Say what? Kumquat

This is take from a paper in south Florida, and made me laugh this morning:

Column: Orange You Glad State Picked Fruit?
TOM JACKSON

In yet another move designed to offend the lowest number of Floridians, this spring the Legislature approved and, Friday, Gov. Jeb Bush signed, a bill proclaiming the state's official fruit. To the astonishment of absolutely no one, the ubiquitous orange claimed the honor and all the rights and privileges that thereunto appertain.
The orange thus joined other examples of Sunshine State conspicuity - the mockingbird, the manatee, the alligator, the horse conch, the largemouth bass, the zebra longwing butterfly and its very own self in fetal form (the orange blossom) - in the rarefied ranks set aside for official symbolizing.
(Want to get into a spat with some botanist? Mention that the state tree is the Sabal palm. Except that a palm is not, strictly speaking, a tree. It is, instead, a family unto itself, more closely related to grass than pines and oaks.)
Anyway, King Orange rules again, adding to its haul of honors that includes a county, a top-tier college football game, a stadium and a New Year's Eve parade.
Never mind that the official state fruit, while useful in the formation of knock-knock jokes (``Orange you going to open the door?''), absolutely defies rhyming. Welcome to a jingle-writer's nightmare.
Pockets Full O' Flavor
Meanwhile, unlamented and once more ignored, is the locally lovable little kumquat, abundantly grown in northeast Pasco County and favored throughout Indochina, to which it is native.
Indeed, the name ``kumquat'' derives from the Cantonese for ``golden orange.'' Which is orange, only better.
Unlike the orange, which arrives sheathed in a stubborn, unpalatable peel requiring inconvenient disposal, the kumquat is utterly edible, ``extremely juicy and tasty and usually [with] a sweet outer skin accompanied by a tart, inner flesh,'' say the experts at essortment.com. In short, eating the entire fruit, which is small enough to pop in your mouth, is the point.
And unlike oranges, you can walk around with your pockets full of kumquats; this is especially helpful for those waging war against unsightly belly fat who are susceptible to unhealthy snacking.
Beyond convenience and portability, consider also the kumquat's eminent rhyme-ability, which is wholly superior to the awkward orange. Why, this poetry-friendly, bite-size alternative to the unyielding orange fairly invites the typing of happy couplets.
Kumquat - say what? I say kumquat. Hits the spot. Yes, kumquat - in a pot, just a dot, you're gonna love 'em cold or hot. Yes, kumquat, ready or not.
New Category Needed
OK, maybe the orange is the 800-pound gorilla - make that orangutan - in the room. And it's hard to begrudge the fruit on the license plate its place among state symbols. After all, tangerines, grapefruit, tangelos and mangoes didn't get a sniff of the certification action, either.
But here in the county of the kumquat capital of the free world, where growers urge consumers to consider kumquat kabobs, kumquat chutney, kumquat merengue pie, kumquat stew and kumquat quiche, love of the fruit world's best-kept secret endures.
A change in profile is in order. Perhaps in time for next year's midwinter Kumquat Festival in Dade City, a legislative delegation can be recruited to consider naming the official state fruit that fits in your pocket.
Say what? Kumquat.
Columnist Tom Jackson can be reached at (813) 948-4219.

Black Folks And Everyday Low Prices

From American Black, another blog, it has several good links ....

Black Folks And Everyday Low Prices

A lot of folks have problems with Wal-Mart. Local retailers. Unions. The list goes on. But Wal-Mart has come up with a plan which is working. New stores are going up in poorer neighborhoods.

The pitch goes like this: Wal-mart is good for poor people of color because they get jobs and also get to buy cheap goods.

Of course executives don't mention the jobs come with notoriously low wages and that the company has cracked down on union organizing. But Black cheap labor conservatives don't care.

Wal-Mart executives know that poor people of color are in no position to be picky about who brings what jobs to the community. Wal-Mart is the leading employer of Black and Latino workers.

But just how bad is Wal-Mart?

Wal-Mart has a health plan. But because few workers can afford it on the wages Wal-Mart pays, the company instead encourages its workers to apply for public assistance. So many of Wal-Mart employees are on welfare that some states want to tax them to offset some of their costs.

Pitching proposals to poor communities who are desperate for jobs, private developers are able to exploit the failure of public policy to create jobs in these communities. New York City Coucilman Charles Barron had this to say in a recent Alternet article.

