Waxman Files

By Jerry Waxman

“The moon was all aglow, and heaven was in your eyes, the night that you told me those little white lies…”

 Cowardice comes in all different forms and shapes. Everyone is or has been guilty of it in one form or another and at one time or another. Every time you tell a little white lie that is technically cowardice. Every time you act in your own self interest at the expense of others that is cowardice. Every time a public official tries to rig the legal system to their advantage instead of facing the public on their merits that is a supreme act of cowardice. Denial of or refusal to take responsibility is an act of cowardice.

 

There’s been an awful lot of official cowardice going on in Central Florida these last few years and recently, in the last few months there are several textbook examples to study. The way the city has handled Occupy Orlando is a classic study in how not to handle dissent. Heavy handed force may give the city some temporary gain but in the end Occupy will succeed. Why? At some point the voters of Orlando will wake up and see that the king not only doesn’t have new clothes on but the Potemkin village he touts is losing its façade. Instead of shattering Occupy the city has scattered it, much like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The French learned that the hard way in Algiers back in the 50’s. The city is spending an awful lot of money trying to prosecute otherwise honest and responsible (registered voter) citizens for meaningless infractions that the State Attorney would have no part of. The city is also now a defendant in Federal Court where it has successfully shopped for another judge to hear the case rather than argue the case on its merits. The case in question is about Tim Osmar who was arrested for the heinous crime of using chalk on the sidewalks, an act that two years before Mayor Buddy Dyer encouraged local merchants to do. Tim was held without bail for several weeks until the State Attorney’s office realized that it was an absurd case and had him released. Then the State Attorney refused to prosecute the other Occupiers on their individual trespassing charges. So, what did the city do? It drew up into its thick tortoise shell and in its incredible myopia filed new city charges against them. This is a true ex post facto act of cowardice that will continue to cost the taxpayers their money and the city its credibility. The federal suit has escalated to the point that outside attorneys have been retained at untold thousands of dollars in order to shore up the façade. City Prosecutor Mayanne Downs successfully blackmailed Judge Presnell into recusing himself from the case by threatening to hire members of his own law firm, Akerman Senterfitt & Eidson to defend the city. Ex post facto cowardice? You Betcha!

 

Two weeks ago Mayor Dyer’s Potemkin village centerfold, the new Amway Arena, was the host facility for that magical event (no pun intended) called the NBA All Star Game. During this three day event all eyes of the sports world were on Central Florida for both the game itself and the annual Daytona 500 forty miles away. During this weekend Occupy Orlando along with other civic minded organizations was busy implementing All Share Weekend which brought the homeless problem in Orlando to the forefront. Occupiers couldn’t have cared less about the main events although several people in the movement are die hard basketball fans. Linsanity had no place here. The Arena was so blocked off from the public that traffic had to be rerouted, and the wall that was constructed completely blocked off any view of the western communities. It’s probably a good thing too, because NBC might not have been so complimentary if they had seen it. It certainly was a good weekend for people who had homes and condos to rent out at several thousand dollars. It certainly was a good weekend for the merchants inside the Arena and it was a terrific weekend for the bars. No one in Parramore, however, is laughing on the way to the bank. The average citizen didn’t see any uptick in his fortunes and the NBA, thanks to the city’s submissive personality to special interests, had a ball trampling peoples’ rights.

Saturday afternoon Feb. 25 the occupiers protested at the Arena and were herded into a small cordoned off area on the northeast side. Security and police kept them tightly confined while allowing scalpers to openly do business with the public in the larger open areas. The scalper in the picture above threatened me with bodily harm if I took his picture. I interviewed one scalper who had courtside tickets for Sunday’s game in a contest. He was selling off the other ticket for $8000.00. Here’s the video of that interview.

 

On Sunday Feb 25 the focus shifted to the old Amway Arena which was built less than twenty years ago and is not completely paid off yet. The Occupiers held their All Share Weekend just off the parking lot. All Share fed for free anyone who happened into the area. There was also a lot of free merchandise that anyone could take. Another facet of All Share weekend was to bring to light the horrible conditions and deplorable maintenance of the area.

 

The Centroplex area of the city used to be a vital part of the downtown. Today the area has little left to recommend it. The old arena is scheduled to be imploded at a cost to taxpayers of $3,000,000. It is supposed to be used as a homeless shelter by state law on nights when it is not in use (as is the new arena) but don’t hold your breath. It hasn’t happened yet and probably won’t. The city has completely neglected the area as the above photograph shows. The Mayor’s vision of a “Creative Village” in the area doesn’t pass the logical thinking test for high tech businesses to move into the area that has no major league cultural institutions and few good schools with a state continually cutting budgets for needed infrastructure in the area. The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is only in stage one and most probably will not ever be completed as planned, at a cost to taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars plus estimated operating deficits of $18,000,000.00 or more. All of this downtown spending is strictly a way of keeping developers happy with no payoff to the average citizen. The logical place for a future creative village is in East Orlando out near UCF and Lake Nona. The old arena lies there waiting for its ultimate fate. To not consider the residents west of the city and to completely abandon the Centroplex area instead of making it part of the community infrastructure is also an act of cowardice.

 

Mayor Dyer found that out the hard way on Feb 27 at the monthly Orange County DEC meeting. Expecting to be received warmly, he and his entourage of young campaign workers got a lesson in what pissed off Democrats think of him. The look on the faces of his youthful entourage was straight out of the audience shock scene in the movie, “The Producers.” His arrogant attitude also turned many people off. The other two Democratic candidates, Commissioner Phil Diamond and activist Michael Cantone were much more thorough in their assessments of the city and their plans for its future. They also answered questions in an honest and forthright manner. Dyer received no applause whatsoever. Diamond got polite applause and Cantone brought the house down. A new progressive star was born that evening.

