Gov. Rick Scott staged another one of his fake "Let's Get To Work" days. This time Scott played make believe in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab in Orlando. This the money quote from the regional office spokeswoman Susie Murphy.
"We don't have him working on a real case because he's not an analyst and the evidence has to be able to be presented in court," said Susie Murphy, spokeswoman for the regional office.
When Bob Graham did his work days it was folksy. When Scott does it he makes children run to their parents.
What is interesting about the affidavit is that Zimmerman is quoted as saying, "These fucking punks." Anyone with hear Zimmerman say, "Fucking coons." Listen to the audio and judge for yourself.
The affidavit identifies Trayvon Martin as the person crying for help. Trayon Martin's mother identified her son's voice on the tapes. The state attorney investigators did not buy the story by Zimmerman and his family that George Zimmerman was the person crying for help.
All good Christians bring their guns to church and accidentally shoot the pastor's daughter.
The daughter of a pastor was accidentally shot at a Lealman church this afternoon while two men were looking at a gun they thought was unloaded.
Hannah Kelley, 20, was shot in the head and is in surgery at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
I'm more moderate than many progressives on gun rights. I don't want to outlaw guns. However, I do not want violent criminals and extremely stupid people owning guns. The person who brought the gun to church, of all places, falls into the latter category.
Vigilante superhero Phoenix Jones and his sidekick Ghost accidently pepper-sprayed inncent people Jones was arrested and his costume was taken away by the Seattle police. Words fail to properly describe the stupidity of these people.
Why Republicans Should Stop Defending Violent Tea Party Rhetoric or How Crazy Guy Bring Gun To School Board Meeting
Panama City, Florida: the Bay District School Board was held hostage by ex-convict Clay Duke. The gunman sprayed a V from the movie V for Vendetta on the wall. In the movie a masked hero fought the government and would leave a V as his calling card.
Before is the video. Fortunately, no school board members were hurt. Duke was shot in the leg by a security guard. Duke turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.
"My Testament: Some people (the government sponsored media) will say I was evil, a monster (V)... no... I was just born poor in a country where the Wealthy manipulate, use, abuse, and economically enslave 95% of the population. Rich Republicans, Rich Democrats... same-same... rich... they take turns fleecing us... our few dollars... pyramiding the wealth for themselves. The 95%... the us, in US of A, are the neo slaves of the Global South. Our Masters, the Wealthy, do, as they like to us..."
This is the same kind of nutty rambling you can hear on Glenn Beck's show. I certainly don't believe the vast majority of Tea Partiers want to shoot up school board meetings. I don't even know if Duke was a Tea Party member. I do recall Tom Coburn defending Tea Partiers who talked about taking up arms against the government. I would ask Sen. Coburn if he would have liked to be in that board meeting and have a gun pointed at him. In case Coburn forgot he is a member of the government.
Florida Governor-elect Rick Scott named his economic transition team. An interesting name on the list is Timothy Kuebler, the Senior Vice President, Titan Florida Cement and Aggregate. Before Kuebler was pouring foundations in Florida, he was part of the management team of Builder's Concrete and Supply Co. Kuebler's profile on the Titan Florida Cement web site confirms this.
Builder's Concrete and Supply Co. was one of five concrete companies in Indiana that was caught in a price fixing scheme. The federal government prosecuted the executives of these companies.
1. For purposes of this Plea Agreement, the "Relevant Period" is that period from in or about July, 2000 and continuing until May 25, 2004. During the Relevant Period, the defendant was a corporation organized and existing under the laws of Indiana with its principal place of business in Fishers, Indiana. During the Relevant Period, the defendant was a producer of ready mixed concrete and was engaged in the sale of ready mixed concrete in the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area and elsewhere. Ready mixed concrete is a product whose ingredients include cement, aggregate (sand and gravel), water, and, at times, other additives. Ready mixed concrete is made on demand and, if necessary, is shipped to work sites by concrete mixer trucks.
