Favorite Theme Park Thrill Ride in Pasr 23 Years

 Today, 23 years ago back in 2003, I proposed and took Will and Rebecca down to Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, Georgia.  My aim was to provide the kids a fun thrill ride experience and to face my fears about the effects that gravitational shifts and inversion made on my body and sense of well-being.  As it was, we all went on Pharoah's Fury, Double Shot, Boomerang, Hangman, and Cheetah.  Seems like they enjoyed themselves, and so did I.  After leaving the park late that afternoon, we got on I-75 south where a concentrated thunderstorm hit us, impeding my vision as I struggled to keep a clear field in front of us.  This experience opened the way for us all to boldly go on as many thrill rides as we could in the two years ahead, including Busch Gardens, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, two more visits to Wild Adventures, and Cypress Gardens.  My favorite destination was Busch Gardens, with Montu, Kumba and Gwazi being my favorite coaster rides( add Scorpion for Busch Gardens).  The Hulk coaster, along with Ice and Fire, were my favorites at Universal, and we got a kick out of going on the Jurassic Park boat/slide ride. Doctor Doom's Free Fall terrified Melissa and made me quite uneasy.  From 2005 forward, our theme park visits slowed down and henceforth so did our venturing out on thrill rides.  When I drove to Hollywood to visit my father, I took pains to stop off at Boomer's on Stirling Road, where I went on their Dania Beach Hurricane wooden coaster until they finally shut down the ride.  My all-time favorite wooden roller coaster was Thunderhead at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which we enjoyed on our summer 2006 visit there...Boomer's Hurricane was runner-up.

My all-time favorite roller coasters are Montu, Kumba, Thunderhead and Gwazi, but, speaking solely of thrill rides, my favorite in that group has to be Power Surge...found mainly at Wild Adventures and Cypress Gardens.  Well, we'll see if, on any future visit(s), we discover one or more of these fine rides.  The only remaining thrill ride I've gone on in recent years is the Royal Caribbean's Abyss dry slide, which plummets the rider quickly ten levels, from 16 to 6.  Well, maybe I'll try it again should we go on that huge boat again. Oh, and if you see it, put me on Wild Adventure's Aviator again..

Quote of the Week...from W.C. Fields

It ain't a fit night out for man nor beast.                          W.C. Fields

Early twentieth century comedy legend W.C. Fields wrote and starred in a short film in 1933 titled The Fatal Glass of Beer.  His character, Pa Snavely, lives in a cabin in the frigid Yukon cold.  Without getting into the story's plot, the one thing that stuck with me so many years later was Fields opening up the cabin's door, loudly proclaiming the above quote, and then receiving a blast of fake snow in his face...this happened a number of times, each one hilarious.  I've grown to use Fields' quote whenever the weather is sub-par, especially if it's stormy or cold.  Lately I've been signing up for distance running races that would fit that description, the last one being the off-and-then-on half-marathon I ran this past Monday morning.  That one started out being too stormy to stage, and then ended up exceeding cold (for my admittedly wimpy Florida standards) after being delayed one day.  Tomorrow morning is going to be another one of those "ain't a fit night out" instances as the temperature has been forecast to bottom out at 26 degrees.  Remember, I'm a Floridian and a lifelong one at that: 26 degrees ain't fit for much of anything...

New Hurricane Milton Threatening Central Florida and Possibly Gainesville

Ever since Hurricane Helene passed through Florida and points north in late September...causing calamitous destruction and death, especially in North Carolina...the meteorologists have been pointed to a low-pressure area in Helene's general zone of origin in the western Caribbean.  The prognosis was always the same: 40% chance of development over a period of several days.  But a couple of days ago the message abruptly changed, as a Pacific tropical storm passed through Mexico into the far western Gulf of Mexico and formed the core of a dangerous new tropical disturbance.  It has since rapidly strengthened and been named Milton, at this writing a full-fledged hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.  Milton is predicted to reach Category 4 strength as it crosses the Gulf toward a rendezvous with the west coast of central Florida around Tampa.  Before hitting land, though, it is also expected to weaken a little.  But statewide we're already being saturated with much rain...more water in the ground is the last thing anyone needs.  Milton is expected to arrive on Wednesday and cut across the state, subjecting my Gainesville area once again to strong tropical storm winds and placing people and property in peril as well as almost certainly causing widespread power outages.  This storm is said to be smaller than Helene was...I guess I should be thankful for any good news...

