Message From Commissioner Kristin Jacobs

 
 
Hello!
I wanted to make you aware of a very important meeting that the Florida Department of Transportation is holding in Weston on Thursday night concerning the privatization of Alligator Alley. This represents a great concern of mine- the privatization of PUBLIC roadways, which were paid for with taxpayer dollars. I question if a private company wants to lease these public roads, handle their maintenance and collect the tolls, with the end result being a profit for their company- why can't FDOT do the same?!
Please see below for details about the meeting. I encourage you to attend! Please pardon the late notice, but my office only received the information from FDOT late last week.         
Kristin
   _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following information was provided by FDOT: 
Broward County Alligator Alley Workshop       
 Date:                Thursday, May 29, 2008                                 
Time:                6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location:          Hyatt Bonaventure
 Address:          250 Racquet Club Road, Weston, Florida 33326
Alligator Alley is a 78-mile section of Interstate 75 in South Florida connecting the southwestern and southeastern coastal areas of Florida.  It was originally constructed during the late 1960s as a two-lane, controlled access toll road and was known in the original bond documents as Everglades Parkway.  From 1986 to 1992, Alligator Alley was widened to four-lanes and made a limited-access, tolled, interstate facility (I-75).
 The Department faces some tough challenges ahead with on-going cost increases, revenue shortfalls and growing transportation demand.  We must embrace innovative financing techniques.
  For more information about the Alligator Alley project, please visit our website at: http://www.alligator-alley.com/.
 If you require further information concerning this project or the scheduled workshops, please contact the Florida Department of Transportation, Project Manager, Mr.. Greg Schiess P.E., by phone at (850) 414-4146 or by e-mail at gregory.schiess@dot.state.fl.us.  Requests for special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 should be made at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. Your attendance at this meeting is encouraged and any comments will be appreciated.
 
 

DNC: We Will Not Count All Of Florida Delegates

Democratic National Committee rules require that the two states lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early, the party's legal experts wrote in a 38-page memo.
 
The memo was sent late Tuesday to the 30 members of the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which plans to meet Saturday at a Washington hotel. The committee is considering ways to include the two important general election battlegrounds at the nominating convention in August, and the staff analysis says seating half the delegates is "as far as it legally can" go.
 
Saturday's meeting is expected to draw a large crowd, with Clinton supporters among those encouraging a protest outside demanding that all the states' delegates be seated. Proponents of full reseating have mailed committee members Florida oranges and pairs of shoes to get their attention.
 
DNC officials are concerned about a potentially large turnout at the "Count Every Vote" rally outside the event and have asked the hotel staff to increase security to keep everyone safe. The DNC says the roughly 500 seats available to the public inside were taken within three or four minutes of becoming available online Tuesday.
 
The DNC analysis does not make recommendations for how the Rules and Bylaws Committee should vote, but gives context from the party's charter and bylaws for the committee to consider.
 
It underscores a prickly problem: If the Rules and Bylaws Committee decides to restore any of the states' delegates, there is not a simple way to divide them between Clinton and Barack Obama.
 
 
Clinton won the majority of the vote in Florida and Michigan and has been arguing that the delegates should be fully restored according to the results of the January primaries.
 
The analysis also said there is an option to restore 100 percent of the delegates — by a recommendation of the Credentials Committee that meets later this summer. However, that would mean a final decision would not be made until the first day of the convention in Denver since Credentials Committee decisions have to be approved by the full convention as it convenes — risking a floor fight.
 
 shoe shipments are being organized by http://WalkAMileInOurShoes.org    and the orange idea was promoted by a group called Florida Demands Representation, which plans to bus Floridians to Saturday's rally outside the meeting. Blaine Whitford, a volunteer helping organize the effort, said they are unalign with any candidate.
Susie Buell, one of Clinton's top fundraisers, has formed a political action committee encouraging women to support full seating of the delegates. The WomenCountPAC has taken out ads in USA Today and The New York Times promoting attendance at the rally.
___


