Posts in the category Corporate Accountability
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Progress Florida's Best of the Blogs for the week ending 1-22-10 The myth of limited government By Peter Schorsch St. Petersblog 2.0 First of all, to the anonymous bloggers who attempted to discredit the good name of one of Tampa's finest families, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Our Editorial Cartoon of the Week feature is part of Progress Florida's popular FREE Daily Clips service:
First things first: Unlike 24 other states across America that limit “independent” organizational advertising and media spending in support of, or in opposition to political candidates’ and issues advocacy campaigns at the state level - note that Florida has no limits on such spending.
So the Supreme Court ruling handed down in a contentious 5-4 vote (Thank Bush for the conservative majority), an ideologically extremist vote overturning long-standing limits on special interest campaign spending on U.S. congressional and presidential campaigns, will not have any impact on Florida’s 2010 state-level campaigns. That’s the “good” news. The bad news is, the bottomless pit of special interest money that has been used so many times in Florida to defeat local candidates and state initiatives that dare tamper with freewheeling corporate profits and business practices at the local and state levels (see Florida’s insurance, real estate development, and financial industries, for starters) has now been unleashed for use on federal campaigns as well. Read More » Want to know where Paula Dockery, Bill McCollum, and Alex Sink stand on major issues facing Florida: education, health care, the environment? Good luck.
Take a look at any of the major candidate websites, and you'll find that Dockery and McCollum have no issue page. Alex Sink, to her credit, has an issues page, but only addresses issues she's tackled as CFO, not what she would do as governor. I'm sure issue stances will be added in the future, we're more than 9 months away from the election, but our state faces huge challenges right now. As people who want to lead the fourth largest state in the country, it would be great to know how they would deal with our state's $3 billion budget deficit, woefully underfunded education system, broken health care system, threatened environment, and the overpowering influence of corporate special interests. Furthermore, I'm really surprised the press hasn't caught this. Yes, they have been trying to corner the candidates on some issue questions (particularly Alex Sink on health care lately), but that's it. The press should call the major party candidates on the fact none of them have any kind of significant issue stances. I'm not asking for or expecting vast policy tracts on every conceivable issue Florida faces. For now, at least a few cogent sentences on a handful of key issues would be nice. Is that really too much to ask? The Big Oil roundup: news and information about Big Oil’s push to rig Florida’s coastline for the week ending 1-8-10:
Oil drilling researchers face deadline By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune A group that stands to have considerable influence over the future of oil drilling off the Florida coast is unlikely to present its findings to the Legislature until the first week of March.
Promises of jobs, revenues from offshore drilling just don't add up By Scott MaddoxTC Palm I am strongly opposed to allowing near-shore drilling for oil off Florida’s coast. In coming to this conclusion, I considered several questions.
Oil lobby scaling back its presence in Tally By John KennedyThe News Service of Florida via Orlando Sentinel Florida Energy Associates, the group spearheading the effort to open the state’s Gulf waters to offshore oil-drilling, is scaling back its once dominant presence at the state Capitol.
Southern Strategy, hit on offshore drilling by Welch, loses bid By David DeCampSt. Petersburg Times Southern Strategy Group, the influential lobbying firm based in Tallahassee, has lost a bid to be Pinellas County's consultant for its latest charter review.
CEPD chairman receives ovation following speech By Jane BrickleySanibel-Captiva Islander Mike Mullins, chairman of the Captiva Erosion Prevention District received a standing ovation from the audience last Tuesday after he addressed the Lee County Legislative Delegation at Edison State College.
Drilling in the Gulf or Hands Across the Sand?: Debate spills into Destin Chamber of Commerce By Fraser ShermanDestin Log If the beauty of the Emerald Coast doesn't convince you to oppose oil drilling, South Walton's David Rauschkolb says, think of the beauty of the Emerald Coast economy.
Top Dem offshore oil drilling advocate retiring By Jeremy WallaceSarasota Herald-Tribune One of the U.S. Senate’s most vocal pro-oil drilling Democrats has announced he’s retiring and won’t see re-election in 2010.Editorial Gainesville Sun Would legislators take notice if tens of thousands of Floridians joined hands on Feb. 13 to protect Florida's beaches? We hope so, right now they only seem to be taking notice of Big Oil's money and influence.
Near-Shore Oil Drilling: Deep-Sea Tech Wrong for Florida EditorialLakeland Ledger Floridians and their legislators have had many reasons to be skeptical since proposals surfaced rapidly to open near-shore waters to exploration and drilling for oil.
TAKE ACTION NOW  Write Your State Senator: Big Oil's Promises Are "Empty" Big Oil and their hired hands in Tallahassee have sworn that drilling Florida’s coast would be “invisible” – that there would be no unsightly rigs just a few miles off our coast. We know different – and a recent eye opening story in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune has proven Big Oil’s promises completely “empty.” Click the picture above – keeping the pressure on by letting our State Senators know people like you are paying attention is how we’ll beat Big Oil.