About the Upcoming August Primary Election

Before the general election in November, my state of Florida is holding a primary election on August 20th.  I opted out of the vote-by-mail system and plan to cast my ballot in person that Tuesday morning.  In partisan nominating contests, the US Senate seat currently held by Republican Rick Scott is being contested, although I doubt his GOP challengers will garner many votes.  On the Democratic side four candidates are vying to replace Scott next January when the new term begins. US representative, state representative and Alachua County sheriff constitute the other partisan contests on the August ballot.  Then we go on to the county school board, with two incumbents being challenged.  And there is one county commission race and one city commission race there as well.  I'm not sure what good my one vote will do with each of the available races, it being just a drop in the bucket, as the cliche goes. But as with other elements of my life, I've grown to consider consistent, reasoned voting whenever the opportunity arises to be a worthwhile personal discipline that ties me in...no matter how tenuously...with the society around me.  May the best candidates win, and may all the eventual winners perform their duties conscientiously and ethically while I wish them success regardless of whether I voted for them...

Checked YouTube about Theme Park Rides in General Vicinity

The other day I did a search on various theme park rides.  My all-time favorite one is Power Surge, a circular ride moving around an axis that lifts you up and tosses you around, upside-down and all, in your seat high off the ground as it rotates...satisfyingly disorienting you for its approximately two minutes of duration.  When my kids were growing up, two theme parks we visited had Power Surge: Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia and the renovated Cypress Gardens in Polk County, Florida. It was one of the several then-scary rides at the former on that fateful Sunday in March, 2003 that I braved myself to ride on as a challenge to myself: after all, Will and Rebecca had no problem with them!  Since that time I've completely flip-flopped on theme park rides and became an ardent fan, but the children are grown and going to these parks just hasn't been high on our agenda in recent years.  I think the last roller coaster I've ridden was the Dania Beach Hurricane wooden coaster off Stirling Road on the north side of Hollywood in southern Florida where I grew up and would later visit my father. Now the Hurricane is no more and...correct me if I'm wrong...there are ZERO coasters remaining down there. On YouTube I found a posting that shows POV on all of Busch Garden's major rides, including several newer ones I've yet to experience. I think they're the best Theme Park when I consider their distance from my Gainesville home (they're in Tampa), the number of quality rides, price and their shows and amenities.  But for now I'm glad to see the rides on YouTube.  By the way, Montu, Busch Garden's hanging steel roller coaster, is still my all-time favorite coaster and number two all-around ride, behind Power Surge (which you can also "kind-of" experience in a virtual way on YouTube).     

Meaningless Florida Primary Ongoing with Early Voting

This has to be by far the deadest presidential primary season I've ever experienced since following them in 1968...both major political parties have pretty much folded up and closed shop with their anointed candidates, fascist Donald Trump as the clear consensus choice for Republicans and incumbent Joe "Not Trump" Biden for the Democrats.  And now early voting is underway in the Florida Primary...at least on the Republican side as Biden has no listed opposition.  But all of the major GOP candidates running against Trump have ended their campaigns without ever gaining any traction among the adoring masses enthralled with their orange personality cult idol.  I am currently a registered Republican and still plan to vote in the primary on "election day" March 19, for what it's worth.  Since former New Jersey governor Chris Christie spoke out the most vehemently against Trump during his brief campaign, I'm planning to vote for him...holding my breath in the process, not exactly being a Christie fan either.  And then it'll be on to the conventions where the parties will crown their dubious choices, with anti-vaccine conspiracy nut Robert F. "Neither-Trump-Nor-Biden" Kennedy, Jr. waiting in the wings as an independent option for voters looking for an even worse candidate.  So this is liberty and democracy...are you telling me that these three are the best my country could come up with?  Biden's my reluctant choice in November, but I won't waste my writing time trying to convince anyone to go out there and join me, much less dissuade those inclined to push one of the other major candidates into office.  Be my guest and do as you will, for all I care... 

2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins on Thursday

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is set to officially start this Thursday, June 1, but already there is a low-pressure disturbance...albeit not yet tropical in nature...in the Gulf of Mexico that is slated to pelt the central part of Florida this week with much rain and storms.  The forecasters say that this year should be close to normal in the quantity and intensity of named tropical storms and hurricanes.  But all it takes is one big hurricane coming right at your home area to make a monumental mess of things, and I'll be keeping an eye a little more on those daily forecasts and tropical outlooks on the TV weather stations.  Gainesville has been almost providentially spared the head-on wrath of a major storm, although in recent years it has been sideswiped on a number of occasions.  My major concern is a Category Four or Five hurricane strengthening in the Gulf and coming ashore around Cedar Key, heading straight for my hometown.  It's not a high probability for a single year, but over a span of decades the likelihood of that occurring is drastically increased.  But for now, all seems normal...

