1876, it's almost inevitable that some toes will be trod upon and some feelings hurt. Unfortunately, it looks like some of those toes and feelings may belong to state senator and Friend of Blast Off! Dan Gelber (right).

When Gelber announced last weekend in Miami that he was "stepping back" from the U.S. Senate race (a story I had the honor of "scooping" on Twitter, of all places), he expressed the hope that state Democrats could avoid a "circular firing squad" as they jockey for position. He also stated publicly that he was going to be looking at possible Cabinet positions; speculation had centered on Attorney General.

But with today's announcement by another state senator and Friend of Blast Off!, Dave Aronberg, that he would seek the Democratic nomination for AG, things suddenly got a little tighter. So Gelber responded late today with this email to supporters and friends:

A few days ago I receded from the U.S. Senate race in order to avoid the circular firing squad that has characterized too many past Democratic efforts. My hope was that with the opening up of every cabinet office (for the first time in 140 years [sic]) that Democratic hopefuls – like me -- would take a step back to give all of us time to reach a thoughtful judgment on how best to unify our party in a year when real change is finally within reach.

In fact, over the last few weeks many of the potential candidates had been in dialogue with each other and with others hoping to avoid the type of divisions that damage our ability to present a winning slate in November. I am grateful to have heard that so many of you share my concern and were also hopeful that our party could break free of its past missteps.

This afternoon my friend Dave Aronberg let me know that he was not waiting any longer and announced his candidacy for Attorney General. While I would have preferred a different timeline, I expect to be making my own announcement of my intentions within a few days. While part of me worries that this is déjà vu all over again, I am still optimistic that ultimately we will be able to deliver the change Floridians so desperately need.

Sounds to me like Gelber may throw caution to the wind and jump in the AG's race himself. That might encourage former gubernatorial candidate Rod Smith to follow suit, figuring that Aronberg (left) and Gelber would split the south Florida primary vote.

The bottom line in all this, assuming Gelber and/or Smith decide to take Aronberg on for AG, is that Gelber's -- and the Florida Democratic Party's -- wish for uncontested nominees likely will go by the wayside. There simply aren't enough offices for everyone who wants one. And when it comes to the AG race, where the GOP nominee hilariously might well be embattled and ethically-challenged Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, the Democrats can ill afford to knock each other out in a bitter primary battle.

Here's hoping personal ambition takes a back seat to what's best for Florida.

Speaking of sick fucks: Tiller hate comes here

It's weird how posts about hatred seem to draw other haters like a bug lamp draws mosquitoes. In this instance, it's a pretty weak mosquito, but the statement is clear.

Actually, I wasn't sure at first whether this person was serious or a parody, but he (gotta be a man to be this hateful toward women) somehow couldn't resist commenting on my post about the Tiller assassination. I'm leaning towards serious, though, because the writer found the post from a Google search for the term "Fuck Tiller." (Great, that ought to bring even more despicable, hate-filled, loathsome types here.)

Anyway, here's the comment, in its entirety and verbatim as written:

Im so happy that Tiller was murdered.

Dr. Tiller will be 'out of office' for some time and cannot accept any more appointments, that's the beauty of this.

Innocent children will be born into this world, a world that offers a lot... because Dr. Tiller isn't there to murder them anymore.

I find it funny that anyone has a problem with that.

Take care,

Spectre

Charming.

You know, you folks on the fringe Right are so busy throwing around hate that you don't have time to do actual constructive things for society, like finding homes for all these babies that you insist have to be born. For example, your opposition to same-sex adoption is in exact contradiction to your anti-choice position. If you think every fetus needs to become a human, wouldn't it make sense to expand the number of possible loving homes for them if they're forced to be born to women who can't care for them adequately? I find it funny that anyone has a problem with that.

Well, there's one thing I do know: there's some asshole calling himself "Spectre" in or near Corvallis, Ore., using Comcast Cable, whose hate demonstrates exactly the kind of derangement that led Scott Roeder to commit murder. I just hope Spectre doesn't have children himself, so he can't spread that hate to the next generation.