Master Legend & Capt. Kirk at OCAB 10:00 PM 3/5/12

During that week Occupy Orlando found out that there were no restrictions to their occupation of the Orange County Administration Building at Rosalind and Jackson Streets, so all of a sudden the entrance to the building became a campground with several tents and people occupying 24 hours every day. Things seemed to go swimmingly until it was learned that there was a secret meeting taking place between commissioners and Orlando prosecutors to place an agenda item on Tuesday’s commission meeting to give the occupiers the same treatment that Orlando had. Occupier Amanda More was threatened with Trespass if she did not leave the building immediately. County Mayor Teresa Jacobs invited the occupiers to come to the commission meeting on Tuesday to tell their story, which sounded good but it was more like inviting Christians into the Coliseum to deal with the lions. Yes, the occupiers were given lots of time to speak, but the commission’s minds were made up 7 to 0 against the occupiers. The commission put into place ex post facto restrictions of time limits and areas to occupy on the other side of the building. No tents were allowed and other restrictions similar to Orlando’s. They were also given time to effect the move. As of Friday morning 3/09 they have not yet been evicted. Still, the Mayor and Commission could have met with representatives of Occupy and worked out a better deal than that. All they are doing is pissing people off in an election year and most of the occupiers are not only registered voters but are willing to work on election campaigns against them.

 

Mayor Jacobs has shown to be cowardly at least twice since her election. First, by not standing up to Governor Scott when he removed interim Commissioner Damiani for no logical but every political reason, and second when she advanced the business tax break measure on the ballot during the Republican Presidential Primary election. Since Democrats had no primary most of them stayed home even though the tax measure affects all county residents.  At the March 3 bipartisan County Watch meeting guest speaker Bill Donegan, county tax assessor, explained the measure in detail and the measure actually made a lot of sense. It could have withstood scrutiny and there were enough dollar limits and safeguards built into it that I would have felt comfortable voting for it. It’s a shame that our county officials don’t trust us to make proper decisions, and that’s a true act of cowardice.

 

Last, but certainly not least, are the tacit supporters of Occupy Orlando themselves. Occupy Orlando’s Facebook page lists 1172 members and yet the central core of occupiers never sees them. They probably joined during the big marches in October and November and some of them may post from time to time, but they don’t show up, nor do they participate. Maybe they are afraid of perceived bad publicity. Maybe they are afraid of being arrested. Maybe they are ashamed to have their names out in public for fear of losing their jobs. Well, here’s a message for them. If 1172 people were at OCAB on Tuesday don’t you think the commission might have been more accommodating? If 1172 people had been at Senator Beth Johnson Park on regular days the city would have noticed big time and accommodations would have been made. If 1172 people were crowding into commission and committee meetings you can bet that things would be different. If 1172 people were actively campaigning against incumbents up for re-election you can bet that attitudes would be different. Awake the State last year, prior to any of the occupations proved that numbers and action influence lawmakers. The concentrated actions in Tallahassee this legislative session proved very helpful in defeating or altering some (not all) very restrictive legislation. It’s possible that by today’s end the “Parent Trigger” bill could go down in flames. That’s only possible by united action and it takes courage to stand your ground. If you don’t exercise your first amendment rights you could lose them, so it’s time for 1072 ostriches to take their heads out of the sand and get active. That can change the politics of the region for the better.

 

But that dirty little coward who shot Mr. Howard………..

By Jerry Waxman

I’ve been blessed over the years to have worked with some incredible talent on stage, whose ability to communicate holds me in awe. J. D. Sutton is a gifted actor who, for two hours, so completely commands your attention, you don’t realize the time has elapsed. Back in 1998 my wife saw his original 45 minute performance of Twilight at Monticello at Chapters Book Store which included dinner. She immediately called me and said “this is a play you’ve got to produce.” I called J.D. and we hit it off immediately. We were both from Philadelphia, the Cradle of Liberty, and we were age and education contemporaries. We got together and discussed expanding the play to two acts. We reworked the play and rehearsed for what seemed forever. Our scene shop built him what looked like an exact duplicate of the Monticello room. I booked him to open a week before July 4^th with a special performance on that day. We ran for five weeks and J.D. and I were able to pay a few of our bills (not all) from the profits.

Twilight at Monticello is set in the spring of 1821. Jefferson died on July 4^th 1826 as did John Adams, 50 years to the day after the popular version of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of the American Revolution. He is getting on in years and is recovering nicely after an autumn and winter suffering from ill health. Since he’s now feeling pretty chipper he has invited you into his home to explain his life and career while he still can. He’s been pretty active since January writing his autobiography and finalizing the campus of the University of Virginia. He has not yet found out about his poor finances due in part to the Depression of 1819. He’ll learn about that later in the year. During the course of the evening Mr. Jefferson talks about his life, loves, his long career, his close associations, his inventions and what he believes to be his greatest failures as well as his greatest accomplishments. Oddly enough, he didn’t consider his political career to be a worthy accomplishment; he felt that it was a duty and responsibility that all citizens should take part in. The hook in the evening is at the end of the performance when Sutton, still in character, dressed as Mr. Jefferson will take questions from the audience. You will be astounded at the facility and ease with which your questions will be answered. After a few minutes Sutton comes back on stage sans costume and answers the questions you REALLY want answered (you know where I’m going with this). This two hour evening is well worth it.