"There are plenty of other ways to create jobs," says Councilman Barron, who argues for increased investment in public infrastructure such as hospitals and schools to revitalize poor areas like his Brooklyn district. "Private developers," he continues, "manipulate the race question for their financial gain."

Like everyone else, I wanna save a few a few dollars. I shop at Wal-Mart. And I'm all for poor communities getting much needed jobs. But we need to distinguish between economic development and economic exploitation. And Wal-Mart smells a bit like explotation to me.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Leon County Young Democrats are proud to announce our 1st annual (and hopefully only) Filibuster Film Festival next Tuesday, May 24, 2005, at Paradigm downtown. We will be showing Mr Smith Goes to Washington starring Jimmy Stewart at 7:30 pm. The classic 1939 Frank Capra film tells the story of how a naive, good-hearted Senator stands up to powerful, corrupt interests by using the filibuster. Arriving between 6:30 and 7 should ensure you'll get a good seat. The film festival is open to the public, and it's FREE! Snacks will be provided and there will be a cash bar.

We are holding this event to make a statement about the filibuster debate currently being held in the US Senate. Over 200 years of precedent are being threatened with this latest attempt by the GOP to eliminate the last check on their power. The threat of the "nuclear option" is fundamentally un-American, and it's up to all Americans to stop it. We will have a "Save the Filibuster!" petition in support of preserving the filibuster as a means of protecting the rights of the minority. After all in attendance have signed it, we will then forward it along to our Senators in Congress. They can then see in black and white where Leon County citizens stand on the issue.

If Bill Frist and his reactionary supporters are successful in changing the rules to suit them by eliminating the filibuster of lifetime judicial nominees, what's to stop them there? The argument that every judicial nominee deserves an "up or down vote" could easily be then extended to legislation, thus killing the filibuster altogether. The minority would then have no voice in our government.

Jefferson Smith's triumph over corruption will have been in vain.

So come down to Paradigm next Tuesday night to stand up for the filibuster and Mr. Smith!

Seven GOP Senators hold key to Filibuster Fight

The following 7 Senators hold the key to whether or not Senator Frist will get approval from the Senate to get rid of a practice that has been respected under Senate Rules for years as a tool used to help the Minority and protect it from the Majority: The Filibuster.

Currently, the Vote count is this:

48 No.... All 44 Democrats, 1 Independent and 3 Republicans (McCain, Chafee, and Snowe).

45 Yes... All Republicans.

That leaves these 7 non-committed Republican Senators as the deciding factor:

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Chuck Hagel of Nebraska
John Sununu of New Hampshire
Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
John Warner of Virginia
Susan Collins of Maine
Mike DeWine of Ohio

We will need 3 out of the 7 to win. Bill First needs at least 5 of these to force a tie and let Vice President Cheney decide through his deciding vote.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Read the article linked above by CNN. I could make a prediction but really, it could go either way.

Virginity or Death!

Read it.

Save the Filibuster!

With the threat of the "nuclear option" looming over the use of the filibuster in the US Senate, more and more Americans are paying attention to this coming historic political event. As Democrats, we should do all we can to show support for Senators willing to stand up to Sen. Frist, Bush and his "activist" judges, and their reactionary supporters. Phone calls and letters of support to our Democratic Senators are a good beginning, as well as voicing your opinion to those who are leaning towards supporting the undemocratic measure (ie, our own Sen. Martinez).

However, I'm looking to expand on this by planning an event hosted by the Young Democrats that will draw more attention to the issue of the filibuster, which has been used to protect the rights of the minority in Congress for centuries. Universities around the country, including the University of Texas at Austin and Frist's own alma mater of Princeton, are staging 24-hour "filibusters" to protest the majority leader's radical proposal to change the rules in the middle of the game. Click on the link for the story. We as young, motivated Democrats should be doing something just as innovative.

My idea is to have a "filibuster film festival" where we show a movie (my initial choice is, of course, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and/or a short film, documentary, or special report, and invite all Democrats in the area to attend. In case you don't know, the plot of the movie is about a naive man who is appointed to the US Senate and doesn't back down from powerful senators when they try to pass an unfair and corrupt bill. An event like this may get some good publicity and local press coverage, give us a venue to collect pledges of support, and possibly a way to hold a fundraiser. Local politicians could be involved, and we could also stage this as an early rally/fundraiser for Sen. Nelson, who will be one of our staunch defenders of the filibuster. I have been told that there may be film royalty related issues that would make something like this impossible, and time may also be a problem, so this is why I'm bringing this to the blog.