2. During the Relevant Period, the defendant, through some of its officers and employees, including high-ranking personnel of the defendant, participated in a conspiracy with other persons and entities engaged in the production and sale of ready mixed concrete, the primary purpose of which was to fix the price of ready mixed concrete sold in the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. In furtherance of the conspiracy, the defendant, through its officers and employees, engaged in conversations and attended meetings with representatives of other ready mixed concrete producers in the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. During those meetings and conversations, the defendant and its co-conspirators reached agreements to fix the price at which ready mixed concrete was to be sold in the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area.
3. During the course of the conspiracy, the defendant's President on at least two occasions hosted meetings among the conspirators at which prices, discounts, and conditions of sale for the metropolitan Indianapolis, Indiana area were discussed and agreed upon by the defendant and its coconspirators. Those meetings were held in a horse barn located adjacent to the defendant's President's home on property he owns in Fishers, Indiana. The defendant's President also made numerous telephone calls and participated in several meetings among smaller numbers of individuals to ensure the compliance of his coconspirators with the conspiracy agreements. In addition to the defendant and its President, more than five individuals associated with the defendant's corporate coconspirators participated in the conspiracy on behalf of the companies they owned or by which they were employed.
4. During the Relevant Period, the corporate conspirators purchased substantial quantities of equipment and supplies from outside Indiana which were necessary to the production and distribution of ready mixed concrete. During the Relevant Period, the business activities of the corporate conspirators who produced and sold ready mixed concrete affected by this conspiracy were within the flow of, or substantially affected, interstate trade and commerce. Below are the facts of the case listed in the Justice Department plea agreement.
5. Acts in furtherance of this conspiracy, including the conspiratorial meetings and conversations described above, were carried out within the Southern District of Indiana. In addition, sales of ready mixed concrete affected by this conspiracy were made by one or more of the conspirators to customers within the Southern District of Indiana.
Kuebler is named in the plea agreement.
13. The defendant will cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States in the prosecution of this case, the conduct of the current federal investigation of violations of federal antitrust and related criminal laws involving the manufacture and sale of ready mixed concrete, any other federal investigation resulting therefrom, and any litigation or other proceedings arising or resulting from any such investigation to which the United States is a party ("Federal Proceeding"). The ongoing, full, and truthful cooperation of the defendant shall include, but not be limited to:
1. producing all non-privileged documents, including claimed personal documents, and other materials, wherever located, in the possession, custody, or control of the defendant, requested by attorneys and agents of the United States;
2. using its best efforts to secure the ongoing, full and truthful cooperation, as defined in paragraph 14 of this Plea Agreement, of the current and former directors, officers, and employees of the defendant as may be requested by the United States, but excluding Gus B. Nuckols III, a/k/a Butch Nuckols, John Blatzheim, and Timothy Kuebler, including making these persons available, at the defendant's expense, for interviews and the provision of testimony in grand jury, trial and other judicial proceedings in connection with any Federal Proceeding as described above.
Builder's Concrete and Supply Co was sentenced to pay a $4 million fine. I am shocked that Kuebler didn't mention that on his Titan Florida Cement bio. That must have been an oversight.
The Justice Department used the information granted in the plea agreements to build their prosecution against Chris Beaver, operations manager of Ma-Ri-Al Corp. Sales Manager Ricky J. Beaver of Ma-Ri-Al Corp was also indicted. A separate imdicted was issued to John J. Blatzheim, Executive Vice-President of Builder’s Concrete and Supply. These three were the major players in concrete price fixing. They held a meeting with other concrete-mixing companies in a barn to create the price monopoly. This is where Timothy Kuebler once again enters the picture. Nothing is more exciting than cloak and dagger concrete price-fixing meetings in a barn.
The first meeting in Nuckols’ horse barn took place on July 12, 2000. Tr. II-142. Nuckols explained that he invited his competitors to the horse barn because, “knowing it wasn’t the right thing to do, we didn’t want to be out in public doing this.” Tr. I-46. See also Tr. II-142 (Haehl) (“[The horse barn] was private and, you know, what we were doing there was not legal.”).
