Tag: Florida

Disney vs. Florida, an Expert’s Take

 

Sometimes, the news happens to be on some issue where you have direct knowledge.  Andrew Esquire over at Legal Mindset is a Florida lawyer who specialized in Special District law and other areas of Florida corporate law – all of which are in the center of the Florida vs. Disney fight.  He actually worked with the Celebration, FL district as well as Universal Studios.  He has absolutely no patience for woke BS, and he explains how Bob Iger and Disney have massively screwed up, potentially admitting to securities fraud.

[Member Post]

 

Haley is going with the whole “sanctimonious” thing to try and put some space between her and Desantis…. maybe trying to win the Dylan Mulvaney-Republican voting bloc. https://redstate.com/bonchie/2023/04/26/nikki-haley-nukes-her-campaign-sides-with-disney-in-ridiculous-attack-on-ron-desantis-n737243 Preview Open

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Another ‘Atta-boy’ for DeSantis

 

Florida’s governor is at it again, and in a good way.  The link is to an article at NRO by Stanley Kurtz who follows and battles against “wokeness” efforts in schools.  In the article, he details Gov. DeSantis’s rather gutsy move to oppose a pilot advanced placement course in “African-American Studies”.  It’s a rather long piece, but well worth reading the entire thing.  Here’s an excerpt to get the flavor of what’s going on:

On January 12, however, the administration of Florida governor Ron DeSantis wrote a letter to the College Board informing it that Florida was rejecting its request for state approval of APAAS. The letter, from the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation, goes on to state that, “as presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.” At the same time, the letter notes that “in the future, should College Board be willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content, FDOE will always be willing to reopen the discussion.” In short, DeSantis has decided that APAAS does in fact violate Florida’s Stop WOKE Act by attempting to persuade students of at least some tenets of CRT.

Attention Conservative Governors (and Their Constituents)

 

We on the conservative/libertarian/constitutional/sane human being – side of American politics (i.e. not the Left) often carp about or even wail about the wretched ideological contagion that has infected American education at every level, Kindergarten through graduate school. Well, as in many issues of this sort, Florida Governor DeSantis is again showing the way to treating this potentially societally lethal disease of the mind.

So, If you have a Republican Governor in your state, and the Rs also control the state legislature, do your children and grandchildren the enormous service of contacting them and demanding that they follow DeSantis´ lead on education in every situation in which they can exercise power over educational institutions. Cut funding for DEI offices at state schools, fire state-appointed education officials who are not conservative and replace them with conservative education activists. Gun to a knife fight, howitzer to a pistol duel, and all that. That is all.

Jim and Greg wade into the sharp debate on the right over how to approach Ukraine, Zelensky, and their war against Russia. Their biggest frustration is the accusations being lobbed from both sides at anyone who shows the slightest bit of nuance on the issue. They also hammer Republicans for going along with tons of earmarks in the new omnibus bill – wasting countless more taxpayer dollars on frivolous projects. And they react to the Florida GOP pushing for the ouster of Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel and wonder why so many RNC committee members are so loyal to a leader with a pretty dismal electoral record.

There’s nothing quite like a radical change in lifestyle, location, and vocation to bring out the podcaster in Ricochet’s Dave Carter.  After a year and a half’s hiatus, Dave is now safely and happily ensconced in Florida, on “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches.”  As it turns out, the thing he most wanted to accomplish after getting settled in was setting up his in-home studio and firing up the microphone to talk with us.  And we’re glad he did!  Rob Long joins the fun, talking with Dave about the contrasts between New York City and Florida and pausing to counsel Dave on his unique sense of ebullient pessimism over the country’s trajectory. The conversation changes pace with Rob advising Dave on his new line of work in radio sales before the two discuss tentative plans regarding an upcoming Ricochet Meetup in New Orleans. The conversation concludes on a fun note, but not before Dave makes a shameless plug for his new internet radio station called The Tiger, Bayou Blues & Rock (which includes some notable and notably funny Christmas music for the holidays).

Finally, Ricochet’s Jenna Stocker calls in and Dave doesn’t miss the opportunity to solicit a comparison between the balmy weather in Florida and the single digit temps in Minneapolis where Jenna resides with her husband and delightful one year-old son.  The two discuss Jenna’s remarkable writings on her substack page, as well as The Federalist, Newsweek and elsewhere. Then Jenna turns the tables on our host and interviews Dave to find out exactly how his move to Florida went and what life is like now that he’s settled in (Hint: Dave’s attitude on the Christmas holidays has radically changed). You’ll want to listen in to learn more about this one.

Razing Arizona

 

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock . . .

As we continue to wait on tenterhooks, with bated breath and dwindling confidence, for the ballots to be counted in the election for governor of Arizona, nearly a week later, we can’t help but wonder . . .  What in the blue blazes is going on in this state (and I do mean “blue”)?  How can this be happening again?

Cheering for … the Hurricane?

 

If anything should be exempt from politics, it is our response to natural disasters.

After all, they don’t discriminate. Hurricanes and tornadoes come to mind. They painfully remind us of the dark side of nature’s awesome power. Growing up in Oklahoma – tornado alley – I’ve seen enough evidence and reminders of their destruction.

Join Jim and Greg as they have a good time speculating about what caused the “leaks” in the Nordstream and Nordstream 2 pipelines and what it means for the war in Ukraine and for Europe’s energy supply this winter. They also roll their eyes as Sen. Amy Klobuchar suggests passing the Inflation Reduction Act will stop hurricanes in the future and the media seems eager to paint Gov. Ron DeSantis as a failure no matter what happens with Hurricane Ian. Finally, they discuss White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre calling for a “conversation” about whether the Atlanta Braves ought to change their name.

