Discover the GOPUSA Forum!

Discover the GOPUSA Forum! GOPUSA is a great place for news and commentary. It is also a great place for discussions! Have an issue on your mind? Want to discuss and debate it? Want to share thoughts on current events in a friendly atmosphere? The GOPUSA Forum is the place for you!

Meet Your State Editor Bill Dillon State Editor for Florida

ACLU of Florida Backs Suit Challenging Bush Administration Travel Restrictions on Family Visits to Cuba.

ACLU of Florida, 16 May 2008

MIAMI and MONTPELIER, Vt. – American Civil Liberties Union Affiliates in Florida, Vermont and Massachusetts, along with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), today filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief in Vilaseca v. U.S. Department of Treasury, a federal lawsuit in Vermont challenging severe restrictions imposed by the Bush Administration on travel to visit close family members in Cuba.

“The ability of Cuban-Americans to visit relatives in Cuba, especially at crucial moments in the history of the family such as the celebration of marriages, or visiting a sick relative in a hospital, or attending a relative’s funeral, is essential to maintain family integrity,” said Howard Simon, ACLU of Florida Executive Director. “The Government of the United States should not be in the business of breaking up families by restricting their ability to visit each other. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, clearly states that ‘Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.’

>> Read more at Florida News Page

Fla. to Consider Key Church-State Question

Washington Post, 15 May 2008

The potential repeal of a century-old Florida law barring state funding for religiously affiliated organizations is to be put before the voters there this fall, at the end of a lobbying battle that has attracted the attention of President Bush and has engaged a coalition of liberal or secular educational groups.

The vote is widely considered the first of numerous state battles over the funding ban. It exists in 36 other states but has been targeted by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a Washington-based law firm, and by activists in the states.

At stake is the Blaine Amendment, a type of law enacted in states about a century ago as an attempt by the country's Protestant majority to block government support for Catholic schools. The Blaine laws have long kept religious schools and, in some states such as Florida, many programs run by religiously affiliated organizations, away from the public coffers.

>> Read more at Florida News Page

Florida Legislative Action Center ++ Florida Legislative Action Center ++ Florida's Elected Officials ++ My Florida Elected Officials ++ Florida Local Officials Search ++ Florida Legislative Bill Search* ++ Florida Legislative Vote Search*

Florida Activism Resources ++ Tips for Writing Your Florida State Legislators ++ Tips for Calling Your Florida State Legislator ++ Florida Media

National Activism Resources ++ GOPUSA's National Headquarters for Conservative Activists! ++ Congressional Directory ++ Presidential Information ++ Governmental Agencies ++ Supreme Court Information ++ Track your Senators' and Representative's votes by e-mail ++ 2007 Election Map ++ GOPUSA Election 2008

Subscriber Links ++ Stay informed! Subscribe to GOPUSA's Eagle. ++ Receive Legislative Action Alerts from GOPUSA ++ Join GOPUSA's Survey Team to share your opinion on issues