By Sylvia Gurinsky
The parking lot of the Orlando building in which one person was killed and five injured last Friday is unguarded.
Not that it necessarily mattered. Even if a parking lot guard had seen Jason Rodriguez, accused of the shootings, with a weapon in his car, that guard would have had a hard time stopping him.
That's because of the ridiculous law the Florida Legislature approved and Gov. Charlie Crist signed last year, allowing guns in cars outside businesses.
Since the tragedy at Virginia Tech University more than two years ago, in which 32 students were killed, there have been 13 mass shootings in the United States, including those last week at Fort Hood and in Orlando. Between the Littleton, Colorado, shootings in 1999 and Virginia Tech, there were eight such shootings.
Meanwhile, politicians in both major parties either stay in the iron grip of the National Rifle Association and its money, or are too timid to speak out in opposition. While they stay in the NRA's grip, they loosen gun control laws and put the public more at risk.
How many more innocents will have to die before all of that is reversed?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Nov. 9: A Lot Needs Investigating At Fort Hood
By Sylvia Gurinsky
How?
Congress will ask, and the public - particularly those who have family members at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas - has a right to know how the security system so completely broke down last Thursday.
The biggest question currently being asked is who knew that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was, at the very least, troubled, or quite possibly seeking connections to radical Muslim terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida?
The second biggest question is whether he didn't get the help or discipline he needed either because of overtaxed resources or superiors who feared being hit with accusations of discrimination.
There are other primary questions:
*If people in the area weren't supposed to have weapons, how did Hasan enter with his?
*Why did it take a civilian police officer to stop Hasan? Where were the military police?
*If military doctors are overburdened, why haven't more civilian psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers been recruited to help military members and their families deal with the stresses they face?
There were warning signs years ago about a lack of resources on the homefront. Last Thursday may have been a prime example.
For all Americans, and for the dead and injured at Fort Hood, Congress must get answers.
How?
Congress will ask, and the public - particularly those who have family members at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas - has a right to know how the security system so completely broke down last Thursday.
The biggest question currently being asked is who knew that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was, at the very least, troubled, or quite possibly seeking connections to radical Muslim terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida?
The second biggest question is whether he didn't get the help or discipline he needed either because of overtaxed resources or superiors who feared being hit with accusations of discrimination.
There are other primary questions:
*If people in the area weren't supposed to have weapons, how did Hasan enter with his?
*Why did it take a civilian police officer to stop Hasan? Where were the military police?
*If military doctors are overburdened, why haven't more civilian psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and social workers been recruited to help military members and their families deal with the stresses they face?
There were warning signs years ago about a lack of resources on the homefront. Last Thursday may have been a prime example.
For all Americans, and for the dead and injured at Fort Hood, Congress must get answers.
Nov. 9: Two Corrections
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Two corrections to report, both of which have been made in their respective blog entries.
1. The first correction is to the Nov. 3 blog, in which I put the name of the wrong environmental organization that fought the jetport in the Everglades. The correct name of the organization is Friends of the Everglades.
2. The second correction is in the Nov. 5 blog, to the spelling of the first name of the Florida Marlins manager. It's Fredi Gonzalez.
Two corrections to report, both of which have been made in their respective blog entries.
1. The first correction is to the Nov. 3 blog, in which I put the name of the wrong environmental organization that fought the jetport in the Everglades. The correct name of the organization is Friends of the Everglades.
2. The second correction is in the Nov. 5 blog, to the spelling of the first name of the Florida Marlins manager. It's Fredi Gonzalez.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Nov. 5: Election Reforms For Thought - And a Word About the Yankees
By Sylvia Gurinsky
John Anderson is a one-time Republican member of Congress from Illinois and was an early example of the exodus of moderates from that party when he ran as an independent presidential candidate in 1980. He's also one of the most intelligent, rational voices about reforming the election process.
He's at it again this week, with a column that ran, among other places, in The Miami Herald:
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/1311581.html
We all know most elected officials won't vote to do anything that would compromise their own re-election chances - even if it saves millions of dollars, as this move would.
Perhaps the place to start with instant runoff reform is at the municipal level. In the coming weeks, voters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties will schlep back to the polls for runoff elections in various municipalities. Spending millions of dollars to set up another election - or elections - at a time when the thoughts of most have turned to holiday spending (if they have money for it this year) is not anyone's idea of a good time. Wasting millions of government dollars when jobs, hours, etc. have had to be cut because of the economy really isn't smart.
Techology and its cost could certainly be a factor. Most of Florida has done a cha-cha-cha between punch cards, touch screens and optical scanners since the mess in 2000. Local governments probably don't have the appetite for one more change, unless it can be proven to save money.
It's time to get those calculations from other cities that are using the instant runoff, start with local governments and then begin a petition drive to get runoff elections reinstated at the state level in Florida.
Saving money, time and political credibility could be the result.
*********************************************************************
With apologies to Andy Rooney, ever have something pop up in your brain that hadn't been an issue before?
This week, it was unions and political endorsements.