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Another Attack On Obama

trotta_5-25.jpgWhen it comes to confusing Osama bin Laden and Sen. Barack Obama on the cablers, there have been a surprisingly large number of instances, be it a verbal or a graphic error. Yesterday brought the newest instance of Obama/Osama confusion, although it may be the least of the implications.
During an interview on Fox News between anchor Eric Shawn and contributor Liz Trotta about the "assassination" comment by Sen. Hillary Clinton, Trotta mistakenly refers to Obama as Osama. "The vast right wing conspiracy blame has been undermined by her evasions, by her outright lies if I may say, by her pandering, by her race baiting, and now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama," she said.
Shawn corrected Trotta just as she herself realized she said the wrong name, and they simultaneously said, "Obama." Then, Trotta appears to attempt to make a joke about the gaffe. "Well, both if we could," she says, and laughs while Shawn says, "Talk about how you really feel." He then changes the subject.
Across the web, the reaction to what Trotta may have been implying has been varied. Whatever the implication, it is the latest in the string of Obama/Osama mistakes in the mainstream media.
Click continued to see the full segment of the interview...


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Small Donations Continue to Fuel Democrats

April Presidential Reports: Small Donations Continue to Fuel Democrats; McCain Has His Best Month; Clinton's Debts Rise to $19.5 Million
According to monthly reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on May 20, the three remaining presidential candidates raised $76 million in April, only slightly less than the $78 million they raised in March. For the third month in a row, more than half of Senator Barack Obama's and Senator Hillary Clinton's primary contributions – 65% and 59% respectively – came in amounts of $200 or less. Another 16% of Obama's funds and 21% of Clinton's came in amounts of $1,000 or more. For Senator John McCain, the percentages were reversed. Although April was McCain's best fundraising month, only 24% of the $18.5 million he raised came in amounts of $200 or less; 63% were in amounts of $1,000 or more. Cumulatively from January 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008: Obama has raised 47% of his funds in amounts of $200 or less, Clinton 33% and McCain 23%; during the same period Obama has raised 34% cumulatively in amounts of $1,000 or more, Clinton 51% and McCain 63%.

Summary Table - Remaining Candidates
* Clinton's debt includes $10 million to herself.


Clinton's Debts

There has been some interest among reporters recently about Sen. Clinton's debt. The debt reported to the Federal Election Commission was $19,480,893 as of April 30. This included $10,000,000 in loans the candidate made to the campaign and the remainder in debts to others, most of whom were vendors.

Since the "Millionaire's Amendment" to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, everything above $250,000 in candidate self-loans must be repaid by the date of the relevant election, or else be converted to gifts. The election, in this case, will be the date on which a party's presidential candidate is nominated.

Sen. Clinton's debts to her vendors were about $840,000 less than they were at the end of March. The largest vendor debts were to the political consulting firms of Penn, Schoen and Berland ($4.8 million); MSHC Partners ($956,409) and Grunwald Communications ($695,379). She is continuing to purchase services and make payments to these vendors. Penn, Schoen and Berland billed the campaign for $3.3 million during the month of April and received $3.1 million in payments; Grunwald Communications billed $860,767 and received $693,867; MSHC Partners billed $44,725 in April and received payments of the same amount. The remaining $3 million in debt is owed to a total of more than 150 creditors.

Tables:

Table 1: Presidential Candidates' Fundraising Activity, April 1 - 30, 2008 (Active Candidates).

Table 2: Presidential Candidates' Fundraising Activity, Jan. 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008 (All Candidates).

Table 3: Presidential Candidates' Primary Money Raised and Spent, Jan. 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008 (Active Candidates).

Table 4: Past Presidential Candidates' Fundraising: January 1, 2003 - April 30, 2004 and January 1, 1999 - April 30, 2000 (All Candidates).



  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Obama: McCain's Lobbyiest Problem

 


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Double Talk Express: On Health Care

Florida Lawmakers Put The Burden of School Tax's On The Tax Payer

The Florida Legislature created a budget in which local property taxes provide a larger portion of public education funding than state taxes, creating a possible constitutional showdown over the state's responsibility to pay for schools.