I encourage comments from all of you, especially those with knowledge of how film royalty laws may or may not affect fundraising. Our time frame is limited (1 to 2 weeks), b/c this battle will probably begin in the Senate next week (May 16-20), so we need to get moving if we go ahead with this. We should talk this out initially using the blog site, and then more privately to work out the details. You can also contact me personally at cwfetrow@yahoo.com.

Remember, if this event doesn't happen, we still need to win the debate in the realm of public opinion, and it all starts with you as an individual. Use your words carefully, pointing out as much as possible the hypocrisy of Sen. Frist's argument. I look forward to discussing this with all of you.

Choice Takes a Hit (Again)

Recently it was released that Bush advisor Dr. Hager wrote a "minority" opinion on the subject of approving Emergency contraception for over-the-counter use. The "doctor" who recommeds bible passages to deal with PMS among other things, is firmly anti-choice. The FDA voted to approve EC for OTC use, but its recommendation was ignored, only the 2nd time in 50 years that has happened.

Read more about that by clicking on the link in the above article.

Session in Florida ended with the passage of three severely anti-choice pieces of legislation. In addition nationwide, the new trend in pharmacies is to deny women their birth control or prescribed emergency contraception. Oh, and of course, it's still not covered by insurance.

This is just a little wake up call. Here is a summary of the Florida legislation from Planned Parenthood of Florida:

Parental Notification:

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act passed in both the Senate and House, and its terms are as follows:

* The referring or providing physician must attempt to provide “actual” notice to the parent or legal guardian in person or by phone. If they are unable to provide actual notice after a reasonable attempt, then they must provide “constructive” notice by certified mail.

* The bill also has a judicial waiver of notification process and the Supreme Court is requested to develop rules and forms for the process. Any minor regardless of age can petition the court for a judicial waiver. The minor can go to any circuit court within the jurisdiction of her District Court of Appeals in which she resides (there are only 5 districts in FL) and present any relevant evidence. The court is not required to appoint a guardian ad litem, but it may provide an attorney for the minor at no charge to the minor.

* The court must rule within 48 hours after the minor’s petition is filed. The judge must grant a waiver of notice if the minor is found to be sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy, if the minor is a victim of sexual or child abuse by a parent or guardian, or if it is in the best interest of the minor.

* A doctor may provide an abortion to a minor in a medical emergency without noticing the parent. Parental notification is also waived if the minor is or has been married, or has a minor child dependent on her.

* The law takes effect on July 1, 2005.

Unborn Quick Child:


Prior to the passage of this bill, current law stated that if a woman is injured in a criminal act that results in death, it was one act of murder. If that woman was pregnant with a “quick child” and lost her pregnancy, the loss of the pregnancy was one act of manslaughter. The term “quick child” was not defined in statute, but case law defined it as when the woman felt quickening or movement in the womb (about 16 weeks). The new law changes the term to “unborn quick child” and makes the termination of pregnancy through an injury to the woman an act of murder (1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree) but it statutorily redefines an “unborn quick child” as a viable fetus, which is when the fetus can live on its own outside of the mother’s body (roughly 24 weeks). It is important to note that a murderer could go to jail for 25 years to life just for “killing” a viable fetus regardless of whether the woman dies during the violent act. However, if both the woman and the fetus “die,” then the two sentences would be served concurrently and not consecutively. Upon the Governor’s signature, the law takes effect on Oct. 1, 2005.


Clinic Licensing (TRAP) Bill:

This bill increases the licensure and regulation requirements for clinics that provide 2nd trimester abortion procedures. Realistically, most of the provisions in the bill are already required of clinics by the National Abortion Federation (NAF) or by Planned Parenthood, so most clinics will have an easy time complying with the regulations. Upon the Governor’s signature, the law takes effect on July 1, 2005, but there is another provision in Florida Law that says that no rules under this chapter can be enforced for a year upon passage.

The bottom line is choice is being eroded all over the place and we need to step up the action to prevent that. Pensacola is hosting an "It's Great to Wait" rally this month to advocate abstinence, which is great and all, but education is better.

I'd like to see the Lean YDs getting more involved with these issues instead of just watching them happen. If you are interested, please e-mail me or call me to brainstorm.

"I believe in family values"

"I believe in family values," Stelling testified Tuesday.

The Tallahassee Democrat picked up a story from the AP Wire regarding the Seminole County GOP Chair Jim Stelling. It seems Mr. Stelling narrowly lost his bid for RPOF Chair in 2003 because Nancy Goettman, now of Texas, sent a letter to their eligible voters pointing out that he had been married six times and accused him of spousal abuse. The judge found in favor of Mr. Stelling because there is no proof of spousal abuse and because Mr. Stelling has only been married five times.

