Statement of Senator Don Gaetz Opposing National Marine Fisheries Service Sudden Closing of Amberjack Season.

GOPUSA.com, 21 October 2009

Today, without warning and with apparent disregard for the impact on Northwest Florida's economy, the National Marine Fisheries Service suddenly announced that it was closing the amberjack season. This decision combines too much authority with too little science.

I strongly oppose this arbitrary decision and have asked the NMFS to reconsider and recall their announcement. No valid and reliable scientific evidence has been presented that would justify this action.

NMFS is a federal agency outside of the jurisdiction of the State of Florida. Therefore I am appealing to our two US senators, George LeMieux and Bill Nelson, and Congressmen Allan Boyd and Jeff Miller to join me in a request for reconsideration.

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- We have yet another example why our Founders limited federal government to specific, defined actions. This sudden ruling by an unelected bureaucrat to limit the fishing industry's means to operate has the odor of an "unreasonable seizure" (Art. IV, Constitution)

To ask a followup question or to send Senator Don Gaetz an Email: FormFill for Sen. Gaetz

For the banned amberjack logo: Amberjack fishing banned.

GOPUSA Florida Editor Resigns for Family Reasons

Bill Dillon, Florida Editor, 21 October 2009

As our parents age, we owe them the full support they gave us in our infancy and adolescent years. To properly support our folks who live in another state, I have had to resign after almost 10 years as Florida State Editor.

I do wish to thank all who provided me suggestions or have written news items, especially the Florida Republican Liberty Caucus members: (click) RLC of Florida Homepage. They are a force of principled renewal within the GOP.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the years as Florida SE and will continue to support Dr. Bobby Eberle's GOPUSA and write an essay or news item from time to time for that unique site.

Should you wish to contact me, please drop me line at billdill@cox.net.

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Editor's Note -- My bio and photo of me holding the informative book The Triumph of Liberty. See synopsis and reviews of Triumph of Liberty at (click) Amazon.com.

Dr. G shows off shiny new 'green' morgue. Medical examiner loves new site, especially the floors.

Orlando Sentinel, 21 October 2009

Dr. G's real-life medical-examiner show was a first for cable television, and now the celebrity doctor could be working on another innovative project: the state's first "green" morgue.

The autopsy suite of the $14 million facility on Michigan Street in Orange County boasts a terrazzolike floor composed of recycled beer bottles. Hallway floors are lined with used carpet tiles, and offices are equipped with energy-efficient motion-sensitive lights.

The nearly 40,000-square-foot building, which debuts Monday, also will smell less of death thanks to a high-tech air-purification system. Plus, increased storage means more space for biopsies, bodies and bones.

"I'm really excited about this new campus," Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia said as she smiled in the soothing yellow-colored lobby of her new building. "Smell and storage has always been a problem. We had to store bones and biopsies in a bathroom at the old building."

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- Dr. G has a spiffy morgue waiting for the unfortunate Quentin Jenkins: click: Deputies: Man shot himself after robbery spree in Orange County.

Obama's next Florida visit won't be featuring Gov. Charlie Crist.

Miami Herald, 20 October 2009

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will make his second trip to Florida as president next week, but don't expect Gov. Charlie Crist to join him this time.

Obama's last trip -- to Fort Myers on Feb. 10 -- came as he was pitching his economic stimulus plan. At the time, the Republican governor's embrace of the $787 billion spending plan earned him the wrath of fiscal conservatives.

Earlier this week, Crist defended his appearance with Obama, saying he was ``our president.'' On Tuesday, though, Crist said he won't join the president on this trip.

``I don't even know what day he's coming. Do you?'' Crist asked a reporter.

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- To distance himself from Obama, Crist disingenously feigns ignorance of the president's schedule. The last time he hugged Obama, Crist took a popularity hit: (click) Poll Watch: InsiderAdvantage Florida Political Survey. While there, scroll down to my response, #12.

State CFO Alex Sink painted as silent on tough issues. Republican Bill McCollum's campaign for governor says Democratic rival Alex Sink is ducking tough issues.

Miami Herald, 20 October 2009

Alex Sink's campaign for governor calls her a model of government transparency but won't disclose how much money she's received from a group that solicits donations for Democratic women who favor abortion rights.

Emily's List, one of the largest political action committees in the country, has been promoting Sink since late June. Sink raised $1.6 million between July and September but won't say how much came from Emily's List members.

``This is the Sunshine State. And now, more than ever, Floridians ought to have an open and transparent government,'' reads Sink's campaign website.

Sink, the state's chief financial officer since 2006, has shied from partisan politics and sought to emphasize her experience as a banker. The Republican frontrunner for governor, Bill McCollum, has badgered her to take sides on controversial issues like a government-run healthcare plan and union-backed legislation in Congress, but Sink won't take the bait.

She's outraising McCollum, 2 to 1, partly due to her success at courting some top Republican donors.

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- More on Sink and the infamous Emily's List: Florida's Alex Sink won't list her donations from Emily's List.

"Alex Sink's campaign for governor calls her a model of government transparency but won't disclose how much money she's received from a group that solicits donations for Democratic women who favor abortion rights."

"Emily's List, one of the largest political action committees in the country, has been promoting Sink since late June. Sink raised $1.6 million between July and September but won't say how much came from Emily's List members."