  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Send A Message to the DNC Rules Committee

 
 
 
Orange_crushmaster
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Check out "Orange Crush" the initiative to send every member of the DNC rules committee and orange scrawled a message: Count our votes. So far Project Orange Crush  has dispatched nearly 2,000 oranges.

The DNC’s state blogger credentialing process is on the verge of becoming a fiasco

The DNC's state blogger credentialing process is on the verge of becoming a fiasco. Marc Ambinder discovered a letter from 21 credentialed state bloggers who are protesting the exclusion of their progressive colleagues from the convention. They allege that some bloggers were chosen for their party loyalty, and not for their progressive bona fides. "The Democratic Party endangers its own long-term viability when it makes fealty a criterion for inclusion," they write. Matt Stoller calls the credentialing of Cathleen Carrigan, an employee of Michigan Governer Jennifer Granholm "simply absurd… Granholm can get her employees credentials, she doesn't need to take them from independent progressive activists." We think it's about time for some damage control from Howard Dean.

GOP's Secret Weapon

 The Trustees of the Republican Leadership Trust (yes, that's the real name) are working on a secret weapon: the Republican All in One™ Political Suite.™ Beware Democrats! Look out progressives! The TRLT is convinced that their new tool will be the "GOP's answer to MoveOn.org, Act Blue and multiple commercial vendors who provide political technology." Without giving any details at all about what their Political Suite will look like, the TRLT is asking for pledges of $10 or $25 a month to help take over the world.


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Major announcement regarding the Florida Democratic primary

TALLAHASSEE – Senate Democratic Leader Steven Geller ( D-Cooper City ) on Thursday will make a major announcement regarding the contested Florida Democratic primary. The press conference will address a significant development expected to have national impact.
Senator Geller will hold the event at 11:45 a.m., Thursday, May 22, 2008 at his law office in Ft. Lauderdale . The address and directions follow below.
Sen. Geller's law firm, Greenspoon Marder, P.A., is located at 700 Trade Centre South, Suite 700 , 100 West Cypress Creek Road , Ft. Lauderdale , Florida . Access to the firm is as follows:
From Interstate 95, exit on Cypress Creek Road, West to second traffic light ( Andrews Road ), left on Andrews Road , immediate right onto the service road. The building will be on the right.  You may park in the Visitor's Parking garage and take the elevator to the 7th floor

Broward Democrats vote to ask Crist to block proposed floating gas plant and pipeline


The Broward Democratic Party wants Gov. Charlie Crist to use his authority to veto a proposal for a floating gasworks off northern Fort Lauderdale.

A resolution opposing the terminal and pipeline passed unanimously Tuesday night at the monthly meeting of a couple of hundred Democrats who govern the local party.
The Democrats acted at the request of Ivan Itkin, president of the Galt Ocean Grassroots Organization, a Democratic Party club.
Broward Democratic Chairman Mitch Ceasar called it a "godawful idea" and "highly detrimental to our community." He said defeating the idea is "critical to the health and welfare of Broward County and all of South Florida."
Suez Energy North America Inc., a subsidiary of a huge French energy company, has proposed construction of the Calypso Deepwater Port, twin undersea terminals 7.7 and 10.3 miles off the coast to receive natural gas deliveries from tankers and send the highly flammable fuel through a pipeline to South Florida's power plants.
Read more about the proposed project, and the reaction to it, here.
 
Posteds At: Sun-Sentinal


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 


UPDATE
Campaign checks help gas terminal and pipeline company say Hello Broward

> Posted by Anthony Man
The Houston-based company whose plan to build a liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline off the Fort Lauderdale coast is sparking opposition has introduced itself to key Florida politicians -- with campaign contributions.

Suez Energy North America Inc. has donated to U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, who represents most of the Broward coastline, including the area with growing public concern over the gas project.