Not a Fan of DeSantis, But At Least He's Not Trump

The other day, a friend of mine from work Facebook-messaged me about a supposed bill a Florida legislator is filing which stipulates that any blogger who mentions Governor Ron DeSantis would have to be registered, whatever that's supposed to mean.  I replied that this sounded like the last Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows, in which anyone simply saying out loud the Dark Lord's name, Voldemort, would instantly prompt a visit from his Death Eaters.  Maybe if this legislation...and I can't imagine anyone to regard it as anything more than a foolish political stunt...passes, I'll just say "Voldemort" when referring to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named instead. But that's the Internet for you and, for all I know, this is just a hoax.  I've found that, although DeSantis has been heavy-handed with his decrees and criticisms in various areas, most particularly his conveniently one-sided interpretation of "woke" culture, his interference with university and public school curricula, his callousness in busing undocumented immigrants to out-of-state "sanctuary cities" and opposition to effective public health measures to prevent the spread of Covid, I never detected in him the narcissistic hypersensitivity to criticism that is so characteristic of his former political ally and now presidential rival, Donald Trump. In fact, DeSantis has always been politically savvy enough to recognize that it comes with the job to expect criticism from those in the opposition Democratic Party...it's the Trump wing of his own party that seems to be beside themselves with irrational anger and hatred toward the governor in spite of his attempts to appeal to the basest elements of that base.  For the last election, I switched my party affiliation to Republican in order to help to nominate principled conservatives who believe in respecting election results. DeSantis, although some may not like the new more restrictive voter/election law he signed, has not been an active participant in the election denial lunacy we saw after Joe Biden was legitimately elected U.S. president over sore loser denier Donald Trump, and unlike the former president he has shown a sense of responsibility when dealing with hurricane threats, displaying a spirit of bipartisan cooperation with our current Democratic president.  Also, I have never heard DeSantis speak ill of Trump, although the reverse is plainly true. Were the Republican Primary for president held today with Ron DeSantis on the ballot, I would vote against Trump and for DeSantis in a heartbeat. Our governor bravely served our country in the military and is articulate and persuasive, educated and well-informed on a number of issues...can't say any of this about the Orange Man. Although I have never voted for DeSantis in his two gubernatorial races and likely wouldn't support him nationally in a general election, at least I can see him, if eventually elected, as a serious president seeking to do America's bidding (although I may many times disagree with him) and, unlike Trump, not holding everything and everyone hostage, including our country's best interests, to his own ego gratification. As far as whom you and everybody else support or oppose, I guess that's your own business to figure out: be my guest and vote (or not vote) however it suits you...I never endorse or campaign for (or against) anyone, just expressing my opinions on the subject every now and then...

This Winter Ridiculously Warm Here in Northern Florida

It's hard to imagine that we're still in the middle of the winter as February winds to a close with daytime temperatures in the upper 80s day after day...ugh.  I would have thought that we'd be seeing temperatures dipping in the 40s at night with highs in the 70s...but no, this 2023 winter has got to be the record-setting warmest, at least in my memory, for northern Florida.  Of course, I grew up in South Florida, living throughout childhood without any air conditioning at home, so I'm at least a little conditioned to stifling heat...but now I can find refuge indoors with the AC cranked up to high.  I was watching the Weather Channel this morning...they were deploring what they (and they alone) were calling "Winter Storm Piper" as it made its way with snow and icy conditions across Wisconsin, headed toward Michigan.  It's funny: I had all my winter clothing ready to go in anticipation of getting at least some use, which mostly now involves throwing on a light sweater when the house gets just a little too chilled.  I hope this all doesn't portend a record breaking hot summer...

Weekly Short Stories: 1987 Science Fiction, Part 7

Today concludes my examination of 1987 sci-fi short stories as they appeared in the Gardner Dozois anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction, Fifth Annual Collection.  For me in '87, I changed jobs three times and moved twice, radical behavior for someone as tied to routine as myself.  But I will always cherish that brief time we lived in Leesburg...I felt good vibes about that place and the surrounding area with their five big lakes and moderate-size towns like Eustis, Taveres and Mount Dora, all connected by good old US-441.  And it was but a short drive to the beach or big city Orlando...as well as to Gainesville, for that matter.  But let's get back to the final stories in the book...