Join Jim and Greg as they get a kick out of Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly tripping all over his words when asked whether he thinks President Biden is doing a good job. They also applaud Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for giving some of his huge campaign funds to help elect other Republicans in his state, and they hammer Charlie Crist his for comparing DeSantis to Satan and himself to Christ. Finally, they cringe at the latest horrible inflation numbers that are getting worse in many ways, even as the Biden administration tries to convince us things are getting better.

Join Jim and Greg as they cheer a very strong ad from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that uses Floridians from all walks of life mentioning how his policies have made their lives better. They also are intrigued to see the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette call our John Fetterman for being unable to take part in debates and the New York Times start to lay expectations for the defeat of Stacey Abrams in Georgia. Finally, they shake their heads at the left looking to California as the leaders in progressive energy policy…only to see California suffering rolling blackouts and and energy restrictions as a heat wave rolls in.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome news that Democrats in Florida admit being “fatalistic” in knowing Republicans are very likely to win statewide races. They also unload on the Biden administration over it’s plan to “forgive” $10,000 in student loans and pass the bill over to people who never took out the loans or responsibly paid their bills. Finally, they discuss Rep. Jerry Nadler’s surprisingly easy win in a member vs. member New York House primary and Rep. Carolyn Maloney blaming her loss – at least in part – on misogyny and a sexist system.

Summary

Illegal border crossings reached yet another all-time high in apprehensions of illegal border crossers in July, with the year-to-date total of 1.8 million apprehensions exceeding the number encountered in all of FY2021. More importantly, the number of illegal crossers who are released into the country, together with the “gotaways” who avoided arrest, is at an all-time high. Since the Biden administration shows no sign of changing policies to reduce illegal entries, some states have moved to buffer their citizens from the consequences of this influx. Florida has been the most innovated and assertive in marshaling state authorities to address these consequences, including empaneling a statewide grand jury with expansive investigative powers to attack the criminal infrastructure that drives illegal immigration and to hold accountable those who participate in illegal migration-related criminal schemes.

Dan Cadman, a senior fellow at the Center and a former senior ICE official, explains the role and powers of this grand jury and the possible impact it may have. One focus for the jury will be the smuggling of unaccompanied minors into the country and the implications for parents who pay smugglers to transport their children from their home countries. The grand jury may also look at whether certain local governments, reportedly including Miami-Dade County, are following Florida law, which requires them to assist ICE in taking custody of criminal aliens.

Jim and Greg continue their week of special podcasts by focusing on the critical 2022 midterm elections.  They start by looking at the most competitive U.S. Senate races and come to different conclusions about which party is likely to be in control of the Senate next year. They also look at the race for the House, which is likely to swing back to GOP control, but is it a lock and how big of a GOP majority is reasonable to expect?  Finally, they examine the highest profile governor races, which may produce presidential contenders before too long.

UCF Honors the Law Prohibiting Anti-Racist Statements

 

How many times have you asked yourself what would it take to stop the universities from insisting that students and professors are racists? Surprisingly, in Florida, it hasn’t taken much effort at all, thanks to the consistent actions of Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Board of Governors which oversees the university system. In fact, the Board of Governors is exploring additional prohibitions to be included in the rule.

To review how we arrived at this moment, Gov. DeSantis signed the “Stop WOKE Act”:

Join Jim & Greg as they dissect new polls showing that inflation, gas prices, and other economic issues are the top concern for for more than three of every five Americans. They also welcome news that Florida leans increasingly to the right as GOP voter registrations dwarf the numbers put up by the Democrats. And they’re a bit stunned to hear Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kinney admit that he’s looking forward to the day he’s no longer mayor.

Join Jim and Greg as they breathe another sigh of relief that Ron DeSantis is governor of Florida after yet another scandal for Democrat Andrew Gillum, who came within a whisker of winning in 2018. They also shake their heads as Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan is trying to play the “I’m not like those other Democrats” card as he tries to win a U.S. Senate seat – and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is trying the same lame strategy. But there’s just one problem!  And  they sigh as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen seems to be trying to redefine a recession.

Another Professional Hit Job in Florida

 

We are watching the latest effort to execute a political hit job on a man who is tremendously qualified to be the next surgeon general in Florida. And the actions against him are an embarrassment to the state, to science, and to the ethics of medicine.

The action I’m referring to is an upcoming hearing, conveniently scheduled on Tuesday, as part of the process to approve Dr. Joseph Ladapo to be surgeon general. (I’m suggesting the timing of this information is not a coincidence.) The story begins when Dr. Ladapo first applied for a professorship at the University of Florida College of Medicine, and received a recommendation from his supervisor at UCLA. In a two-page letter to the university, Dr. Carol Mangione, chief of the division of general internal medicine and health services research at UCLA Department of Medicine, listed his credits:

She noted his ‘outstanding research and clinical teaching accomplishments,’ which led to his promotion to a tenured associate professorship in 2020 for his distinguished contributions to the division.

Memorial Day 2022 in Small Town America

 

The Real Strength of the USA

We recently discovered a jewel of Patriotic America relatively near our new home in Florida and I decided to share it with you as it is my deep and abiding belief that towns like this, and the spirit of optimism and patriotism they embody, are the real hope for a return of the kind of America so many of us remember as existing not so very long ago.