The company has also given to U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, who represents communities in northern and central Broward, and to U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.

The contributions aren't enormous. Federal Election Commission records show Klein received three checks totaling $5,000 toward this year's re-election. Wexler got $3,500 in two installments for his 2008 campaign and Martinez got one $3,000 check toward his 2010 re-election effort.

Suez Energy's political action committee is giving to both sides. Klein and Wexler are Democrats; Martinez is a Republican.

Julie Vitek, vice president of communications at Suez, said contributing to campaigns "is one way for us to connect with the elected officials in areas where we have an operating presence or hope to have one. It provides us with an opportunity to introduce ourselves, build relationships and share information in the same vein as being members of a business trade association, a civic group, or advertising in a local newspaper."


Suez, a subsidiary of a French energy company, wants to build twin undersea terminals 7.7 miles and 10.3 miles off the coast. The Calypso Deepwater Port would receive natural gas deliveries from tankers and send the fuel through a pipeline to South Florida's power plants.

Opposition to the $400 million project has increased in recent weeks. Commissioners in several cities are opposed to the project and the Broward Democratic Party passed a resolution last month urging Republican Gov. Charlie Crist to use his power to veto the proposal.

One of the leading opponents is Ivan Itkin, president of the Galt Ocean Grassroots Organization, a local Democratic club.

He said he's more interested in getting Klein and Wexler to oppose the project than the fact that they've taken money from Suez.

"As long as they petition the governor and use their political efforts to support our efforts, then I'm happy," Itkin said. "If they take Suez' money and then decide to support us, then I'm happy with that."

Klein said he didn't know details of the project. He said his staff would monitor the issue and he would get involved if need be.

The congressman said he wasn't aware of the Suez contributions, which are a tiny fraction of the $2.1 million cash in his campaign warchest as of March 31, the end of the most recent reporting period.

He said the money wouldn't make any difference to his policy stand. "I will always be out there on the public safety side," he said.

More concerned is Paul Renneisen, Klein's challenger in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary.

Renneisen said he thinks the project and Klein's accepting Suez money would become an issue in the campaign.

Wexler, the other Broward recipient of Suez money, hasn't taken a position, said his chief of staff, Eric Johnson.

"He's been open to hearing from [Suez] on the merits of the project, and certainly open to hearing from the constituents and the public in Broward County," he said. "Most importantly, he would never support anything that does not meet all the safety concerns of the county."

Johnson said Wexler has raised almost $2 million for the 2008 election, "so he gets supported by numerous interest groups, companies, local and national, and contributions he receives never determine how he votes and what he supports."

VICTORY FUND ENDORSES MARK LAFONTAINE

VICTORY FUND ENDORSES MARK LAFONTAINE
FOR HOUSE DISTRICT 92
Candidate Also Turns In More Petitions Than Necessary for August 26 Ballot
 
Oakland Park – Mark LaFontaine, candidate for the State Legislature from District 92, was formally endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the nation's largest GLBT political action committee and the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of openly GLBT elected officials at all levels of government.  LaFontaine also turned in substantially more petitions than needed to secure a spot on the August 26 ballot, registering 694 valid petitions.  Only 615 were required.
 
"I'm pleased to accept the endorsement of the Victory Fund, because their track record of supporting winning candidates underscores the momentum my campaign has achieved," LaFontaine said.  " Florida has never elected an openly-GLBT representative to Tallahassee , and this endorsement, plus our strong petition drive, brings us one step closer to making history."
 
LaFontaine has long been an advocate for Florida 's GLBT community.  He is national treasurer of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), which supports US veterans both gay and straight, and president of the local Gold Coast chapter, the largest in the organization.  And he is a board member of the Dolphin Democrats, the oldest GLBT Democratic club in the state, as well its former treasurer.
 
LaFontaine also was a leader in Scouting for All, which fought discrimination in the Boy Scouts.  He was instrumental in leading a diverse coalition including GLBT groups and religious and mental health leaders, which resulted in several government and community organizations pulling their funding from the Boy Scouts – including Broward County , the Broward School Board, and United Way of Broward County . 
 