The current chair of the RPOF is Carole Jean Jordan who narrowly beat Mr. Stelling in an election held days after the letter was mailed out. Mr. Stelling quickly took his complaint to court to try to repair his good name.

After a lot of negative talk about this last weekend's FDP chair election, which ended up running very smoothly and without controversy, reading this in the paper today reminded me that every political organization has at least a little infighting amongst their leadership.

UPDATE:
Check out this story from the Orlando sentinel Democrats on upswing in Seminole

B103 Rocks, or Whatever the Country Music Equivalent is....

Tallahassee Supporters help the LCYDs! B103, a locally owned radio station, is helping local charitable and service organizations with their newest contest. Monday through Friday, four times a day, between the hours 6AM and 6PM, now through June 17 B103 is giving away a at least $100 to different local charitable and service organizations and up to $500. The Leon County Young Democrats have qualified for this contest.

How do we win? By listening to B103. Four times a day B103 will call out the name of a member of one of the participating groups and that members groups name and then anyone with that group can call in (422-1031) and provide them with the email and phone number for that group and the group wins!

An example B103 might say would be: 'We would like to thank Frosty D. Snowman with the Leon County Young Democrats for his commitment to the people of Tallahassee.' Then anyone can call 422-1031 and provide them with the phone number and email for the LCYDs.

What is the phone number provided for the LCYDs? 850-222-3411

What is the email provided for the LCYDs? LeonYD@yahoogroups.com

I hope we can all try to listen to B103 as much as possible during the busy day. I have already learned that Actress Renee Zellweger and Country Music Star Kenny Chesney got married this last weekend and that I remember a lot of songs that my rural upbringing exposed me to.

Crist is first Republican into the Gubernatorial Race

Charlie Crist, or Chain Gang Charlie become the 'first' Republican to announce a bid for the Governor’s office. Yesterday he had his papers filed by John Walsh, of America's Most Wanted fame. He joins the race where Congressman Jim Davis and Senator Rod Smith are currently representing the Democratic Party.

I will point out that there are other candidacy running as Democrats and as Republicans but they aren't receiving any coverage from the media. The state division of elections list all qualified state level candidates and I would recommend checking it out every now and again over the next 14 months as we wait to see everyone who qualifies for office.

Also note that we are waiting to see what the under estimated Lt. Governor Toni Jennings does along with State CFO Tom Gallagher, and we are waiting to see who decides to run against Senator Nelson.

For a positive opinion essay written today check out the Mike Thomas Article form the Orlando Sentinel: Is Crist Dumb?

When I think South Park I think Conservative

So the bloggersphere spouts out interesting information, and this was a story that made me question what I believe about late night cartoons. I am entertained by people who have mocked both the left and the right being fully embraced by the right. The cartoonist featured in Bowling for Columbine are now the same cartoonist being used as a model for the conservative movement.

It seems that the Conservative movement has embraced Comedy Central's popular TV show South Park. It seems that Brian Anderson has written a book titled South Park Conservatives: The Revolt against Liberal Media Bias. Here is a description from the think tank that he is associated with:

"It's a behind-the-scenes look at how conservatives- and even iconoclasts who don't consider themselves conservative- are overthrowing the liberal media and political correctness. From the bloggers who demolished Dan Rather, to the Swift Boat veterans who sank John Kerry, to the gleeful anti-political correctness of such comedic send-ups as South Park and Team America, the American media landscape has suffered an earthquake. Conservatives who have fretted about liberal media bias and losing the culture war should take heart, because a new generation of "South Park Conservatives" is changing everything. " Link

I found out about this book on one of my favorite Blogs Catch.com who reported this transcription from From MSNBC's Scarborough Country:

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Why don't we just show a clip of "South Park" to help define what "South Park" conservatives are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SOUTH PARK")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Kids, this is the Costa Rican Capitol Building.
This is where all the leaders of the Costa Rican government make their...
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh, my God, it smells out here.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: All right, that does it. Eric Cartman, you respect other cultures this instant.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I wasn't saying anything about their culture.
I was just saying their city smells like ass.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Wow. Staying in a place like this really makes you appreciate living in America, huh.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: You may think that making fun of Third World countries is funny, but let me...
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I don't think it's funny. This place is overcrowded, smelly and poor. That's not funny. That sucks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)

The Scarborough link is to the whole transcript from which the above bit of text comes from. The Catch website also mocks the book with altered covers, pointing out how silly this all is.