MORE ONLINE ACTIONS Help Drill for Solutions Not for Oil, via Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Let us decide! Petition to Governor Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, via Civic Concern.Contact Your Officials About New Drilling Off Florida's Coasts, via Civic Concern. Ask your state legislators to keep the rigs out, via Save the Manatee Club.Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida. Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida.Urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose offshore oil drilling, via Progress Florida. Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida.Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches. Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida.Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida. Related action: Don't go drill crazy in the Everglades, via Center for Biological Diversity.Related action: Keep oil drilling out of climate change legislation, via Oceana. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE Hands Across The Sand website; their Twitter page is here. Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website.Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook. Think, Baby, Think blog via Protect Florida’s Beaches.Don’t Drill Florida website. Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page.Save Our Shores Florida website; their Twitter page is here. Save Our Shores Florida Facebook page.Environment Florida offshore drilling page. Southern Alliance for Clean Energy offshore drilling page.Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info. Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation.Eye-opening map of oil and gas leases and infrastructure in Gulf of Mexico, via MMS. EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here.
Our Editorial Cartoon of the Week feature is part of Progress Florida's popular FREE Daily Clips service:
The Big Oil roundup: news and information about Big Oil’s push to rig Florida’s coastline for the two weeks ending 12-4-09:
 Faulty promises in bid to drill off Florida? By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune Take action now: Write Your State Senator: Big Oil's Promises Are "Empty" The oil industry makes its case for drilling within a few miles of Florida’s coast by trumpeting a new kind of drilling that is “virtually invisible” on the coast. Lobbyists pay out as oil issue heats up By Paul Flemming Gannett Florida Capital Bureau Related: Some leery of the revenue promised by oil Related: Energy industry political contributions database Money makes things happen in this capital city. Consider Florida Energy Associates LLC, the entity behind the current push for drilling in Florida waters. Drilling bill would likely pass House but not Senate By Bill Cotterell Gannett Florida Capital Bureau Related: Lawmakers are wary of oily beaches Related: Real prize could lie in waters controlled by US government Related: Oil drilling: the players The push for the Florida Legislature to approve near-shore Gulf Coast drilling in its 2010 session is like oil exploration itself — surveys and projections, expert opinions, test wells to take the political pulse and throwing around plenty of money in search of a gusher that ends in a positive vote. Gulf of Mexico drilling proposal worries conservationists, tourism officials By Jim Waymer Gannett Newspapers Related: Oil & Water: The debate over drilling in Florida Related: Military bases could feel drilling's impact Related: Where will they drill? ... and other questions Related column: Why risk damaging tourism? Oil spills kill fish, birds and tourist reservations. New report says oil drilling will harm Florida coasts (includes audio) By Lauren Martinez WMNF Community Radio Tampa The 3 to 10 miles the Florida Legislature controls off the state’s coastline has caught the attention of oil lobbyists who want to remove the drilling ban. Offshore oil drillers now looking at Florida's east coast By Jim Waymer Florida Today Wildcat wells might one day spring up off the Space Coast. Florida's move to drill could sway Congress By Jim Ash Pensacola News Journal The immediate debate in the Legislature is about drilling in waters controlled by the state in the narrow band up to 10.3 miles from the coast. St. Joe Company mum on offshore oil drilling By Jim Ash Ft. Myers News-Press Northwest Florida, proud home of turquoise waters and sugar-sand beaches, has become ground zero in the fight against the Legislature's push for offshore drilling. Lots of risk, no reward in drilling off the coast of Florida By Carter Hall TC Palm The siren song of big oil is seductive and enticing. It promises many things for Floridians: cheaper gas, more gas, new jobs, help with Florida’s budget problems and finally, safe technology with no spills. Paradise lost to oil drilling By Jonathan T. Baxter Pensacola News Journal I am a world traveler who, in a lighthearted way, has always said that if I find the perfect beach I would stop traveling. Oil drilling momentum stuns Graham By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune Former Florida Gov. Bob Graham is dismayed at how fast oil drilling advocates are gaining ground in their push to open the Gulf of Mexico to drilling. Old Florida needs to let go of old ways By Matthew Christ Independent Alligator The Gulf of Mexico may look calm from the porch I’ve perched myself on for the Thanksgiving holiday, but a contentious political storm is slowly brewing over efforts afoot in the Florida Legislature to repeal a ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore drilling resolution passes By Suzette Porter Tampa Bay Weekly Despite objections from one Largo resident, the Board of Pinellas County Commissioners approved, 6-1, on Nov. 17, a resolution opposing oil and gas drilling in Florida’s waters. Local elected officials urge opposition to drilling in gulf By Sara Kennedy Bradenton Herald In an effort to counter proposals to allow oil and gas drilling as close as three miles from shore, Manatee County commissioners have written a letter opposing drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said. Southwest Florida's tourism industry OK with rigs, just not close to beach By Laura Ruane Ft. Myers News-Press Southwest Florida’s lifeblood tourism industry, which promotes itself as the “Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel,” has mixed views about offshore drilling. Florida's gulf drilling debate Editorial Northwest Florida Daily News In a few months, the Florida Legislature will debate whether to allow drilling for oil and natural gas as close as three miles from Gulf Coast beaches. It's just not worth it Editorial Pensacola News Journal The News Journal Editorial Board has long opposed drilling within 100 miles of Gulf Coast beaches — even 150 miles, as proposed during congressional negotiations in 2006. Certainly not in state waters, within 10 miles of the coastline. Atwater rejects rigged deck Editorial Palm Beach Post Fortunately, one of the three people who could stop the oil rush in Florida has done so. TAKE ACTION NOW  Click the picture above to urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose state legislative efforts that would allow offshore oil drilling off Florida’s coast. LATEST ONLINE ACTIONS Write Your State Senator: Big Oil's Promises Are "Empty", via Progress Florida. Let us decide! Petition to Governor Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, via Civic Concern. Contact Your Officials About New Drilling Off Florida's Coasts, via Civic Concern. MORE ONLINE ACTIONS Ask your state legislators to keep the rigs out, via Save the Manatee Club. Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida. Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida. Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida. Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches. Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida. Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida. Related action: Don't go drill crazy in the Everglades, via Center for Biological Diversity. Related action: Keep oil drilling out of climate change legislation, via Oceana. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website. Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook. Think, Baby, Think blog via Protect Florida’s Beaches. Don’t Drill Florida website. Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page. Hands Across The Sand website. Environment Florida offshore drilling page. Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info. Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation. EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here. Progress Florida's Best of the Blogs for week ending 11-20-09 On health care reform, letter writing, and form letter responses to constituents…Senator Nelson’s office = fail. By Progress Florida Daily Kos Activists today delivered a letter signed by more than 200 constituents urging Rep. Suzanne Kosmas to stand up to special interest lobbyists by supporting strong, comprehensive financial reform.St. Petersburg should move its elections back to the Spring, but when exactly? By Peter Schorsch St. Petersblog 2.0 The numbers do not lie: in March of 2001, more than 34% of voters turnout to choose the Mayor of St. Petersburg. Republican political opportunism. That, in a nutshell, is the Sunshine State’s worst and not so well hidden tax burden. Two stories that broke in recent days help highlight the shameful mess that the Florida GOP has made of both the state’s economy, and its tax code. Some will object to such finger pointing, claiming it’s the national economic crisis that put Florida in the financial pickle it’s in. That would constitute a half-truth, at very generous best – as would any attempt to argue that the Democrats are equally responsible for the state’s unfair, dysfunctional tax system and the havoc it has created for working and unemployed families. Read More »Although Florida Today asked "how" and "where" questions in their editorial and I in turn posed a "what" question, the crux of Brevard's corruption conundrum remains a question of "when."
Quando, quando, quando. When is anyone going to do the job they're paid to do, and swore to do, in providing oversight that's decades overdue? From: Susan Chandler Date: November 4, 2009 12:19:14 AM EST To: John Glisch , letters@floridatoday.com Cc: Governor Charlie Crist , cig@eog.myflorida.com Subject: "Our Views: Travesties of justice" Florida Today 11/3/09 Dear Florida Today: Once again, Gannett is sparing no ink in establishing the appearance of outrage over injustices, "State leaders must stop ignoring the glaring examples of misconduct in the 1980s-era trials and order a full probe. Where are you, Gov. Charlie Crist? Where are you, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum? How many travesties of justice will it take to win your attention?" I have a hunch that the number of travesties it takes to win Charlie Crist's attention is exactly the same number of travesties it will take for you to report that it is the statutory obligation of Florida's Chief Inspector General to initiate investigations of complaints regarding public servant misconduct. That number will match, according to my intuition, the number of travesties it will take for you to report that the FBI is mandated to investigate public misconduct that affects the outcome of trials, and that the local field office, along with a covey of retired agents, including Sen. Haridopolos' father, believe that mandates are optional - the former by arrogant declaration, the latter by spurious public support of an incumbent Sheriff who's failed to internally investigate his agency's role in frame-ups. My intuition tells me, too, that the exact number of travesties will have you report that Florida's Legislature is obliged to check and balance the Executive and Judicial branches' callous indifference to clouded convictions, not simply cheerlead select survivors of decades-old frame-ups. None have lifted a finger to secure Juan Ramos' compensation. Through the electronic grapevine, rumor reached me that James Dvorak's homicide, for which Bill Dillon served 27 years, will be re-investigated. I rechecked the Brevard County Sheriff's Office cold case web page recently, expecting it to show some new sign of order since a cold case had been reportedly resolved. It's still in disarray. The Canova Beach homicide of an elderly woman - Pauline Scandale - still bears no information that could possibly bring resolution. Perhaps there was an inconvenience factor to posting the date of the Ms. Scandale's homicide, as Dvorak was bludgeoned to death on Canova Beach. Perhaps it's mere carelessness. Either way, the BCSO looks bad. John Dean Moxley is now four-for-four in involvement in resolved Preston matters. He served as a prosecutor against Juan Ramos, Wilton Dedge and Gerald Stano, and was in the background on Bill Dillon's case. Moxley's former long-time assistant, Vicki Clark, is married to former BCSO Deputy Ron Clark. Through Roger Dale Chapman's public apology to Bill Dillon, Thom Fair has been mentioned in connection with obtaining coached informant testimony, but my intuition says that Fair won't prove to be the shortest distance between coached informants and the courthouse. It very much matters that resolution for Stano took the form of being fried alive in Old Sparky, with evidence lawfully allowed to be destroyed after 60 days. It very much matters that Gannett took the low road and did not reveal in it's summation of Preston cases that the same coached snitch testified against Dedge and Stano, and had recanted prior to Stano's 1998 state-sanctioned homicide. Gary Bennett's Preston-related case should not have been transferred by Gov. Crist's Execuctive Order