Here's the Emily's List homepage. Access it and make up you own mind on its "virtues": Homepage.

Charlie Crist stands by Obama.

Miami Herald Blog, 19 October 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist's decision to stand with and embrace President Obama at an event in Fort Myers last spring is sure to be exploited for partisan gain by his Republican U.S. Senate rival, Marco Rubio. But on Monday Crist said he made the right call to stand with the Democratic president.

"Yeah, sure it was, sure it was," Crist said. "The man's the president of the United States of America. He's all our president. And when the president comes to your state for the first time after he gets elected, I'm a civil guy, and I'm going to try to do what I believe is right all the time. I don't agree with him on everything. I think that's pretty clear. But yeah, I think it's the right thing to do to honor the office of president of the United States."

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- Civility to the President is one thing; kissing up to him for the stimulus package is another: Crist Stands Behind Ads Blasting Obama’s Spending. Key points from the article cited are:

"But Crist was a huge backer of Obama’s $787 billion federal stimulus package, so much so that he embraced the president on stage during a Fort Myers rally to promote the plan."

"Crist’s Senate primary opponent, former House Speaker Marco Rubio, has relentlessly criticized him for supporting the stimulus package and Crist now seems to be singing a different tune."

Rubio chides big government at GOP event.

Daytona Beach News-Journal, 18 October 2009

DAYTONA BEACH -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio tried to build support in Volusia and Flagler counties Saturday, criticizing "big government" solutions to the nation's problems.

"We are at a proverbial crossroads as a people," Rubio told hundreds of Republicans at the Volusia County GOP's annual Lincoln Day dinner at the Ocean Center.

Rubio, a former state House speaker who is running against Gov. Charlie Crist in next year's Senate primary, also appeared at a Lincoln Day dinner in Flagler County.

Trying to appeal to conservatives who are unhappy with the direction of the Democratic-led country, Rubio pointed to federal efforts to deal with problems such as health care and job creation.

At both stops, Rubio said greater federal involvement in the economy would lead to the government picking "winners and losers" and limit the ability of people to build businesses.

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- Rubio's free enterprise observations reminds one of the basics as our Scottish "Founding" economist proclaimed them in his 1776 Wealth of Nations: (Click) Adam Smith and the invisible hand:

"...every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the

society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote

the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the

support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own

security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may

be of the greatest value,he intends only his own gain, and he is in this,as in

many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no

part of his intention.Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no

part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the

society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have

never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public

good."

Sink wins crossover support from GOP early in governor's race.

Orlando Sentinel, 19 October 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Democrat Alex Sink has handily out-raised Republican rival Bill McCollum in the early stages of what could be the priciest race ever for Florida governor next year.

At least part of the explanation: hundreds of donors who in the past gave to Charlie Crist and other Republicans are rethinking which party to back in 2010 or are hedging their bets by also sending money to Sink.

Nearly 500 individuals who gave to Crist's 2006 gubernatorial campaign have crossed over and written checks for up to the $500 maximum to Sink this year, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis of campaign-finance data.

Their contributions account for about $200,000 of the $4 million Sink has raised to date, bolstering Democratic optimism that she represents the party's best shot in a dozen years to win back the Governor's Mansion.

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- This is just another indicator that Crist is not quite the Republican he could be -- true blue Democrats don't support true blue Republicans.

A PowerPlay discussion of the meaning of the latest polls and Rubio's uptick trend: PowerPlay with Dolinski and Flemming.

Simulator training has bright future.

Orlando Sentinel, 19 October 2009

Russ Hauck, 61, was executive director of the National Center for Simulation in Orlando for nearly 8 1/2 years. He stepped down Oct. 2 to become a business-development executive for the Lighthouse of Central Florida, a nonprofit organization. Hauck spoke with Sentinel staff writer Richard Burnett.

CFB: Your exit from the simulation industry surprised a lot of people. Talk about the timing.

It probably seems more sudden than it really was. I'd been planning this for a while. I just felt it was time for me to move on to some new challenges. This opportunity opened up for me at Lighthouse, which provides training and rehab for the blind. They want to start a new arm of the organization to help find employment for visually impaired people. I'll be heading it up. I had to move pretty quickly because there are some important things coming up to get it started. But I'll still be available to the simulation center to help with the transition

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Editor's Note -- For insight into the high tech simulator business in Orlando: National Center for Simulation.

Does Gov. Charlie Crist's Senate campaign ads touting conservative record match his claims?

Orlando Sentinel, 17 October 2009

TALLAHASSEE - The governor is looking nervous on the campaign trail. He's trying to bolster his conservative credentials, but he's making some questionable claims to do it.

Ten months before the primary in his 2010 U.S. Senate campaign, Gov. Charlie Crist is touting his conservative record in two radio spots running statewide, his first paid advertisements.

The ads come at a critical time for Republican Crist: His once-bulletproof popularity is showing cracks.

And despite having a $6 million campaign account, he is facing a real primary fight against former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, a favorite among conservatives.

>> Read more...

Editor's Note -- Here's a fine comparison of Crist's claims and the truth: Fact check: Crist’s first radio ad for U.S. Senate campaign:

"Gov. Charlie Crist’s U.S. Senate campaign is running its first two radio ads across the state. Listen to 'Out of Control' and 'Enough is Enough' here."

"The ads are pretty much the same. Read the transcripts and fact check after the jump."