ALL THE HUES OF HELL by Gene Wolfe

Kyle is on the crew of a space mission in a peculiar system, with their ship seeming to orbit empty space when it is really an invisible, "shadow" world hosting a sentient alien life form they are assigned to capture and study.  One of the crew, Skip, becomes unhinged, thinking himself dead. And a woman on board is pregnant, somehow a significant part of the narrative.  But as the story grinds on, Kyle's cyborg nature starts to become the standout issue.  I'd be less than honest in claiming I understood this story or what the author was trying to say: maybe he was trying to say too much in too little space...

HALLEY'S PASSING by Michael McDowell

A truly impressive horror story ranking up there with Stephen King's best, as a mysterious man transforms like a chameleon, stealthily traveling from one place to another as he continually changes his outward identity while adhering to an obscure personal formula for decision making.  Along the way he randomly murders people.  Yes, I said that...didn't I say this was horror?  

FOR THUS DO I REMEMBER CARTHAGE by Michael Bishop

As this story progresses the reader can pick up on what the author is doing here.  He is writing an alternative history of the world while resourcing and renaming important scientific discoveries and technological innovations.  East meets West as a Chinese astronomer, knowledgeable about his own colleagues' advanced knowledge, encounters the story's protagonist Augustine in a besieged city whose walls are threatened by invading barbarians...

MOTHER GODDESS OF THE WORLD by Kim Stanley Robinson

If you are a mountain climber and knowledgeable or interested in the detailed topography of Mount Everest, this story is for you as two different climbing teams race against an opportunistic publicist to the site on the world's tallest mountain where two famous earlier climbers met their demise in the 1920s.  More a novella than a short story, it's a funny tale and probably one for which you might consider slowing down your reading in order to more fully appreciate.  Like Moby Dick with 19th century whaling, there are lots and lots of little details here about how to scale mountains as well as the various sides of Everest, also called Chomolunga, "Mother Goddess of the World".  There's also a lot about the native people in this amazing part of the world, especially the Tibetan Sherpas...and Buddhism.  Good read...

Next week I begin looking at science fiction short stories from 1988...

The Saga of Ian

The long saga of Ian, a very problematic tropical system that went on and on unnamed for days in the Caribbean before finally coalescing and strengthening, is finally ending...at least for the state of Florida.  But its aftermath with still be felt here for years from all of the damage it caused, mainly in the central and southern part of the state.  And it's not finished, either.  Once Ian goes into the Atlantic around Daytona Beach it will curve northward through the Atlantic before striking the Carolinas, wind speed drastically weakened from the 155 mph when it struck the Fort Myers/Punta Gorda vicinity but capable of dropping torrential rains.  While following the storm's development from early on, the Weather Channel, my chief source of information, kept presenting two drastically conflicting computer models about its trajectory, the U.S. and European.  The former had Ian go more or less northward in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, parallel to the Florida coast, before hitting the state's northern Big Bend area.  The latter, which Ida ended up following the most, had it approaching the same way but veering northeastward and striking where it eventually struck in the Naples-to-Tampa stretch of heavily populated real estate.  Neither model, though, predicted it would then cut across the state and exit into the Atlantic...that development has been providential for us here in Gainesville.  In both scenarios we were certain to be exposed to high winds and possibly heavy flooding.  As it is right now at 9:30 on Thursday the 29th, the winds are 25-30 mph with some occasional gusts, but the rain hasn't been too bad. But this very large tropical storm will continue to affect us throughout the day...still, it could have been much worse where I live.  We've also been blessed so far with keeping our power running. I'm a little consternated at my local government's disaster preparations...they knew about Ian for several days but waited until less than 48 hours before they opened sandbag stations, naturally causing everyone (but me) to rush them at the same time, at the last minute.  As it is turning out, they won't be needed...I improvised anyway, using garbage bags and items I scrounged up around the house as substitutes.  Last night at 10 I had the most pleasant drive home, the storm around me notwithstanding: hardly any traffic!  But I know the people will return, sigh, they always return...