to the 9th Judicial Circuit, where Linroy Bottoson was convicted after John Preston testified against him. As Bottoson was subsequently executed, the 9th has a vested interest in making Preston frame-ups stick. Gannett gave no ink whatsoever to Bennett being transferred from one set of unclean hands to another; State Attorney Lawson Lamar's reputation for fairness is the equivalent of State Attorney Norm Wolfinger's, it is only through sporadic, artificial outrage that either double dipper gets reelected - there's been as little in print about William "Tommy" Zeigler bogus Orange County capital conviction as there has Gerald Stano's Brevard County capital conviction. The only difference is that Tommy is still alive, and enough of us are working on freeing him that it is very likely to happen, despite the congealed corruption that has kept him on death row for 33 years. There will never be enough travesties for Gannett to stop playing politics and start reporting news that keeps those they have a fiduciary relationship with safe - subscribers, advertisers and still others (public notice incomes). Gannett will continue "he said, she said" reporting as though State Attorney Norm Wolfinger and Sen. Mike Haridopolos have equal credibility to Bill Dillon and Wilton Dedge. It'll take a lawsuit that challenges Gannett's actions as interfering in the election process and/or obstructing justice, in defiance of requirements that corporations behave as would a prudent person in the same circumstances - and ordinary prudent persons do not willfully facilitate the persecution of innocents, decades-long cover-ups, etc. Somewhere out there, there's an attorney with the right stuff who will see the potential for immortality and go for it. And once the attorney finds out that the corruption is ongoing, resulting in Jeff Abramowski's life sentence, he or she will be "loaded for bear." But in the meantime ... The question I pose of Gannett isn't "Where are you?" - because you're everywhere - it's instead "What are you?" Your feigned outrage has kept innocents behind bars for decades while rapists and killers found new victims; it's kept callous, corrupt public servants on the job to do further harm; it's kept Brevardians crying themselves to sleep at night over persecuted loved ones; it's put Brevardians in exile, unable to bear memories of persecution - Bill Dillon moved to Ohio to see if distance could provide peace. You're certainly not a news organization, so, seriously, Gannett, what are you? Sincerely, Susan Chandler When we're ill, most of us have odd comforts we allow ourselves. I've got YouTube playing Kermit the Frog singing "Rainbow Connection" in the background, reminding me of singing it to my daughter when she was little and under the weather. The very best thing that can happen is to have good wishes reach you out of the blue without anyone knowing you're sick.
Thanks to those who requested via email, along with kind words, copies of State Attorney Norm Wolfinger's awful letter to Special Master Kent Wetherell that spuriously attempts to portray Bill Dillon as unworthy of exoneration compensation for the 27 years of his life he lost after being maliciously prosecuted. Wolfinger couldn't be so boldly blasphemous without enablers in Tallahasee and the media. Someday the dreamers will triumph over the dastardly, making the rainbow connection. Until then, we just have to keep writing letters as if innocent people's lives depend on them. Because they do. From: Susan Chandler Date: October 24, 2009 1:13:32 PM EDT To: Senator Mike Haridopolos Cc: Debbie Mayfield , cig@eog.myflorida.com, Governor Charlie Crist , letters@floridatoday.com, John Glisch , Norm Wolfinger , jrusso@pd18.net Subject: "Matt Reed: Haridopolos tackles issues" Dear Senator Haridopolos: When a news article is well-written, the online comments section is absent information that the article should have contained. In the case of the above-captioned Gannett Florida Today article this week, an informed reader commented on the gigantic oil spill off the coast of Australia that indicates that the new, purportedly safer offshore oil rig technology failed. Reporter Reed's failure to ask you about that spill did not take you off the hook for not addressing it; you're to represent your constituents' best interests, not Big Oil's. Out-of-work high-tech Space Coast residents that were paid government funds to make solar technology work in space should logically be paid government funds to perfect the same technology on earth to bring cheap, clean power to our nation. If they can come up with a vehicle that works on Mars, they can come up with an electric car. There likely isn't a single resident in your district that will be employed by endangering our coastline with oil rigs. I didn't read all the comments; Florida Today's readers' rants, born of being misinformed, quickly become tedious, frightening and/or depressing. Hopefully, another enlightened reader countered your fiscal responsibility claims by commenting on your inability to effectively "tackle" DROP double dipping, which allows the likes of Norm Wolfinger and John Dean Moxley to exercise another form of predation on your constituents, aside from covering up the persecution of innocents for decades. Or perhaps a comment instead countered your fiscal responsibility claims by pointing out that you accepted professorial wages based on credentials you merely aspire to, along with a bogus "book advance," betraying your personal propensity for predation. I hope that someone commented, "Where's Juan?" to counter your bragging about sponsoring Bill Dillon's exoneration compensation. Juan Ramos deserves his $250,000 to partially right the ruination caused by his five years on death row from John Preston's solicited perjuries. That Ramos' conviction was upset in 1987 is embarrassing for those who are still in the state employ - including Wolfinger and Moxley - that are responsible for the cover-up that kept Wilton Dedge, Dillon and many others behind bars and cost Gerald Stano his life. Through the electronic grapevine, I made Centurion Ministries aware that the 9th Judicial Circuit had used Preston to convict and execute Linroy Bottoson, and that transferring Gary Bennett's Brevard/Preston case there was conflicted. I've since found out that the 9th and 18th trade cases like baseball cards, with Gov. Crist's permission. Crist announced his intention to address South Florida's corruption on October 14th, continuing to deliberately ignore Preston's involvement in a reported 100 Brevard felony investigations. Gannett pretended that Preston cases had been cleared nationwide 15 years ago. ["Convicted on false evidence; False science often sways juries, judges," authors Laura Frank and John Hanchette, USA Today, July 19, 1994; "The unmasking of Preston's dogs caused an uproar. Cases were overturned in Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Arizona