The participants were Scott Hughey, President of Carmel Concrete, Tr. II-289; Richard Haehl, Vice-President of Shelby Materials, Tr. II-122; his brother Philip Haehl; John Huggins from Irving Materials; and Nuckols and Tim Kuebler from Builder’s Supply. Tr. I- 66-67; II-143. Nuckols could not recall with certainty whether anyone from Ma-Ri-Al attended, but both Richard Haehl and Scott Hughey testified that Ricky Beaver represented Ma-Ri-Al. Tr. II-143 (Haehl); II- 304 (Hughey).
Chris Beaver was convicted and went to prison.
Rick Scott has a man who admitted in a plea bargain agreement being involved in a federal crime advising him on economic policy. Scott wasn't kidding when he said Florida is open for business.
Why the District of Columbia is A National Tragedy
Annie Lowrey tweets this depressing fact about the nation's capital.
Census data shows D.C. has the highest rate of extreme poverty (10.7%) and the highest median income ($86K).
It is a national tragedy that the District of Columbia has had high rates of poverty and murder. People have argued against D.C. getting statehood or a voting Congressional member? I fail to see how giving D.C. proper representation could be worse than the status quo.
Below is a chart of the murder rate in D.C. from 1986 to 2005.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott is worth $218.6 million. And I'm sure he is having a much better day than you are.
Controversy came with Scott's wealth. The FBI raided the offices of Columbia/HCA. Scott was the head CEO of the company. The FBI found doctors for rewarded financial incentives to give unneeded tests to patients. Scott's hospitals could then bill Medicare and make a profit. Scott was forced to step down from the company he created.
But company whistleblower John Schilling of Naples says Scott must be lying.
"He's pulling the wool over people's eyes if he says that he wasn't aware of this and he would have fired anybody if he would have fired anybody if he would have been aware of it. I think it's a bunch of malarkey," Schilling said.
John Schilling helped the FBI make it's case against Columbia/HCA.
Another whistleblower, Jim Alderson talks about how two different sets of accounting books were kept. One book was for false claims and the other book was the clean numbers.
"These reserves represented anywhere from 25 to 35 percent of the bottom line of the company in its heyday," Alderson said.
"It is just unfeasible that a CEO making the kind of money he was making, that you wouldn't know where 30 percent of your bottom line came from. How could you sit in a board room and say, 'Gee, I wonder; we had record profits this year. I wonder where that came from?"
What is amazing is Scott had the audacity to be against President Barack Obama's health care reform. However, at leat you know how Scott made his money.
Maurice Clemmons was suspected of murdering four police officers in Washington. Clemmons was shot fleeing a stolen car.
Thoughts: there isn't any word about Clemmons firing shots at the officer that killed him. Clemmons was running away. There was no way in hell, I thought local law enforcement would bring in Clemmons alive. This was street justice against a horrible human being. I certainly will not mourn Clemmons passing. However, I don't want rogue police officers on the streets.
Breaking: the Army said shooter Nidal Malik Hasan is still alive. The two other men have been released. It appears that Hasen acted alone. Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone reported Hasen dead. This story is getting stranger.
The Army told the AP that seven people are dead from a mass shooting at the Fort Hood, Texas base. 20 people were woulded from the attack. One alleged shooter is in custody. CNN reports 11 dead, including a second gunman. The FBI is on the scene.
The first shooting occured at 1:30 PM at the medical processing office. The second shooting occured at a theater. A graduation ceremony was scheduled at the latter. Apparently, the shooters had access and knowledge of the facilities.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports the gunmen are military personal. One gunman is still on the loose. The death count is reported at 12.
A news report on the missing gunman.
Update: the New York Times reports the missing gunman has been killed.
Christopher Hogue, a spokesman at Fort Hood says that the gunman who was killed had two handguns. He confirms that 12 people are dead, including the gunman and that 31 have been wounded. The base remains locked down.