A few years ago during the 2008 campaign I received an e-mail from J.D reminding me that Jefferson only won the 1800 election by one vote, and it was cast in the House of Representatives due to a tie in the Electoral College. Can you imagine what this country would look like today, or if we would even be here today had John Adams (the Royalist) or Aaron Burr won in 1800? I shudder to think of the consequences. Since it was also an election year Sutton included Jefferson’s stated Principles of Government from his first inaugural address on March 4, 1801:

Essential Principles of Government

Friends and Fellow-Citizens:

 

Called upon to undertake the duties of the first executive office of our country, it is proper that you should understand what I deem to be the essential principles of our Government, and consequently those which ought to shape its Administration.

~ Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political;

~ Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none;

~ The support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies;

~ The preservation of General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and our safety abroad;

~ A jealous care of the right of election by the people – a mild and safe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the sword of revolution where peaceable remedies are unprovided;

~ Absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism;

~ A well-disciplined militia, our best reliance in peace and for the first moments of war till regulars may relieve them;

~ The supremacy of the civil over the military authority;

~ Economy in the public expense, that labor may be lightly burthened by taxation;

~ The honest payment of our debts, and sacred preservation of the public faith;

~ Encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid;

~ The diffusion of information and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of public reason;

~ Freedom of religion;

~ Freedom of the press;

~ And freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus;

~ And trial by juries impartially selected.

These principles form the bright constellation which has lighted our way, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our heroes has been devoted to its attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of our civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust. And should we wander from them in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps, and to regain that road which alone leads to peace, and liberty, and safety.

Since that initial presentation J.D. has taken the show to many places including performances for the Heritage Foundation, RNC, DNC as well as the ACLU. Every citizen, no matter what their political leaning, has a lot to learn from this encounter. He has been praised for his work by both theater critics and political pundits. The Orlando Sentinel said “you won’t see a better rendition on stage of the man from Monticello than this” and the quote from Carpenters Hall at Independence National Historic Park was “an exceptional evening presented by an exceptional actor.”

Twilight at Monticello, an Encounter with Thomas Jefferson will be presented by Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City Performing Arts Bldg., E. Palm Ave. and North 14^th St. Tampa. There are two performances Thurs, March 1 and Sat, March 3 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are: General Admission $10.00, Students and Seniors $5.00. There are no reservations and tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis.

Hillsborough Community College is also presenting in the same series Richard Coppinger in Clarence Darrow, My Life on Wed, Feb 29 and Fri, Mar 2.

By Jerry Waxman

Interesting stuff blowing in the wind recently. It’s called the baseless blame game. In Oakland the police have conveniently tried to blame Occupy Oakland for a tragic murder in Berkeley using the excuse that their resources were tied up handling peaceful protesters and they could not respond to the 911 call. Here in Orlando there was some vandalism done to a couple of ATM machines in Ocoee by a single person who was caught on camera. WKMG, Channel 6 filed a story at one of the banks involved and the gist of the story is that the Ocoee police speculate that it could be someone affiliated with a group like Occupy Orlando. The investigating officer was not identified and the police department offered no opinion on the matter but that didn’t matter to channel six.. Neither the on air reporter nor the anchors offered any explanation as to why the speculation was centered on the occupy movement, nor offered any reason why it should be. It’s just a ploy to get your attention focused on a group that does not advocate violence in any form by suggesting that they use violence without any proof whatsoever. This was the kind of ploy that Captain Jeffrey MacDonald used in 1969 on the heels of the brutal Manson Family murders of Sharon Tate and Abigail Folger when he was accused and eventually convicted of murdering his family. In those days, forty years ago the country was trapped in the paranoia and fear of “others who do not act or think like us.” Even though it was a few years later, the Patty Hearst affair was part of that period.

 

Occupy Orlando’s media team was quick to respond to the baseless allegations. Here’s a copy of their press release:

 

Ocoee Police Dept smears Occupy Orlando with baseless accusations of ATM vandalism
WKMG Channel 6 News reporter Eric Von Anchen says “police believe” Occupy Orlando is responsible for attacks

February 22, 2012 – ORLANDO, FL – Occupy Orlando was surprised to learn that the Ocoee Police Department is publicly accusing Occupy Orlando of vandalism on two ATM machines located at Bank of America and SunTrust branches in Ocoee. In the television report on WKMG Local 6 news, anchor Lauren Rowe reports that “investigators are trying to figure out what triggered a man to attack,” several ATMs.

Occupy Orlando would like to point out that if the Ocoee Police Department located the criminal, rather than speculating on his possible political affiliation, they could more easily ascertain his motivation.

To associate criminal activity with political groups without successfully apprehending the suspect should be beneath law enforcement officers.

Occupy Orlando remains dedicated to preserving a peaceful, nonviolent movement dedicated to empowering the 99 Percent.

 

Channel 13 also showed the video but refrained from any speculation. The Orlando Sentinel wrote about the incident and never once mentioned Occupy Orlando. Members of Occupy Orlando through their website and social media networks are upset with Channel 6 and their reporting of the incident and they are demanding that WKMG issue a formal retraction.