Public employees, police, fire departments and others have unions. These unions often endorse political candidates.
Is it me, or is their something wrong with potentially endorsing for - or against - someone who could be your boss?
It creates a lot of problems at work.
**********************************************************************************
Finally, one must tip a cap to the hard work of the New York Yankees, this year's World Series winner (and, she cynically added, the other baseball team in South Florida). There will always be the argument that they bought a championship. But champions still need heart and the will to win, and this group had plenty.
There is no problem giving credit to someone who hasn't gotten enough: Yankee Manager Joe Girardi.
Girardi is too classy to say, as pitcher Tug McGraw (a former New York Met) said in 1980 when his Philadelphia Phillies won, that South Florida, or at least Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, can take this championship and stick it.
But one wouldn't blame Girardi for having that sentiment after 2006, in which he won the National League Manager of the Year Award and Loria then fired him because of his own thin skin for criticism. That thin skin was on display again last month, when it looked like Loria was going to dump Fredi Gonzalez, the Marlins' current manager, and then backed off after widespread public and press criticism.
Girardi deserves many of the laurels for the Yankees' fine year.
John Anderson is a one-time Republican member of Congress from Illinois and was an early example of the exodus of moderates from that party when he ran as an independent presidential candidate in 1980. He's also one of the most intelligent, rational voices about reforming the election process.
He's at it again this week, with a column that ran, among other places, in The Miami Herald:
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/1311581.html
We all know most elected officials won't vote to do anything that would compromise their own re-election chances - even if it saves millions of dollars, as this move would.
Perhaps the place to start with instant runoff reform is at the municipal level. In the coming weeks, voters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties will schlep back to the polls for runoff elections in various municipalities. Spending millions of dollars to set up another election - or elections - at a time when the thoughts of most have turned to holiday spending (if they have money for it this year) is not anyone's idea of a good time. Wasting millions of government dollars when jobs, hours, etc. have had to be cut because of the economy really isn't smart.
Techology and its cost could certainly be a factor. Most of Florida has done a cha-cha-cha between punch cards, touch screens and optical scanners since the mess in 2000. Local governments probably don't have the appetite for one more change, unless it can be proven to save money.
It's time to get those calculations from other cities that are using the instant runoff, start with local governments and then begin a petition drive to get runoff elections reinstated at the state level in Florida.
Saving money, time and political credibility could be the result.
*********************************************************************
With apologies to Andy Rooney, ever have something pop up in your brain that hadn't been an issue before?
This week, it was unions and political endorsements.
Public employees, police, fire departments and others have unions. These unions often endorse political candidates.
Is it me, or is their something wrong with potentially endorsing for - or against - someone who could be your boss?
It creates a lot of problems at work.
**********************************************************************************
Finally, one must tip a cap to the hard work of the New York Yankees, this year's World Series winner (and, she cynically added, the other baseball team in South Florida). There will always be the argument that they bought a championship. But champions still need heart and the will to win, and this group had plenty.
There is no problem giving credit to someone who hasn't gotten enough: Yankee Manager Joe Girardi.
Girardi is too classy to say, as pitcher Tug McGraw (a former New York Met) said in 1980 when his Philadelphia Phillies won, that South Florida, or at least Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, can take this championship and stick it.
But one wouldn't blame Girardi for having that sentiment after 2006, in which he won the National League Manager of the Year Award and Loria then fired him because of his own thin skin for criticism. That thin skin was on display again last month, when it looked like Loria was going to dump Fredi Gonzalez, the Marlins' current manager, and then backed off after widespread public and press criticism.
Girardi deserves many of the laurels for the Yankees' fine year.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Nov. 4: What Does This Election Mean To Obama? Not Much
By Sylvia Gurinsky
OK, quick. Who remembers the pivotal congressional and governor's races of 1993?
Who remembers the headlines that they generated - that it was "bad news" for President Bill Clinton?
Media, be it low-tech or high-tech, has a tendency to overhype year-after elections. (A notable exception was 2001, for obvious reasons.)
There isn't a president in either political party in recent memory who hasn't managed about a half-and-half approval rating during his rookie year when there weren't extenuating circumstances. (Again, the first year of President George W. Bush needs to be thrown out of the equation, both because of the questionable 2000 election and 9/11.)
Today, pundits everywhere are talking about what yesterday's election results mean to President Barack Obama next year, to Obama in 2012, to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2012, to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, to whatever in 2012.
All it means is: Pundits are doing a lot of talking. And it isn't adding up to very much.
Next year, the congressional midterm election will, indeed, be a serious barometer of how Obama will attempt to govern.
This election? Not so much.
OK, quick. Who remembers the pivotal congressional and governor's races of 1993?
Who remembers the headlines that they generated - that it was "bad news" for President Bill Clinton?
Media, be it low-tech or high-tech, has a tendency to overhype year-after elections. (A notable exception was 2001, for obvious reasons.)
There isn't a president in either political party in recent memory who hasn't managed about a half-and-half approval rating during his rookie year when there weren't extenuating circumstances. (Again, the first year of President George W. Bush needs to be thrown out of the equation, both because of the questionable 2000 election and 9/11.)
