Florida Agenda

By JOHN BRISENDINE

The freaks and monsters will be out full force this weekend — and I’m not just talking about the ghouls for Halloween, either. The politicos running for public office, and their minions, will be making the last-minute push to get their message out to garner votes for candidates and favored amendments.

First of all, what the hell is Amendment 4 and why should I vote against it? A check of the website Florida2010.org is a confusing mish-mash that still doesn’t clearly tell me what Amendment 4 is all about. However, I sure as hell see the signs in many front yards proclaiming “NO TO 4!” I know a lot of us in Central Florida would like to say “NO TO to I-4” but I’m still confused about Amendment 4.

As for the candidates on the ballots, I hear so much negativity coming from all sides about the local and statewide candidates that I don’t want to vote for any of them. The Tea Party is the new movement at the forefront touting candidates who are against the Obama administration.

Do these goofballs, in their George Washington powdered wigs, even realize how silly they look strutting around and clamoring for a change? A change for what? I mean, c’mon already, let’s just keep tea bagging in the bedroom where it belongs!

As for some of the candidates, I have to go with my gut. Sure, I’ll vote Alex Sink for governor. She reminds me of a lesbian with her short haircut and uber-butch first name. Furthermore, I like lesbians. Alex Sink does not identify as a lesbian at all, and she’s definitely not, but when I see her on TV, she reminds me of one and that’s why she has my vote.

Her opponent in the gubernatorial race is Rick Scott and I don’t like him at all. He looks like those lizards that my cat Izzy chases around on my back patio. However, I do like his mom who has been in his campaign commercials. She seems like a nice old lady who probably knows how to cook up a great Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe I will just vote for her.

In the U.S. Senate race, we have hottie Marco Rubio running on the Republican ticket, after usurping Charlie Crist in the primary earlier this year. Of course, good ol’ Charlie, with his metrosexual spray tan, isn’t one to sit idly by on the sidelines when there’s a race to run. Instead of gracefully bowing out, he is all of a sudden an alleged independent. If Charlie were so damned independent, he wouldn’t have been a Republican for so many years. How is it that when his own party shunned him, that he finally got a spine? He’s a bigger flip-flopper than a fry cook at McDonald’s. At least, the flip-flopper at Mickey D’s produces a tasty product. Charlie has just spent too much time under the heat lamp to be considered fresh anymore.

Kendrick Meek is the Democratic nominee and he’s to be the man I’m leading toward. He seems like a guy I’d like to share a “Bay Breeze” with at happy hour.

I’m just tired of Republicans, Democrats and Tea Partiers. I’m just gonna say to hell with it all and start my own party and call it the Pajama Party.

On a final note, check out all the great costumes in the many Halloween costume contests this weekend at most of the clubs here in the Orlando area. The grandest contest of all takes place at The Parliament House this weekend. On Saturday night, October 30th, the grand prize winner of that contest takes away $1,000 CASH! On Sunday, the 31st, the winner take away $3,000 cold, hard, throbbing CASH! For more info, log onto www.parliamenthouse.com.

Well, with this update on the monsters on the ballot or in the nightclubs, I hope you get out to vote no matter what. Twisted Tom will be here next week and I’ll see you again on November 11th. Bye for now.

ELECTION DEBATE CONTINUES …

While Matthew Tsien and Peter Ryskewecz have every right to place an ad in this newspaper urging Floridians to “Dare To Be Different” and vote Republican on November 2, given the slate of Republican candidates in this election cycle, a more apt title for this ad directed to gay people or anyone concerned with human rights might be “Dare To Be Stupid.”

Marco Rubio never saw a gay issue he supported. Rick Scott thinks gays should be banned from adopting, AND foster parenting.

The Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Dan Gelber, would accept the court ruling ending the Florida gay adoption ban. Republican Pam Bondi said she would appeal it to the Florida Supreme Court.

Democratic Congressman Ron Klein voted to end the military ban on out gays. Republican Allen West doesn’t think gays belong in the military at all, closeted or otherwise.

For most self-respecting gay men and women, LGBT rights are not the only issue we vote on, but they ARE a part of the mix. Messrs. Tsien and Ryskewecz fail to understand this.

MARC PAIGE

It is assumed that all Gays are Democrat voters except for a very few who are super rich. I am neither; but I am a Gay Republican business woman who recognizes that finally a greater number of gays and lesbians know that the GLBT political class and the Obama Democrats will say anything to scare us into the voter’s booth determined that we pull the Democrat lever.

“No funding for AIDS!” “No marriage equality!” “Rampant homophobia…”… goes the mantra. But most of it is a big lie and just because I am a lesbian does not mean I have to live a life of relentless left-wing lies. AIDS funding does not disappear with GOP majorities, and at least half of Republicans believe in civil unions. In fact, the lead attorney in overturning California’s Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage is also an out-spoken movement conservative.

We need a dramatic reduction in the federal government. The Post Office is technologically obsolete. The Commerce Department and Small Business Administration create neither jobs nor business; they are merely edifices of pretentiousness. The Health and Human Services Department is already duplicated at the state and local level. The Department of Education in Washington, D.C. has no student contact while its only real interest is in keeping inferior performing teachers employed in order to get their union dues, which are aimed at running class warfare ads during campaign time.