In addition to supporting the GLBT community, LaFontaine is also a member of the Broward County Veterans Council, and is the only veteran in the District 92 race, having served in the US Coast Guard.  A resident of Broward County since he was six years old, LaFontaine is the owner of a successful accounting practice based in Oakland Park, is a board member of Oakland Park Main Street, which is guiding that city's development, and also has been a member of the Fort Lauderdale Audit Advisory Board, which oversees the city's finances.
  
In addition to Victory Fund support, LaFontaine has been endorsed by US Rep. Barney Frank, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore (Dist. 90).
 
Florida House District 92 includes parts of Deerfield Beach , North Lauderdale , Oakland Park , Lazy Lake , Poinsettia Heights , Pompano Beach , Tamarac , Victoria Park and Wilton Manors.
 
# # #
 
On the web:
 



Rally With Obama

 

Friday May 23rd
5:00 PM
 
What: Rally With Obama
 
When: Friday, May 23, 5:00 PM
 
Where: Click the link below to find out!
 
Bank Atlantic Center
One Panther Parkway
Fort Lauderdale , FL 33323
Learn more here:
CLICK HERE
 

Hillary In South Florida



Join me for a Solutions for America event in Florida


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Your Blog of Rights




__,_._,___
ACLU Supporter,

We need your help sharing the message of rights and liberty across the
Web. Visit Blog of Rights and become a part of our effort to educate
Americans about how we can reclaim our liberties:
CLICK HERE



  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Hillary in Sunrise

 

Wednesday May 21st  3:30 PM
 
Senator Hillary Clinton
Sunrise Lakes Phase IV   Main Club House
10102 Sunrise Lakes Blvd, Sunrise
(PARKING WILL BE LIMITED, Please Car Pool)
 
 
For Information Call:
Barbara S. Effman
(954) 846-8865
bsedem@aol.com
 

Fire The Lobbyist

Sign the petition!

John McCain's campaign relies on well-heeled Washington lobbyists to run and raise money for his White House bid. In fact, he's relying on at least 112 lobbyists as staff or fundraisers, including at least ten who represent brutal dictators, human rights abusers, and other unsavory foreign interests.
Sign Here
 


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Broward Democratic Party launches new commercial

Help us run "Touchscreen" on cable TV!

 
Dear Fellow Democrat,
As you know, in the last year, we have initiated new projects, such as this website, to draw new people into the party. 
 
The newest phase of this marketing plan is a Cable TV campaign designed to remind people we have a new paper trail this August, and get them to join up on this site.  (You may view the ad below.)
 
If you like the commercial, please help us raise the money to air it.  Make a contribution today by clicking here (or on the green contribution button on the left).
We want to raise at least $25,000 by August 1.   Help us get there by making a contribution to the party today! 
 


Support this commercial - Click here.

-Mitch Ceasar
Democratic Chairman



  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Bush Family Ties to Hitler And Nazis

Warning! this is a very long, while informative post
 
 
 
 
Dear Mr. Bush,
Your speech on the Knesset floor today was not only a disgrace; it was nothing short of treachery. Worse still, your exploitation of the Holocaust in a country carved out of the wounds of that very crime, in order to strike a low blow at American citizens whose politics differs from your own is unforgivable and unpardonable. Let me remind you, Mr. Bush, of your words today:
"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said at Israel's 60th anniversary celebration in Jerusalem.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before," Bush said in remarks to Israel's parliament, the Knesset. "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."
Well Mr. Bush, the only thing this comment lacked was a mirror and some historical facts. You want to discuss the crimes of Nazis against my family and millions of other families in Europe during World War II? Let me revive a favorite phrase of yours: Bring. It. On!

The All-American Nazi
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's grandfather was a director of a bank seized by the federal government because of its ties to a German industrialist who helped bankroll Adolf Hitler's rise to power, government documents show.