Election Day Today for Florida Primary and Local Elections

Well, today's finally election day, that is for the primary and some local races here in Florida.  Being someone who likes to vote in person, I had nevertheless requested a mail-in ballot in 2020 during the height of Covid restrictions and have continued to receive one for each subsequent election...including this one.  So, I'm finished with voting having mailed in my ballot a few days ago, but naturally am interested in finding out about the results as they come in tonight.  If you're registered to vote in Florida, the polls are open until 7 this evening...regardless of your party or voting preferences, why not get out and exercise your civic duty?  I'd also like to know what the voter turnout is with this election, broken down by party affiliation and demographic groups.  A few months ago, they were actually praising a 13% voter turnout at a local election...that just doesn't cut it with me.  I think the biggest problem I had with this particular election is that where I live, here in Gainesville and Alachua County, the mayor, city commission and school board races are officially nonpartisan.  Still, I discerned certain candidates, by their rhetoric and endorsements, were Republicans.  I checked out the leading Republican conservative-sounding mayoral candidate and discovered that he had either hidden or wiped all of his Facebook posts before he declared his candidacy earlier this year.  That frustrated me because I wanted to know how he reacted to Covid public health mandates and recommendations as they happened, as well as whether he sided with the majority Trump wing of the party in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.  I've written in an earlier article that these were two big issues for me, and I suspect that this individual was trying to hide something although he's entitled to do whatever he likes in managing his social media account.  Oh well, if he ends up getting elected, I suppose at least we'll no longer be subjected to condescending political correctness lessons championed by the present occupant of that office.  In all likelihood, though, the mayor's race will end up in a runoff decided in November...

Early Voting Begins Saturday for August 23rd Primary Elections

The state of Florida is holding the primary for its off-year 2022 election on August 23rd...that's when registered voters can show up, from 7 am to 7 pm, to cast their ballots in person at their respective assigned precincts. For those who want to vote early, Alachua County has seven locations for this: four in Gainesville and one each in Newberry, Hawthorne and Alachua.  Early voting will start this Saturday the 13th and end on Saturday the 20th...voting hours are from 9 am to 6 pm.  After updating my personal information per the new state law and switching my party affiliation to better vote against fascists who denied the 2020 presidential election, I didn't expect to receive a mail-in ballot, but I did and plan to go ahead in send it in although my preference is to vote in person on election day...barring pandemics.  The Republican incumbent governor and U.S. senator are running unopposed in their respective primaries, but Democratic voters will have to choose their party's nominees for these two races.  The US House Florida District 3 is being contested in both parties, with the incumbent a controversial figure. Florida state cabinet seats are also on the ballot, more races contested on the Democratic side than the Republican. With the state legislature, only one race, state house District 22, is on the ballot...I'm in 21.  There's a circuit judge race I'm clueless about.  And there is a slew of local races, four on the county school board, mayor, and three districted city commission seats...these local races are all nonpartisan.  My votes this time around will be based on the following priorities. 

1-Is the candidate fascist-leaning, i.e.. accepts only election results when their own side wins?

2-Did the candidate support public health recommendations like masking, social distancing and vaccination to prevent the spread of Covid?

3-What are the candidate's positions (in local commission and mayor races) on single-family housing and utility rates?

That's it regarding my priorities for this election...you're free to prioritize your own vote and I'm not campaigning or endorsing anyone.  I will say this in closing: much has been made of voting as a "right", but I'm convinced that the civically-correct way to see it is as a solemn responsibility, a duty that comes with our citizenship...and I urge you to inform yourself and vote, regardless of your political philosophy. 

You can access information about the primary election in Alachua county by clicking on their voting website here...

Interesting Pro Golf Tourney in Orlando Today on NBC

Call it "Arnie's Revenge" if you like, but this year's PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational, played at the Bay Hill course near Universal Studios and Walt Disney World west of Orlando, has turned into one of the more interesting and entertaining tournaments I've watched over the past few weeks.  Generally noted for scores well under par, this year it seems that the winds are playing havoc with the golfers...as well as very treacherous putting greens.  I don't think I've ever witnessed so many missed short putts as well as putts shot too hard past the hole.  The leaderboard has been in continual flux as the tournament draws to its close.  It looked like Viktor Hovland at one point was going to run away with it, but his putting woes gave him two consecutive bogies.  Then Scottie Sheffler, who won a tourney just a while back, surged into the lead, only to be passed by Gary Woodland when he eagled...but Woodland would fall back on just the next hole with a double bogey.  The tournament was renamed in 2017 after Arnold Palmer, who passed away the previous year.  Palmer was known for his expressive antics when he missed important putts in years gone by...I've seen quite a few grimaces and head shaking today from pros who seem completely mystified by the tricky slopes presenting by the putting greens.  Yet Tiger Woods won this tournament eight times between 2000 and 2013.  It's showing right now on NBC...I really don't care who wins it, but I want to see how they accomplish it.  Sheffler is the only golfer among the leaders in today's final round that I know of, but I'm gradually accumulating a list in my memory of several golfers over the weeks as Sunday afternoon golf is becoming a regular TV habit of mine...

