Utter non-Census

Well, Florida, the fix is in for 2010.

I'm not talking about the election. I'm talking about the U.S. Census, on which so many political decisions, from the number of electoral votes to the drawing -- gerrymandering? -- of congressional districts, will be based.

Yesterday, Gov. Crist chose 45 Floridians to serve on the "2010 Sunshine Census Complete Count Committee," and it includes some very notorious names indeed.

Besides [committee chairman Orange County Mayor Rich] Crotty, the list also includes longtime Miami-Dade lobbyist Ron Book, former Ocala legislator and current Christian Coalition of Florida director Dennis Baxley, and Florida Association of Broadcasters President Pat Roberts.

“The diversity of Florida’s cultures, backgrounds and experiences is quite possibly our state’s greatest strength, and we must do all we can to ensure an accurate count of every Florida resident during the 2010 Census,” Crist said in a statement.

The release said the panel members "represent Florida’s diverse geography and population, as well as many organizations throughout the state."

First and foremost, why in the name of all that is good and decent hasn't Dennis Baxley been marginalized right out of any kind of authority whatsoever yet? He's the guy who sponsored "shoot first, ask questions later" legislation in the state House and who is a vehement opponent of academic freedom. Putting him on a committee to oversee accuracy of the Census is like asking Alex Rodriguez to test urine samples. And a millionaire lobbyist deserves to be on the committee exactly why? Oh, and don't even get me started about Pat Roberts, whose anti-tax, hyper-fundamentalist ways just ooze bipartisanship and accuracy in the Census ... (/sarcasm)

But wait ... there's more ...

One of the legislators who will serve as a delegate to this committee is none other than state Senator (and Blast Off! favorite*) Mike Haridopolos (R-Indialantic), who pretty much lives off of wingnut welfare ... and he's not even out of office yet!

Come on, Charlie! I mean, didn't you learn something about bipartisanship from supporting President Obama's stimulus? Even if half the committee members are Democrats (and, I admit, time prevents me from reviewing every name on the list), the batshit-crazy quotient still is off the charts when you include nutcases like Roberts, Haridopolos, and (blecch!) Baxley. Having folks like that in charge is the very definition of "the fox guarding the henhouse." It pretty well guarantees that the Census won't be fair or accurate in Florida next year, and that as a result Republicans likely will retain their undeserved hegemony in this evenly-divided state for another decade.

Sure, I know you're a Republican, Charlie, and that you want to stack the deck for your team, but at least don't claim this is an extraordinarily balanced or diverse group. To put it a bit more bluntly: you can't polish a turd.

Anyway, the whole list is here, if you have the notion -- or the strong stomach -- to go through it in greater detail.

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* By "favorite," I mean "utter douchebag."

Shorter Florida Legislature: "Shoot first, ask questions later"

Just when you think it's safe to come out from the Schiavo-related loony bin that is Florida, here comes another masterpiece of wingnuttery:

People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new law passed by state politicians on Tuesday that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths.

The Florida House of Representatives, citing the need to allow people to "stand their ground," voted 94-20 to codify and expand court rulings that already allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying to escape.

The new bill goes further by allowing citizens to use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable belief they are in danger of death or great bodily harm. It applies to all means of force that may result in death, although the legislative debate focused on guns.

Yes, folks, all it takes is a "reasonable belief" that there is danger - you got that, then fire away. Incidentally, there are 36 Democrats in the House ... and if you think that's bad, well, the Senate passed it unanimously.

Finally, guess who the sponsor was in the House? (You're not going to believe this ...) Yep, it's our old friend, Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Out There), whom you may recall was the sponsor of the bill to stamp out academic freedom so none o' them librul ideas get spread around.

Baxley may be the single most frightening legislator in America right now - including certain ones named DeLay, Cornyn and Santorum. Which of course means he'll probably be running for governor soon.

(Tip o' the Blast Off! hat to GreatScat! for the referral.)

UPDATE (4:56 pm 4/5/05): Just to clarify, Florida law already permitted the use of deadly force to defend one's self in one's home and, in fact, even one's car or workplace. This law dangerously lowers the legal standard for self-defense anywhere, though:

Outside the home, however, courts have ruled that most victims must at least attempt to escape before using deadly force, a provision gun advocates say puts victims at greater risk. The proposal removes that requirement if a person has a reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm.

The neo-cons in Tallahassee run amok

As if the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in our fair capital over Terri Schiavo wasn't enough, now we have proposed legislation essentially revoking the long-standing notion of academic freedom.

If this bill, titled (in true Republican through-the-looking-glass fashion) the "Academic Freedom Bill of Rights" (I'll wait for the laughter to die down), passes through the entire process (you know Jebbie will sign it into law if it gets that far), it will allow students to sue their professors for damages if they feel their beliefs are not being respected.

Students who believe their professor is singling them out for “public ridicule” – for instance, when professors use the Socratic method to force students to explain their theories in class – would also be given the right to sue.

“Some professors say, ‘Evolution is a fact. I don’t want to hear about Intelligent Design (a creationist theory), and if you don’t like it, there’s the door,’” [Rep. Dennis] Baxley [R-Ocala] said, citing one example when he thought a student should sue.

Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, warned of lawsuits from students enrolled in Holocaust history courses who believe the Holocaust never happened.

Similar suits could be filed by students who don’t believe astronauts landed on the moon, who believe teaching birth control is a sin or even by [University of Florida] medical students who refuse to perform blood transfusions and believe prayer is the only way to heal the body, Gelber added.

Naturally, Rep. Baxley responds:

But Baxley brushed off Gelber’s concerns. “Freedom is a dangerous thing, and you might be exposed to things you don’t want to hear,” he said. “Being a businessman, I found out you can be sued for anything. Besides, if students are being persecuted and ridiculed for their beliefs, I think they should be given standing to sue.”

During the committee hearing, Baxley cast opposition to his bill as “leftists” struggling against “mainstream society.”

“The critics ridicule me for daring to stand up for students and faculty,” he said, adding that he was called a McCarthyist.

"Freedom is a dangerous thing, and you might be exposed to things you don't want to hear." Just mull that one over for a minute ... and then chew on this one:

But Baxley compared the state’s universities to children, saying the legislature should not give them money without providing “guidance” to their behavior.

“Professors are accountable for what they say or do,” he said. “They’re accountable to the rest of us in society … All of a sudden the faculty think they can do what they want and shut us out. Why is it so unheard of to say the professor shouldn’t be a dictator and control that room as their totalitarian niche?”

"All of a sudden?" Um, I don't know, Dennis ... maybe the long-held doctrine of (true) academic freedom allows the professor that latitude? I mean, come on, with a degree from FSU in sociology/psychology, I would think you'd know that, even if you are a funeral director now.

Remind me again why I moved here from Michigan ...?

(Thanks to Covington, via Wes of Walk in Brain, for the tip.)