 

The people of Occupy Orlando are at a loss to explain why an incident in Ocoee would be tied to them. “The young man in the video appears to be well dressed and neatly groomed person driving a late model clean car; that is not what WKMG would want the public to see as a stereotypical occupier” said one veteran Occupy Orlando member. That happened in Ocoee and we’re in Downtown Orlando working on important issues that affect everyone. Don’t blame Occupy Orlando for that.”

 

Nope. You just can’t make stuff like that up……oh, wait……or can you?

By Jerry Waxman

If you’re thinking that the occupy movements are fading away you might want to consider thinking twice. While the larger cities have been foolishly wasting whatever political capital and credibility they still have on trying to obliterate the camps, other camps in smaller cities and towns. It is true that many of these occupy sites have lost some population there is a hard core of idealists that refuse to let it go away. If you think that that the occupations haven’t had an impact, then you are wrong again. In Orlando city, county and school board officials have felt the impact of ordinary people watching them and keeping tabs. The conversations have changed. When something new or radical challenges the establishment the first reaction is to quell the opposition. Cities will use force, which will only give them a temporary advantage. The occupy movements are learning every day how to adapt to the conditions.

 

Saul Alinsky has risen, like Lazarus, from the grave.

Recently Newt Gingrich has invoked the name of Saul Alinsky as something evil. Alinsky was the organizing genius, through his Industrial Areas Foundation, that got communities and unions throughout the country organized into positive action to improve their lot in life throughout the thirties, forties and fifties. He also spent considerable time in jail, which only helped the causes he worked for become more resolute. It was never a deterrent. In the sixties he read the signs correctly and noted that the middle class was to be the next target of the establishment. All throughout his career Alinsky never joined any of the organizations that he worked with and never entered into an action without being invited by the oppressed group. He never imposed himself or his organization on them. Interestingly, his initial funding came from a member of the Pritzker dynasty. I could include links here but that makes your job too easy. Take the time and read about Alinsky, especially his 1968 Playboy interview. It’s no wonder that Gingrich demonizes him. He’s scared to death of what would have happened if Alinsky had lived to organize the middle class.

 

Dick Armey thought enough of Alinsky that he made “Rules for Radicals,” Alinsky’s 1968 best seller required reading for his Astroturf Tea Party organization. Some of the tactics worked for a short while, but as in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” once the wrong hands get hold of the information it backfires on them. That’s because Alinsky’s strategies are designed for community action that is positive in nature, not destructive. Recent repressive and oppressive laws, either proposed or passed by Republican controlled state legislatures and Governors, is meeting severe resistance from all kinds of community groups. Wisconsin and Ohio are good examples. Wisconsin voters will likely recall Governor Scott Walker and a few more legislators and the voters of Ohio overturned a recent anti-collective bargaining law. Community outrage had its effect on the Florida Senate’s 19-21 recent defeat of the Prison Privatization bill, despite Governor Rick Scott’s support.

 

 

 

Hope springs eternal

Occupy members have been active in Tallahassee since the beginning of the legislative period, along with members of the AFL-CIO, Organize Now, and a host of other community groups, so it is no coincidence that new groups are starting to spring up. The press release arrived on Feb. 9 that The Hope Church will host the “Occupy Our Community” Panel Symposium on Friday, February 24, 2012, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., at 3032 Monte Carlo Trail, Orlando, Florida 32805. The event is supposed to raise awareness of growth challenges in the neighborhood of Washington Shores, while addressing potential solutions for shaping a community that can deliver greater economic vitality. Washington Shores is a west Orlando neighborhood established by a civic group more than 65 years ago.

“Citizens of the Washington Shores community rank among the highest in Orlando in joblessness, and experience significant economic, health and educational disparities,” states Bishop Allen T.D. Wiggins, Senior Pastor, at The Hope Church. “Given this, I’m pleased to know that our “Occupy Our Community” forums will stimulate much needed conversation with key stakeholders about what is required to implement a paradigm shift in this economically disadvantaged area,” he adds.  Scheduled panelists include: Allie L. Braswell, Jr., President, Central Florida Urban League; Dr. Robert M. Spooney, President, African-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida; David Rucker, President, Greater Washington Shores Area Association; Clinton Salter, Community Resident; Tezlyn Figaro, Founder/CEO, The Allied Group; Virginia Whittington, Metroplan Orlando; Dr. Larry Mills, Senior Pastor, Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church; and Derrick McRae, Senior Pastor, The Experience Christian Center. The program will be moderated by Don Miller, radio host, the Big 810 AM; Frank Mitchell, Business Strategist; and Pastor Sharon Riley.  This is an admirable position for the community to take. One can hope that these discussions will lead to positive action.

Lights, Camera Action!

The demise of ACORN stopped the organization from further being effective. It did not stop the people who worked for ACORN from being civic activists. Many of them are working with other organizing groups. Former ACORN activists started the “Pink Slip Rick” movement in Florida which continues to grow. About three weeks ago a new group giving itself the working title Orlando Unity formed and started to meet. This is a loosely based assembly of occupiers, union members, organizers and activists who regard action over words. While forming ideas is important the implementation of effective action is just as important. This is a group of people who are actually doers. The meeting was to take place Sunday at a union hall in College Park, however, the hall was being used, due to a scheduling snafu, by a group of Elvis impersonators. Coming on the heels of Whitney Houston’s death (more on that in a future column) on Saturday it seemed eerie.

“Smoking, drinking, never thinking of tomorrow, nonchalant.