Momentarily famous ... again

Cool. I got quoted in GottaLaff's weekly "Tweet Spot" segment, which she does for Jim Alger's show on Fridays. GottaLaff, of The Political Carnival, sorts through the noise and selects the top tweets of the week -- usually funny, sometimes poignant, always topical.

Here's the video she put together for this week, on a Prop 8 theme:

So what if it's not Olbermann? It's still fun. Thanks, GL!

GOP leader: calling me gay is a "scurrilous" insult

I'm visiting my mother in North Carolina this week, so I thought I'd take a moment to show you that Republicans up here aren't very different from those in Florida -- or elsewhere -- when it comes to discrimination, hate, and bigotry.

One of the candidates to lead the North Carolina Republican Party is suing a radio talk show host and the host's employer for defamation, alleging that the host said the candidate was gay.

Tom Fetzer, a former Raleigh mayor, said Tuesday he filed the lawsuit late Monday in Wake County Superior Court seeking a jury trial and monetary damages to defend and protect his name. He accuses Curtis Wright, who hosts a morning drive-time show aired on two stations, of forwarding an anonymous letter about Fetzer that Wright knew to be false.

Fetzer, a former political consultant who once worked with the late Sen. Jesse Helms, is one of four announced candidates seeking to succeed Linda Daves as party leader at the state GOP convention June 13 in Raleigh.

"It is justice that I seek, not vengeance," Fetzer said in a statement.

Ah, so Fetzer worked for Jesse Helms. At least now I see that he comes by his redneck bigotry honestly.

Anyway, take a look at what Fetzer says in his lawsuit about the suggestion that he might be gay:

The statements in the anonymous letter are "false and defamatory" and "tend to charge Mr. Fetzer with a crime or offense involving moral turpitude" and "disgrace and degrade" him, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit didn't contain the letter, and Fetzer's attorney didn't immediately respond to a request seeking a copy.

But Fetzer wrote to supporters May 22 that "I am not gay - never have been - never will be. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support any of the scurrilous allegations made in the anonymous attack on me."

You see, according to the Republican Party, being gay is a crime of moral turpitude, it's disgraceful, and it's scurrilous to "accuse" someone of being gay. And because the talk show host Wright is a wingnut and his employer likewise, they're likely going to defend the case not on the grounds that there's nothing wrong with being gay, but on some other basis like the words weren't uttered, or there was no intent to defame, or something like that.

And therein lies the disconnect between Republicans, especially their batshit crazy Christianist leaders, and normal society. Read the article again, but this time substitute "African-American" or "female" or "disabled" or any other immutable characteristic you like for the word "gay." Is it "scurrilous" to be a woman? Is saying someone isn't white defamatory? Can you imagine a lawsuit in 2009 claiming defamation because someone said the plaintiff was disabled? Even if you filed such a lawsuit, you'd be laughed out of court so fast, your head would spin.

Sadly, today's GOP is so tone-deaf about their own bigotry that they're willing to go to court to proclaim it. And they wonder why, in normal society (that is, everywhere but the mainstream corporate media), they're being marginalized ...

(cross-posted at Daily Kos)

Another sick fuck weighs in on the Tiller assassination

This is really repugnant. And the author of this hate is a coward for not including his or her name, not even a pseudonym, to identify the owner of these reprehensible thoughts. All the person had to do was send an email:

The headline reads "Late-term abortion doctor Tiller killed." I can guess the motive for this killing, and I do think it is rather ironic that this "baby killer" was shot while at church. What a hypocrite he must have been to pretend to be a Christian and perform late-term abortions every day. When he stood before the Lord for his final judgment, maybe all the babies he aborted were there as witnesses against him. May he suffer his "just reward" for eternity.

There are no words to describe the vomitous right-wing garbage that has spewed forth on the Internet in response to the killing of Dr. George Tiller. People who claim to be Christians, expressing satisfaction and even glee at his death. Disgusting.