Game of the Week: The Lottery

Whenever I think of the lottery, I think of three things: Shirley Jackson's short horror story with that title, the All in the Family episode when Edith buys what turns out to be the winning lottery ticket for her next-door neighbor Louise, and the Florida Lottery, begun in 1988 after being approved by a wide margin in the 1986 elections.  After my state's fledgling lottery instituted the Lotto with its promise of millions to the winner(s) each week, I would play along and occasionally put down a dollar for a ticket...I always used the same six numbers.  But never more than a buck at a time, nor with any real expectation of winning...it was more of a social "activity" I did with my family back then.  Not long thereafter, I lost interest and it's been many years since I ever played it.  But although the Florida Lottery has the altruistic aim of funding my state's public education system from its proceeds, it is still gambling and as such has infected many with its promises of easy money.  I don't know whether there is a gene that makes one susceptible to becoming a compulsive gambler, but sadly there was one in my family as I grew up and I quickly learned my lesson about gambling's downside.  One of the first Twilight Zone episodes I ever saw, The Fever, has a man reluctantly visiting Las Vegas with his wife.  Feeling morally superior to the "vice" of gambling he sees everywhere, he nevertheless succumbs to the temptation of the slot machine when coins pour out from it the first time he plays.  From that moment onward he is hooked...continually losing at that machine but afraid to leave it for fear that the next player would win "his" jackpot.  That's how I think a lot of habitual lottery players see their weekly ventures...the one week they skip playing just might be the week their numbers come in, and wouldn't that be tragic if they missed out.  When I'm at a convenience store or Publix at the service counter and someone in front of me in line lays down a large stash of dough on lottery tickets, part of me wants to wheel that person around and shout sense into them.  But no, it's all going for education, right?

About Republican Election Reform and Voter Participation

The push by Republican-controlled state legislatures to change election laws has caused alarm and accusations of suppression and discrimination against minorities in order to ensure their own party's victories in future elections. I understand the concerns, especially the cynicism involved in the timing, following so closely in the aftermath of the 2020 elections in which the presidency and U.S. Senate switched to Democratic control...high minority turnout spelled the difference.  There's only one problem I see with the criticisms, though. From where I stand, the act of voting is not only a right, but a civic duty that should require some active engagement and discipline on the part of the voter...and that means to be consistent about participating in whatever elections that come up, not just the "sexy" ones with a charismatic candidate or one that evokes strong negative feelings.  Barack Obama was elected in 2008...and reelected in 2012...with fervent, emotional support from the black community: I supported him twice myself.  Yet in the off-year elections in 2010 and 2014 that followed these Democratic victories, voter turnout from this group plummeted...with the same election laws in place, and the Republicans not only won back the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, but also many state legislatures and governorships...including that of some so-called "blue" states.  But I NEVER hear this in the mass media...how could Florida go for liberal Obama and then for a right-winger like Rick Scott for governor in the intervening years? The answer is simple: much of the electorate DELIBERATELY chose to sit on their hands and let the conservatives win those off-year elections...it had nothing to do with voting suppression on the part of the Republicans.  In 2022 if the Republicans win back control of the Senate and/or the House...as well as keep control of "blue state" legislatures...it will be not because Democratic voters were denied their rights, but rather because they refused to get off their collective butts and vote.  Case in point: in my home town of Gainesville we had two city commission races in March, one by district and one at-large...so the whole city was involved.  As per last year's presidential election, mail-in ballots were sent out...I imagine the same amount as last year. But even with all this incredible convenience...not even postage required for the ballots...only 11% of the eligible voters took part!  So please don't talk to me about voter suppression...if you live in Gainesville you're most likely one of those who passed up on your precious "right" last month: really, how much effort does it take to fill in a bubble or two, stick the ballot in the envelope, sign and seal it, and then stick it in the mailbox??!!

