My head is kind of bobbing around like one of those little bobbling dolls that people put on their car dashboards sometimes. I’m all in a dither (or is a dather) trying to figure out how to vote on the Hometown Democracy Amendment, which will be on Floridians’ ballots later this year. To wit:

The Amendment would establish “that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or a mend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of hte electors of the local government by referendum, following preparing by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice.”

Maybe I’m missing something … but I can’t see how this could be a bad thing — isn’t that what democracy is all about? Read more »

It’s not only cats who need a good home in this town … From the WSLR website:

WSLR 96.5 low-power FM, Sarasota’s non-profit community radio station, will be among the many public radio stations nationwide participating in the 13th Annual Homelessness Marathon. Featuring 14 hours of consecutive programming about homelessness and the homeless, the 2010 Homeless Marathon national broadcast will originate from Detroit, Michigan beginning Tuesday, February 23rd at 7 p.m. and continuing until 9 a.m. Wednesday, February 24. Listen live at: http://wslr.org/listen-live/

Preempting the national broadcast, WSLR 96.5 FM will feature five hours of local programming addressing homelessness in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. Produced by WSLR and airing from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 23, and again from 7 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, the WSLR programming will include interviews with Sarasota’s homeless residents; interviews with representatives from local agencies that assist the homeless in Sarasota and Bradenton; interviews with representatives of the downtown business community; interviews with representatives of the City of Sarasota and musical interludes reflecting the plight of the homeless.

For more information: www.homelessnessmarathon.org.

Host: Sarasota County Democratic Party
Date: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Time: 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Location: Corner of Bahia Vista and Rte 41, Sarasota

Join this rally to sign-wave for real health care reform during rush hour at one of the most visible locations in Sarasota. Parking available in the Midtown Plaza by Starbucks.

Today, at Siesta Key Public Beach, 1 p.m, there will be a protest led by the Sierra Club Manatee-Sarasota expressing opposition to offshore oil drilling.

The protest is called “Hands Across the Sand” — kind of like the idea of drawing a clear line in the sand against offshore oil drilling.

If you care about the beaches, about the water, the environment, and about all the creatures and humans and plant life (not to mention tourism and economies) that would be affected by the construction of drilling rigs and any oil spills — you might want to show up.

I met Dick Lobo in December when I was up in Tampa doing a fundraising appearance on PBS/WEDU Channel 3 television program Florida This Week … . We hadn’t started my segment yet, and I saw the man himself near the coffee table and went over to introduce myself. Read more »

At the City of Sarasota’s Police Advisory Panel (PAP) public meeting on Dec. 28, Sgt. Kenneth Castro — a 28-year police veteran — admonished the panel for “disturbing” and “insulting” comments he felt some of its members had made about the Sarasota Police Department (SPD) in prior meetings. The panel — appointed by Sarasota City Commissioners last November in response to the summer 2009 police incident involving a police officer who was videotaped kicking a handcuffed suspect — is tasked with examining the practices of the SPD in connection with the use of force, and its relationship with residents, especially the minority community.

“We cannot allow you to continue to barrage our police officers,” Castro said, adding that such negative talk could affect the morale of the “troops” and possibly “demotivate” them on the job. Read more »

Yup — you read that right. Tomorrow night, Friday, December 11th, I’ll be on WEDU/PBS Channel 3 LIVE for a roundtable political discussion of burning hot Florida topics (um, yes, we’re talking about the Sailor on the Bayfront, natch) on Florida This Week.

The show goes live, on-air at 8:30 p.m., and the reason it’s live is because it’s a fundraising call-in show. So if you’re a regular supporter of PBS, and in particular of WEDU, give a shout tomorrow night and make a donation.

I’ll be participating in the panel discussion first and then moving on to man, er, woman, the phone lines. If you call in, tell ‘em MC sent you!

I really don’t have all the guidelines for donating — but I’m sure that no amount is too small and I’ll bet they have little give-aways — don’t quote me, though. If you tune in to Channel 3, at 8:30, they’ll have information on how to make a donation if you want to support the program — not just Florida This Week, but all the fabulous programs on PBS.

“Few Florida politicians have grabbed national attention as quickly and dramatically as freshman U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Sunday Nov. 1, 2009, p.1.

Yep, Grayson was catapulted onto the national stage when he summed up the Republican’s Health Care Plan as 1) Don’t get sick 2) If you do get sick… 3) die quickly!

Guess you know where I’ll be on Sunday, December 6 … and it isn’t in church! Who knows? Maybe it should be … but instead I’m high-tailing it to the Democratic Club of Sarasota’s “Dinner for Progress” at Michael’s on East to hear national scene-stealer, U.S. Representative Alan Grayson ruffle feathers and enjoy just a smidgen of hyperbole with my dinner. A few weeks ago I was on Florida This Week trying to sound smart (ass) about Grayson and now I’ll have to see if he’s got the street cred to bring all that hot air down to earth. Hope to see you there — if you come, swing by my table and say hello to me! (P.S. if you do register, tell ‘em MC sent you — that, and a near c-note, will get you in the door, meaning, basically, my name is mud without money! ;))

You can register relatively painlessly online – or take a look at the registration information below.

————————————————————————
The Democratic Club of Sarasota and The Democratic Party of Sarasota County
invite you to A Dinner for Progress featuring Congressman Alan Grayson
Sunday, December 6, 2009
6:00 pm Social Hour • 7:00 pm Dinner
Michael’s On East
1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota
Other speakers include:
Democratic candidates for Florida Attorney General
Florida Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber,
and Florida Representative Keith Fitzgerald
$90 per person (in two checks*)
RSVP by December 1 For more information, call (941) 244-2266

The Democratic Club of Sarasota and The Democratic Party of Sarasota County
invite you to A Dinner for Progress featuring Congressman Alan Grayson
Sunday, December 6, 2009
6:00 pm Social Hour · 7:00 pm Dinner
Michael’s On East
1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota
Other speakers include:
Democratic candidates for Florida Attorney General
Florida Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber,
and Florida Representative Keith Fitzgerald
$90 per person (in two checks*)
For more information, call (941) 244-2266
*******************************************************************************

Just received my health insurance renewal forms for 2010. My health insurance plan is going up by over $30 a month. I already can’t afford it at $30 less.

I’m a fairly healthy woman — no health problems, no medications. My biggest downfalls are too many martinis and not enough exercise (however, my fingers are long and lean from hours at the keyboard).

So, here’s this week’s conundrum: cancel my health insurance and walk the wire of relative health with no safety net below me? Or continue forking over beaucoup dollars every month for a health plan I never, ever use except to have twice yearly dental visits?

Or put another way: Be broke but protected or be unprotected and have a bit of money left over each month to buy a bottle of eau de parfum or maybe the occasional pair of new shoes, both of which by the way, give me a better sense of physical and emotional well being than any health insurance premium or check up ever has?

When I lived in Boston, I served meals at a homeless shelter for American veterans of war. My first night volunteering, the manager laid down the rules: Nobody gets seconds; keep the portions small; and nobody gets milk unless they’re diabetic.

I was happy to be serving men who had served in the military, but that happiness was mingled with guilt and shame over seeing firsthand the reality of just how highly this country regards its less visible war veterans — the ones who didn’t die but are still alive and struggling with the physical, emotional and psychological scars of battle. Read more »