Charlie Crist: careening to the right

I knew all along that as soon as he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was going to have to move to the right in order to burnish his conservative credentials in the primary battle against former state House Speaker Marco Rubio. After all, Rubio is trying to position himself as the true conservative Republican candidate, in an effort to cast Crist as too moderate. But I didn't really think ol' Charlie would move so far right so quickly.

Yesterday, when Crist signed into law SB 360, thus pleasing the corporatist Republican powers at the expense of regular Floridians like you and me, he showed that from this point forward, we can expect him to fall all over himself to prove that he's a worthy successor to the disasters legacies of folks like Jeb! Bush (whose seat he occupies) and Mel Martinez (whose seat he wants).

Of course, this isn't an isolated example. Just last week, he did the politically expedient thing with regard to the state budget. Never mind that the budget already cripples the state's public education services among other things: Charlie sought to win some votes by vetoing the 2% pay cut for state employees -- looks populist, but it's not*, because it helps the few (state employees) at the expense of the many (the rest of us) -- and, more egregiously, he buckled to pressure from the NRA and gun nuts and restored $6 million in spending for a program that expedites delayed firearms permits. Clearly, the governor must think that pissing off the NRA is no way to win the GOP Senate nomination over Rubio, let alone the Senate seat itself.

All I'm trying to say with all this is that if you're walking with Gov. Crist, stay away from his right side ... because otherwise, you're liable to get run over.

---

* I imagine many, including Bill Cotterell of the Tallahassee Democrat, disagree with me and see this move as counter to conservative doctrine, because it helps rank-and-file government workers; my take, though, is that it was more politically motivated -- to get votes -- than altruistic and generous. In short, I don't trust Charlie Crist.

Gov. Crist: just say no to 360 Never mind.

Got an email last night:

Hi Asshat,

I'm assuming since you're an asshat in the far right's eyes you're probably a pretty decent guy, and I know you've "never really been the type to stand around and watch, especially when half-truths and lies are being disseminated with no one to challenge them" so I'm writing to enlist your help in urging Gov. Crist to veto SB 360, the bill which will gut Florida's growth management laws. The Governor was supposedly going to sign it a couple weeks ago, but he delayed the signing, most likely in response to the thousands of calls he received opposing it. He still has not vetoed it, though, and he has until Tuesday to do so; if he does not veto the bill it will become law, even without his signature. Crist is under intense pressure from developers to sign the bill, so if the phones stop ringing we can pretty much count on it becoming law. I respectfully request that you urge your readers to contact the Governor immediately at (850) 488-4441 to ask him to veto SB 360.

I created this video to provide a summary of the issue, and I welcome you to use it in any way you see fit if you think your readers might find it useful. I've also included some links below that provide more information on the bill. Thank you so much for your time and assistance on this matter.

You had me at "Hi Asshat."

Seriously, though, this is an unbelievably bad bill for Florida. Check out the video and you'll see what I mean. Pay particular attention to the way in which the bill defines "dense urban land area," and you'll see how the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature is trying to pull the wool over our eyes:

Speculation is that Gov. Crist is going to let this bill become law without signing it, given his apparent shift to the right in preparation for his U.S. Senate campaign. Of course, as my correspondent notes above, tomorrow is the deadline, so it is especially important that we who love Florida share with the governor, who also is a Floridian and should know better, exactly what a disaster this bill, should it become law, would be for the state.

Oh, and below are the links mentioned in the email. You ought to check them out and learn more about this heinous exploitation of our home state's land and natural resources.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1065316.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/article1003741.ece
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/politicalwhore/2009/05/25/senator-mike-bennett-serves-up-the-kool-aid-on-sb-360/
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2009/05/happy-memorial-day-remember-gov-crist.html
http://www.news-press.com/article/20090526/OPINION/905260322/1015

Call the governor's office: (850) 488-4441 Do it now. Don't let Charlie's phone stop ringing. Florida's future depends on it.

UPDATE (2:52 pm 6/1/09): Adam Smith quotes the Orlando Sentinel as saying Crist plans to sign the bill. CALL NOW!