Prescott Bush was one of seven directors of Union Banking Corp. (search), a New York investment bank owned by a bank controlled by the Thyssen family, according to recently declassified National Archives documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
Fritz Thyssen was an early financial supporter of Hitler, whose Nazi party Thyssen believed was preferable to communism.
--snip--
Both Harrimans and Bush were partners in the New York investment firm of Brown Brothers, Harriman and Co., which handled the financial transactions of the bank as well as other financial dealings with several other companies linked to Bank voor Handel that were confiscated by the U.S. government during World War II.
Union Banking was seized by the government in October 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
Oh, but there is much more too:
The two Holocaust survivors suing the US government and the Bush family for a total of $40bn in compensation claim both materially benefited from Auschwitz slave labour during the second world war, Kurt Julius Goldstein, 87, and Peter Gingold, 85, began a class action in America in 2001, but the case was thrown out by Judge Rosemary Collier on the grounds that the government cannot be held liable under the principle of "state sovereignty".
I cannot think of one Democrat who can boast this kind of lineage. Can you? No, I don't think so. But you can lie brazenly and attack a sitting US Senator on foreign soil by comparing him to Nazi sympathizers? Let us continue down memory lane to help those who applaud you understand just what it is they are celebrating.
The All American Traitor
You family did not stop with supporting fascists and Nazis abroad, did they Mr. Bush? Surely you must know of your grandfather's role in the treasonous plot of 1933 to overthrow democracy in America? Let me remind you.
Grandpa Bush - that is to say, your grandfather - wanted fascism imported into the United States, or as you now call this type of transformation, "exporting democracy." Prescott went so far as to subsidize a coup attempt in order to achieve his dream of a fascist America (see BBC report below):
Document uncovers details of a planned coup in the USA in 1933 by right-wing American businessmen. The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush's Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression. Mike Thomson investigates why so little is known about this biggest ever peacetime threat to American
In other words, not only was your grandfather a self-professed fascist, he was a Nazi sympathizer and a war profiteer who should have stood trial at the Hague instead of buying his way into the US Senate. He was also a traitor, twice over.
Now clearly the crimes of Prescott Bush are not your fault, Mr. George W. Bush. Let us therefore judge your actions and words on their own merit.
Iraq is your Poland
Your reminiscence today about the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany should have been seen as your own condemnation of your own abhorrent actions against Iraq. The morbid irony of what you said will likely never register with your or your speechwriter. To truly grasp the grotesqueness of what you said requires that you have both a conscience and some understanding of history. We know you possess neither.
I will therefore make your history lesson brief, but to the point. The unprovoked attack on Poland by Germany was a war crime just as your attack against Iraq - based on lies - is a war crime. This is not my opinion. This is not a political attack. This is a fact. Consider the words of the esteemed former chief prosecutor in the Nuremburg trials, Benjamin Ferencz, regarding your war of aggression against Iraq:
"...Prima facie case can be made that the United States is guilty of the supreme crime against humanity, that being an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation."
Moreover, your reckless verbiage and partisan pandering using something as tragic and criminal as Germany's war of aggression against Poland is an insult to all victims of those atrocities.
My grandfather's sister and parents were having supper in their Warsaw home when a German bomb erased them from this planet. Your evoking the German atrocities against Poland in order to play dirty politics against Democrats is as offensive to me as if you had pinned a swastika onto your lapel.
Even your own words appear to be penned by Hitler's ghost all the while you imply that Democrats are Nazis and/or terrorists - something you have done over and over. Your lies and Hitler's lies even have the same purpose.
When you, Mr. Bush, said "see in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda," were you aware of Adolph Hitler's eerily similar statement? Hitler said "If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."
Yet if words alone were your only weapon and words strung together into lies your only crime, you might be seen as simply the loathsome, unethical dilettante and despot that you are. Unfortunately, your crimes are many and so similar to those of the Nazi regime that at times one wonders if you are not yourself reenacting that very history you used today as an insult against a political opponent.
Your very own concentration camps
You ordered the creation of secret camps all over the world and on US territory where you also authorized the torture of countless men, women and children is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, international law, and domestic law. In other words, you authorized war crimes.
We don't know the number of people you have had disappeared, tortured, and possibly murdered. Although we have some idea of what these numbers may be, I doubt the full truth of it all will ever be known.
In 2005, I had a CENTCOM document leaked to me illustrating that since the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, more than 70,000 men, women, and children have been detained at one of your various camps Mr. Bush. We don't know what happened to them, if they were tortured, raped, or murdered. What we do know is that less than 2% of those 70,000 had any sort of charge brought against them in a court of law. None of those alleged crimes, by the way, were acts of terrorism. We don't know if that 70,000 figure was the actual and full count of detainees in US custody around the world in 2005. But it is safe to say that in the last 3 years since this document was published, the number of detainees has likely grown.
What we also now know, in great horror, is that at least one of your camps had a crematorium in it, which some of the US soldiers stationed there suspected was used for burning bodies:

"We had some kind of incinerator at the end of our building," Specialist Megan Ambuhl said. "It was this huge circular thing. We just didn't know what was incinerated in there. It could have been people, for all we knew--bodies." Sergeant Davis was not in doubt. "It had bones in it," he said, and he called it the crematorium. "But hey, you're at war," he said. "Suck it up or drive on."
What we also now know is that Dick Cheney and senior members of your administration carried out a plan of torture and abuse that violated international and domestic law with regard to human rights, down to the type of torture tactics that would be used against prisoners in our custody. This plan, we now know, was approved by you.
Has the mirror cracked yet from this much fact or are you still peering into the political sphere hoping to ascribe your own crimes to others? It won't work. It never has and it certainly won't work now. We know far too much about you and yours.
I could continue listing the litany of your crimes, both against the United States and against foreign nations. I won't. We know what you are and what you have done. Having roughly 1,000,000 dead Iraqis under your belt should have shamed you into the parasitic hole you came out of, attaching yourself to the blood of this nation and sucking it dry. Instead, you parade around, the globe-trotting horror show and anti-Semite that you are.

Yes, you are an anti-Semite
Would you say no, you are not an anti-Semite? Consider your own words when you thought no one was keeping score:

"You know what I'm gonna tell those Jews when I get to Israel, don't you Herman?" a then Governor George W. Bush allegedly asked a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.

When the journalist, Ken Herman, replied that he did not know, Bush reportedly delivered the punch line: "I'm telling 'em they're all going to hell."
Only an anti-Semite would think this type of humor is acceptable. Did you tell the Jews of Israel they were going to hell? No, instead, you told them that American Democrats are Nazi sympathizers and in an act of sheer indecency, the right wing Likud party orchestrated the greatest applause you ever got. For shame!
What this blind adoration finally proves to me is that the right-wing regime that has overtaken Israel cares nothing for its people, its heritage, and the tragic history that they now honor by applauding a man whose family-fortune was built on the bodies of their loved ones. Like their Republican (and Lieberman) counterparts in the United States, Likud does not represent its people, rather, it represents its owners. Likud has traded Israel, its Jews, their heritage and history for the same golden calf purchased and sold by the far-right wing in the United States.
I am ashamed of you Mr. Bush. I am ashamed of those who applauded your political porn played out against the hallowed backdrop of the Holocaust. I am ashamed of those reporters with you, who between them could not muster the moral courage to call you out on your ugly rhetoric and ask you about your own family Nazi ties. You are, sir, the most abhorrent human being of my lifetime. I dare say, in the lifetime of this nation.
 
posted at huffington Post

FBI to look into anti-Semitic incidents

Members of Congress from Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties sent a letter today to FBI Director Robert Mueller asking the agency to investigate a recent string of anti-Semitic incidents in South Florida.
 