My main concern with this new legislation is that some of it was drafted and passed by lawmakers whom I regard as fascistic...that is, those who denied the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election amid false claims of fraud and were in favor of overturning it to keep loser/fascist Trump in power.  The voters' verdict at the polls should never be subject to the whims of partisan legislators afterwards...a part of Georgia's bill did just that, though.  That having been said, there are other criticisms to the reform efforts in that state that I think are a bit overblown.  For example, the number of mail-in drop boxes was drastically reduced from last year, which was the COVID-19 pandemic emergency...in case you've already forgotten...but not from previous levels.  That a picture ID is required for mail-in voting is somehow being depicted as Jim Crow in nature...what's that all about? They added a measure to it banning outside groups from providing water to voters in line at the polling places...although politically foolish of them to include this provision I wonder if we've really come to this ridiculously passive, victimized level of thinking where we act like we're plants that have to depend on others to water us: just fill up an old bottle with tap water and take it with you, for crying out loud!  And the notion that voting was banned after 5 pm was a flat-out lie, sadly echoed by President Biden...who has long had a penchant for sticking his foot in his mouth when off-script.  Hey, I'm a Democrat but I think the outrage over much of this Republican-generated reform legislation is a little uneven: just stick to the fascist-leaning parts that truly threaten our representative democracy and cut it with the BS, please.  And if you're a Democrat with an axe to grind about voter suppression, how about you stop cherry-picking which elections you feel like participating in?

Surprised by Florida Pro Teams' Success in This Pandemic Year

Nearly two weeks ago the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup went to the Tampa Bay Lightning, arguably the best team in the league but with a fresh memory of being shut out in the first round of the playoffs last year by Columbus...this time they handled the Dallas Stars in six games during the final round after a long postponement in the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Major League Soccer decided to begin their delayed season with a tournament...Orlando City, which had never even made the playoffs before, found themselves surging and made the final match before bowing to Portland...now in the regular season they're still surging.  In Major League Baseball, the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays have gone beyond expectations with both making the playoffs and the latter accumulating the best record in the American League during this attenuated 60-game regular season.  Miami even won their first round in the playoffs against the Cubs before falling to the Atlanta Braves...the Rays have gone farther, first knocking out Toronto and then defeating the New York Yankees last night in their series' deciding game on an eight-inning homer. And in the National Basketball Association the Miami Heat, led by Jimmy Butler...one of my favorite players, who has a penchant for turning average teams into contenders...has defied the odds and is playing competitively against the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers for the league title.  They won a close contest last night and have narrowed their Lebron James-led opponent's lead to three games to two.  I'd like to report that this trend is extending to pro football as well, but alas, the three Florida teams are floundering as usual though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with their "new" quarterback Tom Brady, are at least supporting a winning record and are (barely) in front of their division.  But Brady seems out of it and even lost count of the down he was on during a decisive late-game possession against Chicago last Sunday.  Still, the other sports seem to be shining on the Sunshine State and there's still time for the Bucs, Jaguars, and Dolphins to straighten out and fly right...

Just Finished Reading Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King

I just finished reading Gilbert King's historical work Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America.  Published in 2012, it won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction the following year.  It's an account, earlier in Marshall's career before his tenure on the United States Supreme Court, of when he was an NAACP lawyer defending blacks across the country, and of a case in Jim Crow-segregated central Florida in the late 1940s and early 1950s where four young black man were framed in a white supremist justice system for a rape that probably never happened.  Called the Groveland Four case after the southern Lake County town at the epicenter, King examines the deeply entrenched racism of the white community there at that time, with an extremely corrupt, racist sheriff and deputy who would stoop to any level to see to it that Charles Greenlee, Earnest Thomas, Samuel Shepherd and Walter Irvin would be executed for their alleged crimes.  If Marshall represented the virtuous, rescuing hero of this story then Sheriff Willis McCall would be the archvillain, closely tied in with the Ku Klux Klan and illegal gambling operations in the area.  On one evening outside Groveland, a poor rural white married couple, the Padgetts, got their car stuck in the mud...Shepherd and Irvin were together driving by, and stopped to help them get their car free.  Unsuccessful, the husband, Willie, got angry at them and after insulting them got on the short end of a fist fight with Shepherd.  That was the incident that later was turned into a gang rape allegation...the other two eventual defendants were nowhere near at the time and were sucked into the case by McCall.  Thomas, hearing that he was being accused of this capital offense, fled to the north Florida woods while the other three, while in detention, were beaten and whipped into forced confessions by deputy Yates and his partner...with McCall looking on.  I'll save relating the fates of these four innocent black men, two of them brave, returning World War II veterans, in case you decide to read or research the case for yourself.  Instead I'll discuss how the author chose to present it...