We don't yet know all the details at this moment. We will share them as we get them. What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence. My immediate thought is with the wounded and the families of the fallen. These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil. I've spoken with Secy Gates, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Adm. Mike Mullin and we continue to receive a constant stream of updates as new information comes in. We are working with the Pentagon, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security all to ensure that Ft. Hood is secure. And we will continue to support the community with the full resources of the government. In the meantime I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Ft Hood in your thoughts and prayers. We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident. I want all of you to know that as commander in chief that there's no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they're at home is provided for. So we are going to stay on this. I hope all of you recognize the scope of this tragedy and keep everybody in their thoughts and prayers....
Update: Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is the shooter that was captured killed. Hasan is a psychiatrist reassigned from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Hasan's Arabic name is definately going to raise red flags.
Twelve people were killed and at least 31 others were injured when a soldier opened fire at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas, military officials said. One gunman was shot to death, and two other soldiers were in custody, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of the Army’s III Corps, told reporters.
Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh called the shooting "isolated and tragic case." Three people suggest a conspiracy. We will have to wait for the results of FBI investigation. Terroist-backed attack or not, this is horrible.
Update:it is not clear if the the other soldiers fired weapons. The news video below confirms the shooter is dead and two suspects are being held for investigation.
Update: according to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s spokesman, Jeff Sadoski, Hasan was unhappy about being deployed to Iraq.
CFO Alex Sink wrote a letter to Charlie Crist urging him to convene the Clemency Board. Sink wants a review of 13 ex-offender whom might have been given restoration of their rights without proper review. Sink is pressing for the former offenders to have their rights (such as voting) stripped again.
September 28, 2009
The Honorable Charlie Crist
Governor, State of Florida
The Capitol, 400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Dear Governor Crist:
At the September 24, 2009 clemency meeting, I raised the issue of the thirteen ex-offenders that were wrongfully granted restoration of their civil rights. These cases were brought to our attention as part of the Auditor General’s Operational Audit of the Parole Commission’s restoration of civil rights process. As noted in the report, these ex-offenders either did not meet clemency rule eligibility requirements or were evaluated at an inappropriate eligibility level by the parole commission staff.
While I am cognizant of the hard work of the Parole Commission and the enormous amount of cases they are processing in light of budgetary restrictions, I feel we have an obligation to correct these mistakes in a timely manner that have been brought to our attention. That is why I urge you to convene a meeting of the Clemency Board during the October 13 Cabinet meeting to take up corrective proposals.
Furthermore, I would request the Chairman of the Parole Commission report at the next scheduled Clemency Board meeting on December 10 on all corrective action the Parole Commission is implementing to ensure these errors will not continue to occur.
As each office begins their review of the circumstances regarding these particular cases, I wanted to lay out my recommendations on how the Clemency Board should handle this matter. Given that these thirteen cases fall within four categories, I have outlined my recommendations for corrective action within each of these categories below:
Cases Involving Disqualifying Offenses (3 cases): Three of the ex-offenders had disqualifying offenses, including aggravated battery and statutory rape. I recommend that these clemency orders be immediately rescinded.
Cases Involving Active Warrants for Arrest (3 cases): Three of the ex-offenders have active warrants, which is a disqualifying factor. The warrants involved a host of offenses, including trespassing, indecent exposure, theft and petit larceny. I recommend that these clemency orders be immediately rescinded.
Cases with Outstanding Restitution (5 cases): Five of the ex-offenders owed restitution as part of their sentence. I recommend that these five ex-offenders receive a letter from the Clemency Board acknowledging the Parole Commission’s mistake in granting restoration of civil rights and providing them 60 days to pay their outstanding restitution. Those that fail to pay their restitution within this 60-day window should have their clemency orders rescinded.
Cases Involving Those Currently Incarcerated (2 cases): Two of the thirteen ex-offenders are currently serving life sentences, therefore no action from the Clemency Board is necessary.
I feel it is important for the safety of our citizens and in the best interest of our state to reverse the error of giving rights to these thirteen ex-offenders who did not qualify, while at the same time recognizing the differing circumstances of these cases. I believe my recommendations allow for this, and hope that you will call a meeting of the Clemency Board on October 13 so that we are able to move these actions.
