The Florida Masochist

Now the Palm Beach Post needs a civics lesson

A week ago I blogged about a Post editorial that made me laugh. Here is another example. The topic is tasers and who should be making guidelines for their use. I'm only going to quote the very end.

But the leap from voluntary guidelines to questionable law could prove more of a shock to the public than the Taser-related deaths that spurred action toward standards and training. The questions are as basic as the legislation's lack of clear requirements regarding the civilians to whom the electric gun increasingly is being marketed. Tallahassee could make matters worse once lobbyists for the various interests enter the mix.

The problem is that there's no telling what might end up in the final bill. There's also no compelling reason why lawmakers, rather than professional law enforcers at FDLE and the Standards and Training Commission, should establish uniformity for Florida.

There is one compelling reason. Our legislators make the laws, not law enforcement. Our elected officials have the right to make the law here, get over it Palm Beach Post.

My State legislator Shelley Vana- Part III

She got mentioned in another George Bennett column in today's Palm Beach Post. For background, read my two prior posts here and here.

State Rep. Shelley Vana, D-Lantana, a former president of the Classroom Teachers Association, had to give up her classroom job to accommodate her legislative schedule. She took an administrative job with the school district but contends the CTA's collective bargaining agreement allows her to remain in the union.

The school district says otherwise, so Vana has filed a grievance.

Vana, who holds a newly created science program coordinator position that allows her to take unpaid leave for Tallahassee duties, says she still needs union protection.

"As a legislator, I could very well speak out on issues that might not be popular," Vana says.

Staying in the union would also make her eligible to run for CTA president again. Asked whether she might seek the top union post again, Vana said, "I wouldn't rule it out. But that's not the reason" for the grievance.

Shelley is an absolute hoot. She would be my knucklehead winner today except for the Broward County story is better.

I mean how many ways does she want it? State Legislator, a county job made JUST for her and now union membership. Shelley you're entitled to no more priviliges than anyone else. You've gotten far too many special ones already. Your constituents may take the privilige your of booting your butt out of office next fall.

Where is the Post on this story too? Not a word from Schultz and the editorial board on this topic. Randy do you only criticize Republicans?

Open Post- Indepundit

An early morning laugh

Thanks to the Palm Beach Post editorial page. Today they had one of their regular editorials in favor of a sales tax on internet sales. The Post rehashes this subject at least twice a year. I'm only going to quote the punchline at the end.

This would not be a tax increase. Buyers are supposed to pay the tax now. This would establish what everyone in Congress claims to be for: fairness.

A tax on internet sales isn't a tax increase? Only in the far left minds of Randy Schultz and his co-horts at the Post. If a tax takes more money out of the public's pocket then it is an increase.

I almost gagged on my early morning coffee today on reading that sentence.

Open Post- Cafe Oregano, Euphoric Reality, Stop the ACLU Basil's Blog and Cao's Blog

The Knucklehead of the Day award

Goes to the Ft. Lauderdale News Sun Sentinel for their coverage of the story of the rape and burying alive of an 8-year-old girl here in Florida got nationwide publicity since last night. Here is the how the Palm Beach Post covered the story.

LAKE WORTH — The two officers stared down at the pile of stones, saw only a small hand and a foot sticking out and assumed the little girl they had frantically searched for was dead.

Finally, they had found her at a secluded landfill, her body stuffed inside a large bright yellow recycling bin, with rocks and crushed concrete covering her. The bin lay inside a trash container, a dismal last resting place.

The officers summoned a superior, Lake Worth Detective Lt. Dave Matthews, who, after seven tense hours of hunting, also thought the case had ended in the worst of tragedies.

And then something happened.

“Her hand just moved!” Matthews shouted.

Moments later, the officers had unearthed an 8-year-old girl who had lived through a nightmare but survived to identify a teenager as her abductor, sexual attacker and would-be killer, police said.

Kudos to Sgt. Michael Hall of the Lake Worth Police Dept. and Sheriff’s Cpl. Bob Cresswell who found the girl who had left for dead piled under some rocks in a recycle bin. They are heroes for saving this girl’s life.

The girl was in St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach Sunday, where medical staff said she was in good condition. Her alleged assailant, Milagro Cunningham, 17, of Lake Worth, was in custody, on charges of attempted murder, sexual battery and false imprisonment. Police said he had confessed.

Only animals do this to children that young an age. Mr.Cunningham is the scum of the earth and spending the rest of his rotting in prison is far too easy on him. Castration with a dull knife, cutting off his balls would be more appropriate.

That goes too to the other scum in Broward County who was sent to jail for life. That animal(I won’t call him a man, because he isn’t one) sexually assaulted a two-year-old.

Contrast the Palm Beach Post coverage of this story with the one in today’s Sun Sentinel.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not identifying the suspect or the victim because of their ages and the nature of the charges. Their relatives are also not being identified.

I understand not identifying the girl, but can someone please tell me why this paper is protecting the identity of her attacker? He is a minor but he commited rape and attempted murder! For christsakes the guy deserves to be hung by his balls for the heinous acts he did the paper feels he should be protected!!!!!!!

What the hell is wrong with this country? We can’t protect our young ones from scum like this. What this country needs to do is serve out punishment appropriate for the crime instead of watching out for their rights. That’s the way we’ll stop these obscene acts and the animals that perpertrate them. Till then this is going to happen again and again.

For protecting scum, the Sun Sentinel is the Knucklehead of the Day.