and other states."] Despite Gannett's wiles, I'm even more confident now that there will be a federal investigation of the corruption and cover-up. The White House removed my comment from their facebook wall, "The FBI muddied their own credibility in protecting man's best friend ahead of actual men; after investigating dogfighting rings in several states, they have little choice but to rapidly investigate Florida's framing innocent men." Their censorship means that they read my message loud and clear, and so fast that no one got the chance to comment - this time. As of yesterday, I'm on Twitter and will learn my way around it as haltingly as I did facebook. Reed claimed you're "one of the most influential Republicans in Florida." If true, what possible reason can there be not to use your influence to make it incumbent upon Florida's Governor to investigate any county wherein two upset convictions indicate use of an identical, untenable trial tactic to stop making taxpayers pay to be kept safe from harmless men like Ramos, Dedge and Dillon, then pay exoneration compensation of top of malicious prosecution costs. Roger Dale Chapman, who bragged to his brother about getting valid rape charges dropped by lying to tighten Dillon's frame-up, was apparently re-released Thursday after a sentence reduction. James E. Gilmore, who lied about Ramos, is a revolving-door offender, apparently released without supervision after the most recent offense. The harm done by coached informants that benefit by continual prosecutorial favors and actual perpetrators that innocents serve time for can only be stopped by an investigation that looks at every single Preston conviction and every subsequent complaint of prosecutorial malice. So much is made of your ability to amass millions, so little is made of what little those millions actually pay for - pandering, predation, persecution, public endangerment. I have nothing against you personally and no ability to act on it even if I did, but I am forever wondering what it is that you personally have against your constituents and what prompts you to harm them so often. Regards, Susan Chandler The Big Oil roundup: news and information about Big Oil’s push to rig Florida’s coastline for the week ending 10-23-09:
 Coming soon to Florida’s coastline? This oil rig beached just off of Dauphin Island, Alabama, after Hurricane Katrina brought the enormous structure a few hundred metres from shore. Alabama, Texas oil revenues below Florida estimates The Associated Press Tampa Tribune Texas and Alabama get far less money every year from offshore drilling in their state waters than advocates say Florida can expect, the state's environmental chief told a House panel Wednesday. Key business group admits oil drilling in Florida will not lower prices at pump Press Release ProtectFloridasBeaches.org House leaders today asked no questions about the secretive Texas group that is responsible for the push to drill and is conspicuously absent from the first critical legislative hearing. State GOP senators skeptical on offshore oil drilling By Steve Bousquet and Shannon Colavecchio St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau The aggressive push for oil drilling off Florida's shores is backed by a coalition of powerful, well-financed business interests who are determined to succeed where they failed before: the state Senate. Details of LeMieux's work for oil group remain murky By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Up until he was appointed as Florida's newest U.S. senator, George LeMieux was advising a secretive pro-oil drilling coalition that is pushing a bill through the state Legislature to open up the Florida Gulf Coast to drilling. Parties rake in oil, gas cash By Catherine Dolinski Tampa Tribune With the debate over offshore oil drilling gaining steam but the outcome still in doubt, oil and gas companies have stepped up their contributions to the state's major political parties. Oil spill off Australia could hold lesson for Florida By Ernest Hooper St. Petersburg Times Over in Australia, they're trying to cap a leaking oil well nearly two months after it began spilling crude into the Timor Sea. Timor Sea Drilling Spill - 3rd Relief Attempt Fails By John SkyTruth blog Ugh, back to the ongoing Montara / West Atlas oil spill. It's not the risk from oil drilling, it's the pipelines, DEP says By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com In what the House council chairman said will be the first of several meetings on oil drilling, Florida's environmental chief today said drilling accidents pose a low risk to the state but he said other competing uses for state waters must be considered. Lawmakers kick off a crucial round in the state's offshore-drilling debate By Lloyd Dunkelberger Sarasota Herald-Tribune Oil drilling has been specifically banned in Florida coastal waters since 1990. Florida’s offshore hustle By Dan Berard Tampa Bay Weekly The Florida Energy Associates continue to pressure our state legislature to allow drilling offshore of Florida. House to hear drilling debate By Jim Ash Tallahassee Democrat. The think tanks are humming, big oil is gushing money, some polls suggest the public is primed -- and environmentalists are nervous. DRILL, BABY, DRILL? Oil, gas money flows in Florida as offshore drilling debate looms By Chris Kromm Facing South A plan to begin offshore drilling as close as three miles from the Florida coast stalled in the legislature this year, but energy interests aren't taking no for an answer. Offshore drilling risks outweigh benefits to state By Deirdre Macnab, Florida League of Women Voters Naples News The Florida League of Women Voters believes that Floridians must take note of the environmental risks versus the potential monetary gain when considering offshore drilling. Offshore drilling a bad idea By Reginald T. Dogan Pensacola News Journal Before I moved to Florida 13 years ago, I thought about offshore oil exploration about as much as I thought about exploring Mars. Florida, and U.S., should heed NOAA's concerns over environmental impacts from oil drilling Editorial South Florida Sun-Sentinel As Florida gets serious about tapping into oil reserves off the Gulf Coast as a way to pump up a sagging state budget, warnings about very real threats to the environment should serve as a wake-up call to pause the push for drilling off our shores. Pinellas to oppose offshore oil drilling By David DeCamp St. Petersburg Times Related: Safety Harbor joins offshore oil drilling opponents Pinellas County legislative priorities will include opposing efforts to allow offshore drilling within 125 miles of the county's tourist-rich beaches, according to the list of lobbying priorities to be discussed at Tuesday's County Commission meeting. Manatee commission opposes Gulf drilling By Sara Kennedy Bradenton Herald The Manatee County Commission Tuesday