 
The effort, organized by U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, was joined by U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston; Tim Mahoney, D-Venus; Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami; Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami; Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach; Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, and Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar.
A press release from Klein's office reports that the delegation is "greatly concerned about the temporal pattern of these events." The letter asks the FBI Director to "look into these incidents as a potential trend and report to us about ways that you are working with community leaders to find the perpetrators and prevent future incidents."
 
 
Read the letter here: Download file
See background here.


  
For News And Commentary:
Broward News And Politics
 
For Florida Election News See:
 

Broward For Change Supports Ron Klein for Congressional District 22

KLEIN_MAILER1two.jpg

Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus Announces At Lrge Degate Slate



Dear Good Democrats:

This Saturday, May 17, 2008, we will meet in Tampa, Fla. to elect the At-Large Delegates and then the alternates. The Affirmative Action Committee of the FDP has set its goals. I am personally calling upon YOU to elect these good Democrats. I am not going to bore you with nonsense, but, I have included factual information to help you cast your vote

Please beware, that national media will be monitoring your vote. We the State GLBT Caucus are counting on you and I have marked those to be part of the 14 and the rest as alternates. You will also be called upon from our local chapter presidents as well as our regional directors to assure your vote and accountability.

I greatly appreciate your time and consideration regarding this imperative matter.
I look forward to the results and trust me , I will be watching the voting process.
My very best to all.
Respectfully,

Michael A. Albetta
President, Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus





Candidate
County
Name
Comments
Clinton
Broward[Albetta, Michael] *
Angelo, Joe
AA/Wilton Manors Commissioner
Clinton
Broward
Fitzsimmons, Teresa
Veteran
Clinton
Broward[Albetta, Michael] *
Flippen, Justin
President Dolphins Dems/Youth
Clinton
Broward
Mills, Ron
Broward Area 9 Leader
Clinton
Broward[Albetta, Michael] *
Trantalis, Dean
Former FTL Commissoner
Clinton
Hillsborough[Albetta, Michael] *
Albistu, Ercilia
Hispanic
Clinton
Leon
Hicks, Joshua
Youth
Clinton
Miami-Dade[Albetta, Michael] *
Burns, Kevin
Mayor North Miami
Clinton
Monroe[Albetta, Michael] *
Maurer, George
State Committeeman
Clinton
Palm Beach[Albetta, Michael] *
Hoch, Rand
Palm Beach Human Rights Council
Clinton
Pinellas[Albetta, Michael] *
Steele, James
Clinton
Sumter[Albetta, Michael] *
Strickland, Eleanor
Senior
Clinton
Broward
Lockwood, Michael
Disabled
Clinton
Palm Beach[Albetta, Michael] *
Newton, Deidre
Palm Beach Human Rights Council
Obama
Alachua[Albetta, Michael] *
Fleming, Terry
Veteran/Disabled
Obama
Hillsborough[Albetta, Michael] *
Cappiello, Marilyn
Treasurer Hillsboro DEC/Disabled
Obama
Miami-Dade[Albetta, Michael] *
Ruiz, Hiram
Hispanic/SEIU Local 11
Obama
Orange[Albetta, Michael] *
Cosme, Kristian
Hispanic/YDA VP
Obama
Palm Beach
Lazenby, Thomas
Union
Obama
Manatee
Danehy IV, Thomas




As a reminder -

The allocation of these delegates was determined by the statewide vote of the January 29th Presidential Primary. The allocation breakdown is as follows:
Senator Hillary Clinton
24 At-Large Delegates - 14 Females / 10 Males & 3 At-Large Alternates - 1 Female / 2 Males
Senator John Edwards
1 At-Large Alternate - 1Female
Senator Barack Obama
16 At-Large Delegates - 10 Females / 6 Males, 2 At-Large Alternates - 1 Female / 1 Male
This is the final opportunity to fulfill our diversity goals. Please keep in mind that priority of consideration should be given to African Americans, Hispanics, Native Ameri­cans, Asian/Pacific Americans, members of the GLBT community, people with disabilities, youth, and military veterans.