Gilbert King split his analysis of the Groveland Four case into sections whereby he described Thurmond Marshall's philosophy of defense and his different partners and associates within the NAACP, as well as his communications and relationships with the FBI, Florida governors, and the judges and prosecution.  The endemic racism of the South...and of Lake County, Florida in particular...of that time was emphasized as King related incidences of previous horrific lynchings of blacks.  This was crucial to the story as it showed the defense strategy Marshall would employ in trying to save his clients from the electric chair.  The citrus growers would use cheap black prison labor in their groves...Sheriff McCall would see to it that he provided the necessary bodies. The author also presented the corruption and ties to the KKK of the local law enforcement as well as the inherent racism of the local justice system at the time through the principals involved.  And of course, the sequence of events that first led up to the arrests and what followed to the end was revealed through the course of the book.  This is not one of your "whitewashed" Yankee Doodle Dandy American history texts that paint our past in generally idealized terms, but rather is an important testament to the underlying reasons for the racial divisions still plaguing our society in this Black Lives Matter era...I recommend it although its content is very disturbing and pulls no punches about the extreme violence that happened: if you're white and grew up in Lake County back then you most definitely enjoyed a much different experience than if your skin had been of a darker hue...

Primary Election Day Today in Florida

Today is primary election day for the state of Florida if you're planning on on-site, in-person precinct voting...Melissa and I mailed in our ballots several days ago and, thanks to Alachua County's online ballot-tracking feature, we are confident that the elections office received them and everything is in proper order to process them tonight in the count.  I've noticed that my county provides Business Reply postpaid ballots for voters while others...neighboring Gilchrist County, for example...don't and have the voters put a stamp on their ballots.  And I wonder whether this simple convenience (or lack) will influence relative voter turnout, we'll see.  If you applied for and received an absentee ballot, I recommend that you drop it off at the local elections office (in Gainesville it's at 515 North Main Street) instead of using the mail if you still want to vote that way...the one here will be open for drop-off until 7 pm.  If you have your absentee ballot but haven't sent it yet and want to instead vote in person, take it to your local precinct polling place and surrender it for a new one and vote there...or simply show up if you never applied for a mail-in ballot.  This election is just a primary yet will essentially decide who will be our Alachua County sheriff along with two school board seats and a state representative race.  And since the U.S. House of Representatives District 3 seat always goes Republican due to the demographics of our area, whoever wins that party's crowded and increasingly mud-slinging contest will almost surely be the next representative here.  No president, governor, state cabinet or United States senatorial races are on the ballot so it's not as "sexy" as the one we're facing on November 3rd...even then, Florida isn't holding gubernatorial or U.S. Senate races in 2020.  Since I applied for absentee ballots for the upcoming general election I'm probably going to continue to vote by mail during this pandemic...

I'm hearing all this hullabaloo about the postal service being attacked by Trump as if it's something new...not only has he been railing against my employer for years but the Republican Party has been trying to privatize it for decades.  They pushed through an onerous bill that President Bush signed into law in 2006 compelling the USPS to prefund all of its employees' retirement for the next 75 YEARS..a deliberately backbreaking measure that no American business had ever been forced to operate under.  Yet just three years later we had a Democratic president, Senate, and House and for the two years they controlled the federal government from 2009 through 2010 they did NOTHING to help us out.  And now the same people are clamoring about the how the good old post office is under attack...but I think the main reason they're concerned is because they see it as a threat to the plan for universal mail-in voting that they are promoting, something that is currently being practiced in only nine states and which in all likelihood will not expand nationwide this year, pandemic notwithstanding.  I have my own opinions about the subject of universal voting and voting in general that I plan to share in a future article...

Voted Today (Mail-In) in Florida's Primary Election

In Florida the 2020 primary election (not the presidential primary, which we had back in March) will be held August 18th with early voting going on now.  Melissa and I applied for mail-in ballots, which we just filled out and will put in the mail tomorrow.  Florida holds its governor and state cabinet elections in off-years, and neither U.S. Senate seat is up for election in 2020. The only race on my ballot with national ramifications, Florida's 3rd Congressional District with incumbent Ted Yoho retiring after four terms, is up for grabs...at least for Republicans, that is, since although Gainesville is primarily Democratic the surrounding population for this district is overwhelmingly Republican.  So whoever wins the Republican primary race this month is almost certain to win in November: as our president recently said on a different topic, "It is what it is".  There was one race for state representative I got to vote on, and the rest were local in scope: two county commission seats, two school board seats, property appraiser, party leadership committee posts, and sheriff.  The sheriff's race bothered me since essentially only registered Democrats will decide who our next sheriff will be after Republican and Independent voters were shut out by a loophole in the election law because somebody with virtually no chance of victory earlier filed as a write-in candidate...that just doesn't seem right to me.  I still haven't decided whether to try and vote in person for the general election or not, but I'm keeping my mail-in balloting options open.  If you're in Florida and are registered to vote, this particular primary election may or may not be important for you...but I'm pretty sure that the general election in November will be...