unanimously agreed to direct its staff to prepare a resolution stating it does not support oil or gas drilling in state waters in the Gulf of Mexico. FARE to FlaSeia: 'Please Come Back Home' Press Release Reuters The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy (FARE) believes that Florida must accelerate its diversification of energy producing sources beyond its current dependence upon fossil fuels, nuclear and natural gas. The O.K. Corral - A showdown of the solar industry of Florida By Susan Nilon The Nilon Report The Florida Solar Energy Industry Association (FLSEIA) went rogue last week and decided to join the supporters of Off-shore drilling(OSD). Drilling off coast is too risky By Justin Scott Lacher Sarasota Herald-Tribune There are primarily three reasons why I oppose oil drilling off the Florida coast: endangerment of sea animals, tourist money at risk if beaches are ruined by oil spills, and possible coral reef damage. Gulf drilling is a danger we can't afford Letters to the Editor St. Petersburg Times Related: Industry puff piece to which writers are responding. Dave Mica's op-ed expounds on how wonderful drilling in the Gulf of Mexico will be for our economy. Oil industry greases votes at Florida Legislature Editorial TC Palm The oil industry's money machine is pumping money into the state Legislature in an effort to open drilling within three miles of Florida’s coast. Danger of drilling hits home Editorial Sarasota Herald-Tribune State legislators from this region are divided on whether to allow oil and gas drilling off Florida's Gulf Coast. But local governments have had no qualms about taking firm stands against the proposal. Golden State's green path Editorial Sarasota Herald-Tribune The backers of nearshore oil drilling want Floridians to think their scheme is the only way to meet energy demands and finance investments in alternative sources, such as solar.  Editorial cartoon by Jim Morin, Miami Herald. TAKE ACTION NOW Click the picture above to urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose state legislative efforts that would allow offshore oil drilling off Florida’s coast. MORE ONLINE ACTIONS Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida. Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida. Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida. Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches. Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida. Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida. Tell Your Senator No More Offshore Drilling, via Oceana. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website. Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook. Don’t Drill Florida website. Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page. Hands Across The Sand website. Environment Florida offshore drilling page. Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info. Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation. EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here. Growing up in a community adjacent to Grosse Pointe, Michigan helped me to learn early on there are limits to "it's not what you know, but who you know" nonsense. We're about at the tipping point, and I likely have better instincts about it than those who think all they have to do is show up, look good, talk in circles and have ready access to large amounts of cash.
From: Susan Chandler Date: October 18, 2009 7:50:13 PM EDT To: Senator Mike Haridopolos Cc: Debbie Mayfield , cig@eog.myflorida.com, Governor Charlie Crist , letters@floridatoday.com, John Glisch , Norm Wolfinger , jrusso@pd18.net Subject: "Lawmakers' political committees draw big donations from special interests" Dear Senator Haridopolos: The above-titled article by Steve Bousquet and Shannon Colavecchio that appeared last month in the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald held no surprises. Your attention comes at a price that is out of the majority of your constituents' reach. That you named your current blitz - I'm aware there are others - to accumulate a $12M war chest from big business the "Freedom First Committee" is a new height in your hypocrisies, given that your constituents' inherent freedoms are demonstrably the last thing you care about. To the informed, today's Florida Today editorial, "Our Views: Justice still Denied," gives a clearer picture of your disinterest in justice. In a repeat performance of championing Wilton Dedge's exoneration compensation, you've jumped into unearned limelight to champion William Dillon's compensation, with Florida Today's Editorial Board making it seem like you work hard and care deeply. As a legislator, there was much you were obligated to do to secure Dillon's and others' freedom when Dedge was exonerated in 2004 and Jeb Bush denied Floridians the oversight that would have ensured their safety. Because Gov. Crist is also denying oversight and the Judiciary hasn't done anything to police itself, I often asked you to author legislation that would make it incumbent upon Florida's Governor to investigate any county wherein two convictions were upset for the identical, untenable trial tactic. That simple sentence should have come from you without a constituent having to suggest it; it is the function of the Legislature to check and balance the powers of the Executive and Judicial branches of government. Because you did nothing, John Preston's perjuries and other vile prosecutorial tricks Brevard pulled for "wins" keeps killers and rapists on the streets. In Dillon's case, charges were dropped against rapist/coached snitch Roger Dale Chapman. His DOC records indicate he'll be released from prison - yet again - on the 22nd. I pdf'd his sentence reduction. Crist transferred Gary Bennett's Preston matter to the 9th, where Lawson Lamar's questionable character as a double-dipper and participant in William "Tommy" Zeigler's 33 year persecution comes into play on top of Preston having testified there, resulting in schizophrenic Linroy Bottoson's execution. My records indicate that I initially copied you on correspondence concerning Brevard's corruption as it regarded my personal affairs on December 17th, 2003, more than two years after I initially experienced the malicious incompetence of a number of Brevard civil servants. I have since written to you repeatedly about Brevard corruption that affected other individuals; the untenable trial tactics deployed against Dillon, Dedge, Juan Ramos and countless others who have waited decades for their first fair day in court are still in use - within your knowledge - the FDLE DNA testimony against Jeff Abramowski was ridiculous; two unsuccessful attempts were made to have jailhouse informants testify against him. While Wolfinger publicly humiliates Dillon and Crist damns Bennett to unclean hands, you apparently plan to simply wait to see who else gets exonerated despite the denial of oversight and layers