Diamonds shining, dancing dining with some man in a restaurant……”

The first action will be coming shortly as it was learned that the Florida Senate had just whizzed SB 7210 through committee and would bring it on the floor on Thursday, Feb. 16. The bill specifically cuts the minimum wage for tipped restaurant employees from $4.65 per hour down to the federal Restaurant worker’s wage of $2.13 per hour. The battle for higher Florida server wages was fought in a 2005 constitutional amendment and the conservatives have never forgotten it. The Florida Lodging and Restaurant Association, as well as Darden Restaurants, who operate Red Lobster, The Olive Garden, Longhorn, The Capital Grille and Bahama Breeze and OSI Partners, who operate Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s and others are solidly behind this bill, which most likely was written by lobbyists from the Florida Lodging and Restaurant Association. The effect of the bill is to cut $100.00 per week from the earnings of a typical server in these and other restaurants. Since the Association says the two large chains are already having good years, and they predict record profits for the next year this only confirms that they want to guarantee their profits on the backs of their employees. Actions are being planned right now to address this by Orlando Unity and other allied groups, plus there will be a delegation from Miami in Tallahassee to address this with legislators. The politicians in Tallahassee are also going to try to push through a speedup foreclosure bill which will take away people’s rights to go to court over their foreclosure action. Expect lots of community actions and fireworks over this political hot potato, which will be the subject of my next column, unless I feel inspired to write about Whitney Houston and right now I’m fighting the urge successfully.

Introducing the 1948 Studebaker*

Discretion got the better of me after the Florida Democratic Party State Convention held at Disney’s Contemporary Resort back at the end of October so I didn’t write anything about it rather than say anything negative. Let’s just say that the highlight of the convention was Friday night when Debbie Wasserman Schultz and VP Joe Biden took the floor at a closed big dollar a plate dinner. The rest of the convention could have been phoned in without actually being there and I could have taken advantage of  any of Disney’s great golf courses. Sure, the Saturday night parties were great but I didn’t have to spend the money to attend the convention for that. My point is that being at the Contemporary was an absolute disaster for people who weren’t staying there and the only thing accomplished was that they would re-elect the President. Short sighted move if you ask me. The fact that the party did not schedule a primary had an adverse affect on this state.

 

The comparison to the 1948 Studebaker comes from an observation I made when my father bought one and drove it home for the first time. Like many others I said “Gee, which way is it going?” It really did have great styling and was far ahead of the Big Three for a few years. Unfortunately, Studebaker rested on its laurels for too long and had to merge with the more conservative Packard  Motor Co (Are you catching my drift here?). That merger didn’t last too long and by the mid sixties it was all over. My question is “Gee, which way is the Florida Democratic Party going?” By blindly cutting off any and all discussion of finding a primary opponent the party insured a win for tax cutting legislation in Orange County and probably several other counties and cities in the state. Without a primary there is no measuring of grass roots support for any policies or positions that any candidate may take. Without a primary Democrats just didn’t go to the polls. We really don’t need to fight voter suppression laws as long as we have disengaged and disinterested Democrats and that is squarely in the lap of the state party. The party needs to find out which direction it is going and should at least trade up to a 1962 Avanti, preferably made in this country, not Canada.

 

* The car pictured here is most likely a 1950 model. The 1948 grille was flatter and looked more like a Chrysler Corp front. The 1950 Bullet (or T-33 Jet) nose just looks better and it is more modern.

 

By Jerry Waxman

Word got around a few weeks ago that U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights (wow! That’s a mouthful, and no acronym!) will be holding a field hearing, its first ever, anywhere in Tampa, Florida on Jan 25^th. The purpose for this hearing is to examine the impact of Florida’s new voting law, HB1355, which restricts early voting and makes it nearly impossible for third party groups such as the League of Women Voters to help people to register to vote by imposing steep fines for even the slightest infractions of the new rule. It turns out that this was done at the urging of Florida Senator Bill Nelson who voiced deep concern about the new legislation.

Nelson has been hard at work since before the legislation was passed, writing letters to Governor Rick Scott asking him to veto the pending legislation on May 5, 2011 and again on October 25 asking him to reconsider and repeal it. He has written several letters to major newspapers across the state warning of the negative impact of this legislation. After being ignored by Scott Senator Nelson reached out to Senator Durbin and asked him to hold hearings on the issue. He also on Nov. 3^rd wrote to U.S. Attorney General asking the Justice Dept. to get involved.

Durbin, meanwhile had been holding hearings on voter disenfranchisement since the beginning of September. Florida is not the only state involved. Twelve states have already passed similar laws in the past year and others have pending legislation. Nelson testified before Durbin’s subcommittee on Sept. 8^th about his real concerns. Durbin also sent Scott a letter but received no reply Durbin agreed with Nelson that hearings had to be held and the request was approved by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy.

During the ensuing weeks progressive groups in Central Florida were discussing attending the hearings and adding their voices to the witness list. Occupy Orlando, which maintains a friendly relationship with these groups, was also prepared to have individual members attend. What was not apparent, however, was any statewide organized effort to be a factor at the event. Finally, about ten days prior to the event Michael Steimle of the Florida Democratic Party (on Facebook) sent out information about their planned rally before the hearings. Well, someone at the state party level finally woke up from their collective stupor and realized that this is a BFD and that they should do something about it. After all, HB 1355 is aimed specifically at people who most likely vote for Democrats, and it is a direct slap in the face to all who fought the civil rights battles back in the 50’s and 60’s and all who fought in our wars for our right to vote as well as our other hard fought for freedoms.