I want a country that is driven by ethical, democratic capitalism and puts people back to work. Our federal and state governments are out of control and run by greedy public-sector employee unions. Our government has tens of billions of dollars of unfunded pension obligations for which we, the taxpayer are liable. The career politicians have bankrupt Social Security and Medicare to the point where the government is the equivalent to 200 Enrons.

When all the votes are counted, we are going to find out that a lot of Gays and Lesbians became politically mature, wised up and voted Republican.

– D. A. ROBERTSON

To read the diatribe of “former Democrat”, you might believe that the economic history of the U.S. extends back only to January 20, 2009 (the day that President Obama was inaugurated.)

The fact is (Glen Beck notwithstanding) that the U.S. economy was under the policies and oversight of Republican Congressional control from 1995 to 2009, and the Presidency also was controlled by Republicans from 2001 to 2009.

Federal taxes are now the same rates as during the Bush years. And, deficits? Despite the fact of a budget surplus at the end of the Clinton presidency, and at least six Bush years of (artificially) booming economy, the Republican Congress and President always turned in annual deficits of several hundred $$Billion…and that was in good economic times!

Bailouts? Those were largely initiated by Bush, and his Goldman Sachs Treasury Secretary Henry Paulsen, to the tune of $700 Billion…all cheerfully funded and added to the deficit (lent back to us!) by the heirs of Mao Tse Tung of modern day China! (Take a look in the mirror, next time you shop at Wal-Mart, if you are looking for someone to blame for 10% unemployment in the U.S.! Try to find something at Wal-Mart that is not made in China!)

The shameful $150 Billion dollar bailout of AIG, by President Bush, ended up largely in the pockets of fat cat hedge funds and banks, and Wall Streeters, as payouts, after AIG stupidly “insured” the value of junk bonds, (which were magically rated AAA by Moody’s et al.) Our Bush-era economic system was raped and pillaged over and over, without a single kiss…no flowers…and obviously no respect the next day…since the same cast of characters wants yet another chance to stick it to us.

Mr. Former Democrat is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts. A huge herd of elephants roamed this country for most of the past ten years, and left massive dung piles everywhere. And, who is left to clean up the mess, and who is to be blamed for the lingering stench? Mr. Former has invented his own facts on that.

– FRED REISSNER

By Kevin Miller

Click on Image to View Full-Scale

Senate to headline anti-gay group’s dinner

Florida Senate Candidate Marco Rubio continues to stake his claim of the right-wing fringe in Florida and around the country.

Rubio is set to be the keynote speaker at The Florida Family Policy Council’s 5th Annual Public Policy Dinner on May 15th in Orlando, FL. If the Florida Family Policy Council sounds familiar, it is because they are affiliated with Focus on the Family, the rabidly antigay, anti-reproductive rights religious organization formerly led by “Family Values” guru James Dobson.

The Florida Family Policy Council is also one of the main groups behind Florida’s anti-gay Amendment 2, the “Marriage Protection Amendment”, that passed in 2009 and enshrined discrimination into the Florida constitution by not only banning same-sex marriages, but also civil unions and any other relationship recognition for gay Floridians. The group has also constantly opposed efforts to repeal Florida’s ban on gay and lesbian people from adopting.

Recently, the group succeeded in getting the Florida legislature to pass one of the most restrictive women’s choice policies in the nation, requiring that they view an ultrasound before getting an abortion.

This is who Rubio is choosing to speak to during his now threeway race for Senate with newly-minted “independent” Charlie Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek.

Also scheduled at the event is the presentation of a “Lifetime Achievement Award” to honor Don Wildmon, the founder of the American Family Association, one of the most active and right-wing religious hate groups in the United States.

AFA built its reputation on organizing boycotts against sponsors of TV shows with “anti-Christian” messages and ideas, or against companies it claims support the “homosexual agenda” or marriage equality.

They’ve targeted everyone from Campbell’s Soup to Walmart for being too “gay-friendly.” Check out Right Wing Watch’s long list of AFA’s activities.

The AFA also operates the OneNewsNow website, which peddles conspiracy theories ranging from birthers to death panels and every other fringe, right-wing talking point.

Don Wildmon, the man the event is honoring which Marco Rubio will be headlining, is a staunch supporter of the universally condemned “ex-gay” movement and had this to say about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people:

The scripture declares that homosexuality is unnatural and sinful. It is a sin grievous to God and repulsive to Christians because it rejects God’s design for mankind as heterosexual beings. T

hough there may be many influences in a person’s life, the root of homosexuality is a sinful heart. Therefore, homosexuals have only one hope of being reconciled to God and rejecting their sinful behavior – faith in Jesus Christ alone. AFA seeks to use every opportunity to promote and encourage the efforts of ex-gay ministries and organizations.

We oppose the gay movement’s efforts to convince our society that their behavior is normal because we fear the judgment of God on our nation.

The gay movement is a progressive outgrowth of the sexual revolution of the past 40 years and will lead to the normalization of even more deviant behavior. Rubio has always been an extremist. He led the fight for the regressive policies that have placed Florida so behind the times when he was speaker of the Florida House and obviously seeks to continue to court the far-right hate groups that seek to impose their personal biases on the rest of the nation as he seeks a Senate position.

Sharing the marquee with groups like the Florida Family Policy Council a honoring men like Don Wildmon shows just where Rubio’s views and “values” lie.

Waymon Hudson & Anthony Niedwiecki
waymonhudson@yahoo.com
niedwieckia@hotmail.com