of corruption and then jump in once again to grab the spotlight in sponsoring exoneration compensation. It isn't a good plan, sir. There will be an FBI investigation, including an internal investigation that gets to the heart of the Brevard field office's negligence as well as former agents' now residing in Brevard untoward public support of an incumbent Sheriff who did nothing to investigate his agency's participation in multiple frame-ups. The FBI muddied their own credibility in protecting man's best friend ahead of actual men; after investigating dogfighting rings in several states, they have little choice but to rapidly investigate Florida's framing innocent men. Sincerely, Susan Chandler http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20091018/OPINION/910180309/1006/NEWS01/Our+views++Justice+still+denied http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/lawmakers-political-committees-draw-big-donations-from-special-interests/1038466?comments=legacy http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/pubcorrupt/pubcorrupt.htm The Big Oil roundup: news and information about Big Oil’s push to rig Florida’s coastline for the week ending 10-16-09:
Federal scientists: Limit offshore drilling plans By Jim Tankersley and Josh Meyer Los Angeles Times The federal government's top ocean scientists are urging the Interior Department to drastically reduce plans to open the coast to offshore oil and gas drilling, citing threats to marine life and potentially devastating effects of oil spills in Arctic waters. NOAA urges caution in expanded offshore drilling By Sue Sturgis Facing South The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has called on the Interior Department to proceed cautiously with plans to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, pointing to the need to protect fisheries, marine habitat and coastal communities. Solar group's endorsement of offshore drilling causes controversy By Catherine Dolinski Tampa Tribune An association of solar energy businesses in Florida stunned environmentalists last month by declaring its support for offshore oil drilling. What's the tie between lobbyists, oil drilling and solar power? By Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald From Progress Florida: On behalf of the tens of thousands of our members across Florida who strongly support moving our state and nation toward a clean, renewable energy future and growing a green economy here in the “Sunshine State,” we were extremely disappointed to learn about your association’s support for opening Florida’s near shore waters to oil drilling. Solar Energy's Stockholm Syndrome Don’t Drill Florida Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed. Solar Group’s Drilling Stance Spurs Backlash By Kate Galbraith New York Times A Florida solar group’s support for offshore oil and gas drilling as a means of generating revenue for renewables has spurred a backlash. Drilling backers, foes prepare for big fight By Steve Bousquet Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times From an office near the state Capitol, David Rancourt oversees a growth industry: the lobbying and public-relations operation seeking to lift the long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas exploration off Florida. Australian oil spill fuels Alex Sink's drilling skepticism By Adam Smith St. Petersburg Times Could a ruptured rig off western Australia(left) be the death nell to state officials trying to open up Florida to offshore drilling as close as three miles to the coast? Strike two: oil leak plugging attempt fails ABC News Related: Failure to plug oil leak 'unacceptable' The West Atlas oil rig in the Timor Sea has been leaking oil into the ocean for more than seven weeks. Oil drilling threatens tourism By Will Graves Orlando Sentinel The one-dimensional thinking championed by state Rep. Dean Cannon is exactly what National Geographic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Orlando Sentinel and other publications have decried as a death knell for Florida. Florida Republicans: drill, baby, drill (includes video) By Steve Nichols Fox 13 News Tampa Bay Will there be consequences for local lawmakers who oppose offshore drilling legislation? Bennett wants to delay offshore drilling debate By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, is looking to put the brakes on the state oil drilling debate. Florida State University to hold offshore-drilling symposium By Jim Ash Tallahassee Democrat Pledging to be honest brokers in a politically charged debate, Florida State University scientists announced Monday they will conduct an offshore drilling symposium next month. Save Florida By Bill Pownall Hernando Today I am writing this letter to each and every citizen of the state of Florida for you to contact and press your state legislators from passing a bill this upcoming session or as early as an October special session. Florida oil drilling supporters, opponents post letters on issue By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com Florida oil drilling opponents today called on Gov. Charlie Crist to include more coastal protections to his criteria for allowing offshore drilling. Green activist advocates taking polite approach to opposition By Steve Patterson Florida Times-Union ProvidedWith Florida politicians and environmentalists squaring off to fight over offshore oil drilling, a visiting activist is sharing some advice: Don't make enemies until you have to. Rigging offshore drilling Editorial Orlando Sentinel An elected official whose spouse gets paid by a group bent on influencing legislation before his committee has no business heading that committee.  Editorial cartoon by Jeff Parker, Florida Today. TAKE ACTION NOW Click the picture above to urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose state legislative efforts that would allow offshore oil drilling off Florida’s coast. MORE ONLINE ACTIONS Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida. Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida. Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida. Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches. Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida. Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida. Tell Your Senator No More Offshore Drilling, via Oceana. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website. Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook. Don’t Drill Florida website. Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page. Environment Florida offshore drilling page. Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info. Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation. EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here. The callous confidence that Florida's government displays in burying malicious prosecutions appears misplaced - The White House reads their facebook wall posts.