Phone calls came from Tony Scelzo who works with AFSCME retirees who was counting on getting as many people there as possible. Clare Flannery, Senator Nelson’s Assistant Press Secretary sent lots of information regarding what would be discussed during the hearing, including a partial list of witnesses who would be testifying. Durbin’s office was handling the details and anyone who wanted to testify had to be cleared by them.

The Rev. and Mrs. Bracy

The rally was scheduled to begin at 11:30 AM in front of the Hillsborough County Courthouse.TV news trucks endlessly wrapped around the corner. CNN was there and was interviewing high profile civil rights activists like The Rev. Gerald Bracy and his wife LaVon, who are civic activists in Orlando. By the time 11:30 rolled around there were over 500 people in attendance with only a handful of Tea Partiers holding signs saying “Pink Slip Bill” and defending HB1355. One other protester in the crowd was shouting that he had voted for Obama in 2008 and that Obama had betrayed all progressives. He was put in his place by Tony Fransetta, a fiery 76 year old Korean War disabled veteran who is head of the half million member Alliance for Retired Americans in Florida. Fransetta was also the first speaker on the rally program, introduced by Allison Morano, Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, who also acted as emcee. Our camera was not ready so we missed the first two minutes of video but here is Fransetta speaking passionately.

Morano then introduced in succession Jen Fenn, head of the Florida Young Dems, Dominique Gellin, a UCF student who is head of all Florida College Dems, former state representative Bob Enriquez who spoke of minority representation, State Rep. and incoming House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, who spoke about the legislative battles over HB1355, State Rep. Mark Pafford who also addressed HB 1355 and State Rep. for the Tampa area Betty Reed who told the crowd “Not This Time.”  The most passionate speech was given by the Rev. Charles S. McKenzie Jr., state coordinator for the Rainbow Push Coalition spoke about the civil rights battles of the 60’s and the signing into law of the Voting Rights Act by President Lyndon Johnson and the continuing struggles by minorities to vote. Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith closed the proceedings stating that it’s a hard act to follow the Rev. McKenzie, yet he did vow to continue fighting the legislation.

After going through the courthouse security check over three to four hundred interested spectators went upstairs to the ninth floor to attend the hearings. The Judicial Conference Room barely holds over one hundred and fifty people, so most spectators had to wait in the overflow rooms or in the hall. Once in the hearing room (yes, press credentials needed to be shown) the whole press corps was cordoned off into what appeared to be the jury area. Fighting for space, in order to set up cameras was like a Capture the Flag game or the basement sales at Alexander’s. They were like sardines standing up in their can, yet everyone was helping each other set up and offering extra cables to those who needed them. Once everything was set up, Nelson’s Press Deputy handed out a press packet and shortly afterwards one of Durbin’s staffers handed out a voluminous packet that both stated the hearings purpose and his prepared remarks, as well as the names, qualifications and prepared remarks of the seven panelists chosen to testify. It seems the only thing left to chance were the answers that the panelists would give during the Question and Answer period and based on the prepared statements you could bet that the questions weren’t going to be too probing

The whole event took on the feel of a professional touring company doing a staged play reading of a familiar show. There was the proper air of (harrumph, harrumph) solemnity. No one expected the specter of Senator Johnny Iselin bursting in and declaring that there were exactly 57 communists in the Supervisor of Elections office, and no one expected Dalton Trumbo to plead the fifth. No Joseph Welch was going to protest the ruthless questioning of these witnesses. No Alexander Butterfield was going to shock us with his revelations under questioning and no Woody Allen was going to tell them to go (expletive deleted) themselves. No, the folks who orchestrate these things have learned their lessons well and after years of rehears….er..practice have honed this into a finely tuned art. This is not a fact finding mission-they already know the facts. They know beforehand where they are going with this and they know within one or two percentage points where the conclusion is. This is strictly a show for the public to let the public know that they are doing their job with all of the (harrumph, harrumph) officiousness and solemnity they can muster.

Orlando Activists Phyliss Hancock and David Rucker

Senator Durbin opened the proceedings and did mention that he had invited Republican members of the subcommittee to join him in the hearings. They did decline, however they recommended one witness who will appear in the first panel. Durbin also invited Governor Scott to testify but received no reply. The prepared remarks briefly outlined the complaints about HB1355 and he talked about the history of fighting for voting rights in the country. Senator Nelson then had the opportunity to give his opening remarks. Here’s a video of the opening remarks. The first panel was introduced: Ann McFall, Supervisor of Elections in Volusia County, Michael Ertel, Supervisor of Elections in Seminole County and the Hon. Bruce Smathers, former Florida Secretary of State. The only panelist in the first three who chose to defend HB1355 was Ertel, a Republican. Here’s a video of their prepared statements. McFall spoke about the noted case of a teacher who faced steep fines by helping her students to register. She also noted that the state legislature had not consulted any of the Supervisors for input into HB1355. Ertel tried to ease the situation by noting that he offered to deputize all of his school principals to avoid third party involvement. After the panelists gave their remarks they were subjected to a round of questions.  During the round of questions Ertel drew hoots from the gallery as he tried to evade direct questions. McFall, also a Republican, said that there is no evidence whatsoever of voter fraud, which is the basis of the legislation.