I am just really entertained by people embracing the sarcasm of South Park as their true genre of thought. The show that brought us Mr. Slave and The Passion of the Jew is not the show I would choose if I was Rev. Dobson. So next time you are talking with a young conservative, be prepared to reference their cultural model: Eric Cartman.

Congratulations to the new FDP Chairwoman

Yesterday's Chair election went very smooth. The Leon County Young Democrats wish to congratulate Congresswoman Karen Thurman on her election as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party.

After the election Chair Thurman gave a rousing speech on what we will all be doing as a party over the next few years. We look forward to working with the new Chair and continuing our close relationship with the Florida Democratic Party.

Have You Heard.....

Well the Democrats of Florida are succeeding at being noticed!! The news being reported on the chairs race is that Janee Murphy is thinking of running for Chair. All accounts indicate that she isn't, but still it made news today that she is considering jumping into the race. So I wanted you all to be aware.

News that is being reported in Tallahassee on the party and our officials:

Yesterday, the house and senate split down racial lines. The vote on whether Broward County Supervisor of Elections Miriam Oliphant removal of office was ethical or not. The headline in the Tallahassee Democrat is Black Democrats feel jilted. Ms. Oliphant is now suing the state. From the article: "During more than an hour of questioning of Kahn on the Senate floor, black members said Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties had widespread problems at the polls in 2000 and 2002 - but that only the black woman was suspended."

Lastly, the Tallahassee Democrat is calling the Chair's race for Karen Thurman. The article is not the best review of our party, but as it appears in our local paper, and we all affiliate ourselves as Democrats. I would encourage you all to check it out and see what our peers are hearing about us.

Chairs race narrows

Diane Glasser, Broward County's State Committeewoman, has dropped out of the race for chair. I have linked to the story in the title bar. Jeff Ryan dropped out after failing to qualify last week. This leaves Congresswoman Karen Thurman and Doug Courtney, former chair of the small county coalition. So things look fairly good for the former Congresswoman.

Google Karen Thurman

Karen is the person who the Florida Young Democrats endorsed for chair. Here is an excerpt from an email from our statewide president Matt Cole:

"Over the past week, I asked for your input on candidates for Florida Democratic Party (FDP) Chair in the form of a poll our Yahoo Groups website. As President of the FYDs, I have one vote for the upcoming election of FDP Chair. Because voting is "on the record," my vote will be seen as an endorsement. Jeff Ryan received more support from Exec Board members who voted, but Karen Thurman was overwhelming preferred by FYD members and Chapter Presidents who voted.

I have spoken with both Jeff and Karen. If elected Chair, each candidate understands of our goals and has promised to provide the continued support we need. The new Chair must build upon the work that Scott Maddox has done and continue to improve communication, increase fundraising, broaden the state party's appeal, and develop future leaders. Based on your input, on May 7, my vote will go to Karen Thurman.

The former Congresswoman represented much of North Central Florida in Washington for ten years. She successfully raised 2 million dollars in her last campaign and has provided leadership on many issues including: education, the environment, and health care. Karen has also been provided leadership for many groups including: labor, women, and veterans. "

Sessions come and go

The end of session is always a busy time of year.... We had a decent meeting last night, with a fun, if quick, trip to Andrew's that followed. So many of our members are involved in some aspect of the legislative session that as it wraps up the tension mounts and I think it was good to go and relax for a while....This Friday's Drinking Liberally should be a lot of fun as session wraps up on Friday too and the aides will be pouring into the street once it is over...Which was fairly late last year, hopefully this year things will end at a reasonable hour.

It was a good night to be a Democrat at Andrews last night.... Jeff Ryan was having drinks with Janee Murphy, who was in town for a successful Hillsborough Democrat day. Rep. Karen Thurman was having dinner with Sen. Margolis and between the two tables were 15 Leon Young Democrats, it was nice.

Of course this now sounds like some sort of gossip column which isn't my goal... The LCYDs will have a brief training coming up soon on collecting redistricting petitions and the locals are going to start seeing us at their local events and malls collecting signatures, check the links on the side for more information on the redistricting initiative .

Also check out the Florida Young Democrat link for more information regarding the leadership conference June 11, 2005 and the state's website for more information regarding the JJ Gala.

This weekend is the election for FDP Chair, I will try to keep you all informed as it happens, or as close to as it happens as I can.