Today, pundits everywhere are talking about what yesterday's election results mean to President Barack Obama next year, to Obama in 2012, to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2012, to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, to whatever in 2012.
All it means is: Pundits are doing a lot of talking. And it isn't adding up to very much.
Next year, the congressional midterm election will, indeed, be a serious barometer of how Obama will attempt to govern.
This election? Not so much.
Nov. 3: The Men (and Women) Who Ignore the Environment
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Money doesn't matter very much if there's no Planet Earth to spend it on.
Let that message be communicated to most members of the Miami-Dade County Commission and Republican members of the United States Congress, both of who don't seem to get it.
In Dade, the issue is the site in the Everglades once targeted for a jetport. The opposition was so fierce that it triggered the creation of the group Friends of the Everglades, and jetport plans were abandoned. That was four decades ago.
Now, despite the green movement, despite the realities of what pollution has been doing to this planet, county commissioners are looking at using the jetport site either for rock mining or oil drilling, as Curtis Morgan writes in The Miami Herald:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1313153.html
Guess they slept through the local history lesson generated by that semi-abandoned runway in the Everglades.
The county should either sell the land to the state for preservation or mitigate it. A quickie profit on oil or rock mining today will result in an environmental and financial loss too big to comprehend tomorrow.
Speaking of losing, only one Republican U.S. senator, George Voinovich of Ohio, was at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting this morning about the greenhouse gas-curbing bill, as the Associated Press reports:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5iS14YOIUrpdmPuNylwKcVpSnmAD9BO49003
As with members of the Miami-Dade Commission, the only green the congressional GOP seems to care about is money.
In so doing, Republicans holding high elected office have even ignored the wishes of many of their own conservative constituents, who see global warming and other environmental hazards as a serious problem.
Open your eyes and ears, senators.
Money doesn't matter very much if there's no Planet Earth to spend it on.
Let that message be communicated to most members of the Miami-Dade County Commission and Republican members of the United States Congress, both of who don't seem to get it.
In Dade, the issue is the site in the Everglades once targeted for a jetport. The opposition was so fierce that it triggered the creation of the group Friends of the Everglades, and jetport plans were abandoned. That was four decades ago.
Now, despite the green movement, despite the realities of what pollution has been doing to this planet, county commissioners are looking at using the jetport site either for rock mining or oil drilling, as Curtis Morgan writes in The Miami Herald:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1313153.html
Guess they slept through the local history lesson generated by that semi-abandoned runway in the Everglades.
The county should either sell the land to the state for preservation or mitigate it. A quickie profit on oil or rock mining today will result in an environmental and financial loss too big to comprehend tomorrow.
Speaking of losing, only one Republican U.S. senator, George Voinovich of Ohio, was at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting this morning about the greenhouse gas-curbing bill, as the Associated Press reports:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5iS14YOIUrpdmPuNylwKcVpSnmAD9BO49003
As with members of the Miami-Dade Commission, the only green the congressional GOP seems to care about is money.
In so doing, Republicans holding high elected office have even ignored the wishes of many of their own conservative constituents, who see global warming and other environmental hazards as a serious problem.
Open your eyes and ears, senators.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Nov. 2: Not Hard To ID FPL's Problems
By Sylvia Gurinsky
The latest odd couple features former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth, the state's resident troubleshooter, as an advisor to Florida Power & Light.
Basically, Butterworth is advising FPL on what went wrong in the company's quest for a large rate increase.
It should be an easy job for Butterworth, because the rest of FPL's customers already know what the problems are.
Start in 2005 with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, and the fact that many FPL customers had their power out for a month or more - especially after Wilma, which hit Oct. 24. Floridians have never forgotten that.
Move forward to 2008 and the official collapse of the economy, which had already been creaking and groaning in the Sunshine State since 2005. How does a company justify a 30 percent rate increase to people who are being thrown out of work and losing their life's savings?
Add recent news reports about FPL officials living it up in luxury and having too-cozy relationships with members of the Public Service Commission that's supposed to regulate them.
The message already exists. Hopefully, coming from Butterworth, FPL's leaders will finally comprehend it.
The latest odd couple features former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth, the state's resident troubleshooter, as an advisor to Florida Power & Light.
Basically, Butterworth is advising FPL on what went wrong in the company's quest for a large rate increase.
It should be an easy job for Butterworth, because the rest of FPL's customers already know what the problems are.
Start in 2005 with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, and the fact that many FPL customers had their power out for a month or more - especially after Wilma, which hit Oct. 24. Floridians have never forgotten that.
Move forward to 2008 and the official collapse of the economy, which had already been creaking and groaning in the Sunshine State since 2005. How does a company justify a 30 percent rate increase to people who are being thrown out of work and losing their life's savings?
Add recent news reports about FPL officials living it up in luxury and having too-cozy relationships with members of the Public Service Commission that's supposed to regulate them.
The message already exists. Hopefully, coming from Butterworth, FPL's leaders will finally comprehend it.
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