The Second round of panelists were Dr. Daniel Smith, Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida; Daryl Parks, President of the National Bar Association; Brent A. Wilkes, National Executive Director, League of United Latin American Citizens, and Sara Pemberton, President, Florida College System Student Government Association. Parks, Wilkes and Pemberton addressed the difficulties and hardships faced by students and minorities that the new law imposes. Smith, however used statistical data to graphically show how restrictive HB 1355 is. His statistical evidence was in direct opposition to Ertel’s testimony. During the question and answer session all panelists confirmed their testimony to the delight of the gallery. Durbin, as the sole member of the subcommittee agreed with their findings as did Nelson. End of the (harrumph, harrumph) staged readi…..er hearings.

What happened in the press conference after the hearings was much more revealing. Senator Durbin was asked if there was direct thread between HB1355 and similar legislation in 35 states. His reply was in the affirmative, stating that there is real evidence that ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) a conservative not-for-profit heavily financed by the Koch brothers and other conservative groups is behind these legislative actions. When asked if the President could do something about it, he partially deflected the question by saying that the president could have the Justice Department get involved to see if these laws are in violation of the Voting Rights Act, and he could not speak for the administration. He did, however, falter a little when he could not remember the full name of the acronym ALEC. He treated the name as though it was a first time revelation. For the citizens of Florida it may be a first time revelation but every senator and representative in Washington knows who they are and how they operate and they have known it for a long time. The question is was it a dramatic trick or just an honest lapse as everyone is prone to do at times? Most likely it was just an ooooops moment. Give this readi…er hearing 4 stars. Had it been more spontaneous it would merit five (harrumph!).

By Jerry Waxman

 

Chapter Three-

Curley, Larry or Moe?

Prologue

On

 November 5

early morning the

Police arrested three

people for trespassing in

Senator Beth Johnson Park,

the site of Occupy Orlando. All

three were charged with the violation

of Statute 810.09(2)(A) a first degree mis-

demeanor. Wm. Ezell was hosting a teach-in

about First Amendment rights to a small group of

die hards when several squad cars pulled up and

warned everyone to vacate the park. Many did but a

reluctant few wanted to finish the teach-in. The police did

not wait and moved in. After his arraignment his trial date was

set for January 25. Ezell’s lawyer, Shayan Elahi was part of

Occupy Orlando’s legal team associated with the National Law-

yer’s Guild and ready to defend any Occupier against what he felt

were “frivolous” charges. Elahi is no stranger to controversy. Two years

ago he embarrassed the Right Wing establishment by successfully having

the Courts return Rifka Bary to Ohio for adjudication, Bary, having been lured

to Orlando via the internet by an evangelical church. Last year he was success-

ful in having all charges dropped against Orlando Food Not Bombs and leaving the

city with egg on its face. Since these were state charges a State Attorney had to be the

prosecutor, The State Attorney declined to prosecute. The city, still smarting from a chalking

charge fiasco was not to be deterred. They still pressed for a trial that day. The only problem was

that city prosecutors cannot prosecute state charges. You could see Elahi sharpening his

fangs for the kill. But wait! The city’s alternate prosecutor asked for a continuance in order to

amend the charges so that the city can prosecute. After all, this is an election year , So,………

The city’s prosecutor had a family emergency on the morning of the 25^th and was not there.  Judge Bell said that there was another prosecutor in the courtroom and that the trial should proceed. That wasn’t the case. The city asked for a continuance because they had not been aware that the charges could not be prosecuted by them, and that they needed time to amend the state charges to reflect city ordinances. They also at that time asked for a non-jury trial. Ezell stood on his constitutional rights to a speedy trial by his peers. The city countered with a plea bargain but Ezell would have none of it. The judge granted the continuance and a jury trial and set a late February date.

Outside the courthouse, Ezell and Elahi held a brief conference for all of the interested supporters. Will the City of Orlando continue its dogged desire to convict someone? Will the city wind up with dirt on its face in addition to the egg? Nyuk, Nyuk Nyuk! Will anyone else have to go to court and waste taxpayer money? Woo, Woo Woo! Will William Ezell get his day in court? Maybe the Shadow knows but we don’t, so stay tuned for the next exciting chapter……coming soon!

By Jerry Waxman

The moon belongs to everyone. The best things in life are free.
The stars belong to everyone. They gleam there for you and me

Freedom means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Webster’s Dictionary has numerous descriptions of the word being used in different contexts. Progressives just assume that the entire Bill of Rights is under attack by conservative politicians and judges including their freedom of choice. Conservatives use the word as a Pavlovan prompt in order to whip up the crowd. They say that their freedoms have already been taken away with the passage of Obamacare and other similar legislation as well as government restrictions on businesses and that a conservative government must overturn all restrictions on their freedom including the freedom to hate.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Downtown Orlando over Saturday and Sunday, January 22^nd and 23^rd. With the Republican Primary election only a week away a group calling itself Conservatives United 2012 planned a large rally at the Walt Disney Amphitheater in Lake Eola Park with spectacular speakers like Samuel Wurzelbacher aka known as Joe the Plumber, former Congressman and State Attorney General Bill McCollum who spoke as if he needed a heavy dose of Ritalin and keynote speaker Herman Cain who proved why Vaudeville is dead and not coming back. The attendance figures were disappointing to say the least. Under 400 people were in the space but take out the security teams the candidate staffs the event staffs, vendors and sponsors booths and the event was lucky to attract 200 people including the bused in people from West Palm Beach and out of that there were at least 20 people from Occupy Orlando on the premises taking it all in. The only non-white faces we saw were, obviously, Herman Cain, a few occupiers and some picnickers walking through. A couple of local candidates were collecting signatures. Rick Santorum had a local team on the ground but the feel of the event was definitely directed towards Newt Gingrich. It was his collective memory challenged crowd that was there cheering on every utterance of McCollum’s almost incoherent rant.