UPDATE (4:34 pm 6/1/09): Gov. Crist signed the bill into law this afternoon. Way to burnish those right-wing credentials by selling out Florida, Charlie.

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

It's been a very interesting week in Florida and national politics, and I've been privileged to experience some of it personally. After attending the Florida Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson festivities in Miami Beach this weekend, I was pretty highly motivated and ready to dive back into another week of liberal intrigue and excitement (if there is such a thing). Then came the news of the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, and suddenly I saw in stark relief the battles that still lie before us as progressives in America today.

Today on Blast Off! Radio, I'll share my thoughts about the Tiller killing and the causes that seem to have impelled Scott Roeder to commit murder (allegedly). In a larger sense, though, I'm thinking about inflammatory right-wing rhetoric and its effect on those most susceptible to it ... as we saw with the most horrific results yesterday.

But of course, I also want to spend some time reviewing Jefferson-Jackson, especially with regard to the role of the netroots there (and how we scooped all the major press on at least two highly significant stories -- yeah, one of those was mine). I'll talk about the latest in the school prayer fiasco going on in Santa Rosa County, where Pace High School's graduates "spontaneously" recited the Lord's Prayer at Saturday's graduation ceremony. And I'll respond to the baseless, scurrilous charges of state Rep. Luis Garcia (D-Miami Beach), who accused me of resembling corrupt Republican, former House speaker Ray Sansom. Shocking!

There'll be plenty more, including the Sotomayor nomination and what the Republican Party of Florida might be thinking ... but as always, the show depends on you, the listener, to really make it work. Here's how to listen and participate:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

Click here to listen

Call in number: (646) 716-7543

E-mail: blastoffradio-at-gmail-dot-com

Please mark your calendars now to join me this afternoon for what promises to be an entertaining yet profoundly thought-provoking hour.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner 2009: liveblogging, page 6

Sorry ... I was away for a moment, trying to figure out how I broke Twitter. Again, mea culpa. I'll try not to do it again.

Anyway, keynote speaker Tim Kaine, governor of Virginia and chairman of the Democratic National Committee is up ... and he was greeted by a brief but noisy protest: "Choice! Choice! Choice!" from one table, in response to his support of a Virginia law that restricts a woman's right to choose; he's also opposed to stem cell research. Yes, he's Catholic ...

*****

Well, I've managed to miss most of Gov. Kaine's speech because of technical difficulties. Not only did I break Twitter, I also briefly broke my own internets. So I'm playing catch-up a bit. Sorry about that. But as Gov. Kaine speaks, someone keeps shouting something periodically ... I can't hear it from here, though. Interesting.

You know ... I have to tell you, I'm pretty much switching off mentally right now. Sorry about that. I suck. (Oh, except Kaine just mentioned Michael Steele, which garnered a good laugh from the assembled Democrats here.)

Let's not kid ourselves, says Gov. Kaine, that this is going to be easy for Democrats. We're in a tough time economically, plus military conflicts and such ... our opponents know what they're against, but not what they're for. "They're the party of 'NO.' " But we're lucky, because we have a moment in our hands right now that generations of Americans haven't had. We'll be measured by what we do in this moment, whether we support the president's agenda or say "you folks in Washington figure that out." But there's no time to rest, no time to be complacent. I know this: you don't know how long a moment will last. Well, I can tell you this: we've created this moment. It's nearly unique in the history of this great nation. So we've got to do as much as we can for as many as we can for as long as we can. Are you ready for that sense of urgency?

*****

That's it from Miami Beach, folks. Thanks for reading along. And, again, sorry for breaking Twitter.

We now interrupt this liveblogging ...

Well, apparently I've broken Twitter. Sorry about that.


But it seems Adam Smith of the St. Petersburg Times blog "The Buzz," who normally is pretty even-handed, gave Alex Sink a raw deal on Twitter, saying "the crowd was silent" when she spoke. Let me tell you from having been here, too, and not being skewed -- that's not true. The crowd was into what she was saying, and it was both inspirational and exciting. So, please, Adam ... try that take again. Thanks in advance.


(I'll add links ASAP.)