From: Susan Chandler Date: October 14, 2009 10:44:09 PM EDT To: John Glisch , letters@floridatoday.com Cc: Norm Wolfinger , cig@eog.myflorida.com, Governor Charlie Crist , Seth Miller Subject: "Wolfinger against compensation for Dillon" Dear Florida Today: William Dillon lives in Brevard County where Gannett's Florida Today makes its home and has made himself accessible to the press in his efforts to raise awareness of wrongful convictions. Reporter John Torres apparently failed to contact him to comment on State Attorney Wolfinger's deceitful letter to Special Master Kent Wetherell denigrating Dillon's exoneration claim. Dillon made his statements in the "In Your Voice" comments section of the article, along with the rabble Torres roused by once again understating Brevard's serial prosecutorial wrongdoing. As Wolfinger chose to publicly extol his role in Wilton Dedge's exoneration yet again, it fell to Florida Today to reveal that the coached informant used against Dedge was the same one used against Gerald Stano, who was executed despite that informant recanting, a complete lack of forensic evidence and the sworn statements of six Daytona Beach police officers that Stano's "confessions" were the baseless result of Paul Crow's duplicity, with the first ghostwriter Crow hired to cash-in on framing Stano confirming the officers' allegations via his sworn statement. That Gannett actively engages in election tampering by habitual "false light" reporting is obvious; less obvious is the resulting endangerment of the communities cross-country that keep Gannett in business with subscriptions, advertisements and taxpayer dollars (public notices). FBI Director's Mueller's focus on investigating dogfighting rings instead of the harm done to thousands of Americans nationwide by John Preston, Keith Pikett and other self-acclaimed scent evidence experts is hideous, and spending scarce budget funds to mechanically refine scent evidence is ridiculous. Until dogs learn to talk, no one can be certain whether they "hit" on actual evidence or on scents they find pleasing. A corporation can only lawfully behave as would a prudent person in the same circumstances, and no prudent person would facilitate the persecution of innocents - keeping killers free - so as to keep thugs in government office. Gannett is betting its life that Mueller will be allowed to continue his waywardness. Regards, Susan Chandler P.S. Anyone wishing a .pdf of Wolfinger's letter to Kent Wetherell can request it by emailing studio8@infionline.net and putting Wetherell in the subject line. Note: Today Progress Florida sent the following letter to Bruce Kershner, Director of Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, in response to his group's recently announced support for near shore oil drilling off Florida’s coast. Please repost widely to your networks. Thanks! October 13, 2009 Mr. R. Bruce Kershner, Executive Director Our Editorial Cartoon of the Week feature is part of Progress Florida's popular FREE Daily Clips service:
My 8:13 a.m. post hit a Google Web Alert at 10:39 a.m. Record time! Usually my blog posts don't hit Google until days or even weeks later; some don't make it there at all.
So while I have still have a shot at further unknown attention, let me get specific on author Glenda Carlin Busick's consternation in "Brevard Good Ole Boys" about Florida Today's disingenuous reporting. Page 13 of the paperback first edition: "As early as 1989 the Orlando Sentinel was running stories about visits to the lavish Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York City by Brevard County officials while closing bond issues with financial advertisers. However, the local daily newspaper, Florida Today, failed to pick up on the story until much later." Reporting concisely about Brevard's malicious prosecutions obviously has the potential to pull in a Pulitzer. What the rewards are to puppeteer elections will likely stay outside everyone's knowledge until someone takes Gannett on and the "not me" finger-pointing begins. http://www.amazon.com/Brevard-Good-Boys-Glenda-Busick/product-reviews/B000Q7TS82/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 Tallahassee, FL: August 25, 2009: Democrat gubernatorial candidate Michael E. Arth filed a set of grievances and proposals to the Rules Committee and Judicial Council of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) today. The four page list of grievances, titled “The Democratic Party is Not Being Democratic,” include complaints regarding Arth being frozen out by the party leadership, the party’s breaking of neutrality in violation of democratic principles, and the PDP’s blatant support of another candidate long before the primary election, even while enforcing non-endorsement laws on their Democratic Executive Committees. The grievance also lists various proposed changes that would make the Democratic Party democratic. To go directly to Miami Herald's Blog where the grievance has been posted along with numerous comments go here:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/08/democrat-bashes-undemocratic-democratic-party.html OR KEEP READING HERE: Read More » Progress Florida's Best of the Blogs for week ending 8-21-09 By Jillian T. Weiss The Bilerico Project The Employment Non-Discrimination, one of the only LGBT protections likely to be put in place this legislative session, is haunted by a giant shadow of the sordid past. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is For FairDistricts Here’s An Idea Worth Discussing…
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