David “Duckie” Wasman with “Joe the Plumber”

My wife and granddaughter went to the playground on the other end of the park while I tried to make sense of the event. We did have a short conversation with media creation Joe the Plumber who intimated to David “Duckie” Wasman that both these conservatives and the occupiers are not that far apart on most issues, something he would not ever say in public. Local Tea Party type Matt Falconer was urging people to vote against the proposed ballot initiative on Jan 31 that would allow corporations to avoid paying property taxes for 10 years if they merely promised to create jobs. Actually, Falconer made good sense this day and apparently a lot of the attendees were in agreement with him. Only registered Republicans and people signed up for absentee ballots were officially notified that this was a general ballot item. In all though, it seemed like a scene out of 1984 with a collective hate for “Big Brother” (code for Barak Obama).

This get together being a thinly veiled push for Newt Gingrich I was reminded that I received via Facebook friend that classic picture of Newt’s wife Calista, she of the molded plastic face and perfectly arced hair with that totally scary faraway look in her eyes plus the photoshopped image of Newt as Chucky. This modern day Medusa looks like her own victim. I guess the snakes were edited out. A thought came to mind; If the mythological Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, then Calista of Newt is the face that could sink them.

The flowers in spring, the robins that sing,

the sunbeams that shine, they’re yours, they’re mine

 

A day later was Occupy Orlando’s 99^th day of existence and it was to be celebrated by re-occupying Senator Beth Johnson Park for the day. The appropriate teams for food, media, et al were in place at the park well in advance of the march and not a policeman in sight. All park rules were strictly obeyed. The march started at City Hall and ended at the park around 12:00 PM. No formal agenda for the day, just a day to hang out and relax, eat, drink (no alcohol) welcome newcomers and get together with old friends. There were some teach-ins about the state legislature and community building. Several bands provided music and everybody had a good time. This kind of freedom is worth fighting for.

Media star Tim Osmar

Nome

Tim Osmar is a free man today, having spent several weeks in jail on a charge that the State Attorney’s office refused to prosecute-writing on the sidewalk with chalk. The city had selectively used this prosecution after having allowed merchants to do it in violation of city ordinances two years ago. Known only as Nome, this young man was arrested for jaywalking in front of the park before the move to City Hall. Both Nome and Tim have retained an attorney who is filing charges in Federal Court for violating their civil rights. Any fines or awards won have been promised to Occupy Orlando.

The next big test of freedom will be William Ezell’s trespassing trial. Ezell and others were arrested and charged with a state statute rather than a city statute. Maximum sentence on a city misdemeanor is 60 days plus a fine. The state laws can be up to a year. The State Attorney’s office refused to prosecute, however this time the city is not backing down. The trial is set for Tuesday, Jan 24. His attorney, Shayan Elahi, feels confident that Ezell will walk out a free man. Elahi is no stranger to controversial cases and he has a good track record of wins. The occupiers are making preparations to occupy the courtroom when Ezell comes to trial.

In the end, whether we agree or disagree with either of the two groups, it takes an awful lot of vigilance to insure your ability to be free to be who you are. It is something to think about. Feel free to do so.

And love can come to everyone; the best things in life are free

The Best Things in Life Are Free© Henderson, DeSylva, Brown

By Jerry Waxman

The group Move to Amend.org had been planning this action for a long time. Occupy Orlando and other occupations throughout the nation joined with them in planning the event. Occupy the Courts went into effect on Friday, January 20^th and in some cases lasted through Saturday. The objective was to occupy the Federal Courts to object to the Citizens United Ruling as well as corporate dominance of our financial system. There were separate actions in many cities throughout 49 states.

Occupy Orlando took their stand at the Federal Courthouse at 401 E. Central Blvd in Orlando. The crowd started to assemble slowly but by 10:00 AM a respectable crowd of about 45 had assembled and it was time to start. The security guards on duty were pleasant and as helpful as possible, and they allowed free access to most areas except the steps which they insisted must remain clear for safety reasons. No one dared to test these rules, instead saving their energy for the soap box. Over twenty people made speeches as to why they are part of the movement or why they support the occupation.

The  Rev. Dr. Gregory Van Wilson of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard was the first speaker whose theme was Anti-authoritarianism. Many other speakers contributed their stories and views, some even twice. Occupy Orlando Media Team member, Rebecca Cruz served as MC and was followed by Waltrout Graccione, Who was born in Germany. Occupy Orlando member Blair Edwards was followed by Occupy Orlando member William Ezell. Criminal Defense Attorney Hastings Jones spoke eloquently about how the one percent controls the justice system. Retired college professor Harold Ramsberger spoke about how our money is manipulated. Occupy Orlando member Kat Duerr spoke about her activism. Roger Levine from Occupy Port St. Lucie was in Orlando along with two other friends. Occupy Orlando member

Sue Casterline spoke about her involvement. Science Dave Dunning gave two lectures. Occupy Orlando member Rudy Roberts spoke about his recent experiences. Georgette Picarsky told why she supports the occupation. Lore Rosenthal, an activist fromGreenbelt, MD. spoke about her experiences. Tim Adams, Diego, Emily Rogers and Anna Dinenik all members of Occupy Orlando also told their stories. Poet Tim Ramsay read one of his special verses. After a short break for lunch everyone came back and recreated the ceremony for the Funeral for the Bill of Rights that Occupy Orlando held a month earlier at the Orange County Courthouse.