I continue to join with you in support of a second chance for those who qualify under the established rules and have paid their debt to society.
Sincerely,
Alex Sink
cc: The Honorable Bill McCollum, Attorney General The Honorable Charles Bronson, Commission of Agriculture
The Lawton Chiles Foundation has compiled a list of Florida's national in health care, education and social economic matters. The closer the ranking is to 50 the worse Florida's rating is compared to other states. For instance, Florida ranks 49th in uninsured children. The education numbers are dismal and prove no one should take Jeb Bush seriously on education matters.
Florida ranks 41st in child abuse-related deaths. The Florida Department of Children and Families is in need of aggressive reform. The DCF officials have been charged with committing crimes. THe DCF has failed to move children from abusive homes. In 2008, One in four foster children were homeless. Only one out of ten foster children were at grade level.
A mother was denied parental rights because she no longer attended "therapeutic visitations and individual therapy." The DCF discontinued these sessions due to budget cuts. The mother was found at fault for not attending sessions the DCF terminated. The Third District Court of Appeal reversed the DCF decision. This level of incompetence is normal for the DCF.
The Third DCA also held that the trial court erred in terminating the mother’s parental rights based on her failure to comply with her case plan. "The failure to comply with a case plan may not be used as a ground for termination of parental rights if the failure is due to the parent's lack of financial resources or the failure of the department to make reasonable efforts to reunify the parent and child." K.J. v. Dep't of Children & Family Servs., 906 So.2d 1183 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005); see T.M. v. Dep't of Children & Families, 905 So.2d 993, 997 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005).” The mother completed her parenting classes. The mother’s failure to complete the therapeutic visits and individual counseling was partially attributable to the department.
Finally, the Third DCA held that the trial court erred in terminating the mother’s rights based on abandonment. The mother made more than a marginal effort to communicate with her child. The mother failed to provide child support but that alone does not warrant a finding of abandonment as the mother lacked the ability to provide child support.
The Third DCA reversed the TPR order and remanded for further proceedings.
Florida's national rankings in health care, education and social economics.
HEALTH
Ranking on number of uninsured children Florida ranks 49th. About 19 percent, or 763,000 of our children, do not have health insurance, versus a national average of 11 percent. Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center
Immunization Coverage Florida ranks 10th, with 82.4 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations. Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008
Access to Prenatal Care Florida ranks 47th in the percentage of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester, with 70 percent. More than 71,000 women in Florida do not get prenatal care in the first trimester. Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, VitalStats.
Infant mortality Florida ranks 32nd in the number of infant deaths (before age 1) per 1,000 live births with a rate of 7.2, or more than 1,600 infant deaths annually. Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008; Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org.
Low birth weight babies Florida ranks 36th in the nation in the percent of low-birthweight babies, defined as babies weighing less than 5 ½ pounds at birth – 8.7 percent of all births, or nearly 21,000 babies a year. Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book; Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org.
Teen birth rates Florida ranks 30th, with a rate of 42 (births per 1,000 females ages 15-19), or more than 25,000 teen births annually. Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, VitalStats.
EDUCATION
State spending on education as percentage of total resources Florida ranks 42nd. As a state, Florida spends only 3.1% of its resources on education. Source: Education Week, Quality Counts, 2009
State per capita spending on corrections vs. education Florida ranks 50th in per capita spending on education, but ranks 16th in the nation in spending on corrections. Source: NEA Rankings of the States 2008
High School Graduation Rates Florida ranks 43rd, with 60.8 percent of public high school students graduating with a diploma. Source: Education Week, Quality Counts, 2009
Standardized Test Scores Florida students rank 48th in the nation in average composite scores on the ACT, a standard college entrance exam. Source: American Legislative Exchange Council, Report Card on American Education, 2008
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
Children in Poverty Florida ranks 31st in the percentage of persons under age 18 who live in households at or below the poverty threshold, with 17.9 percent. The federal poverty threshold for a family of four is $22,050 annual income. Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008
Children in Single-Parent Families Florida ranks 40th, with 35 percent. Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book
Child Abuse Deaths Florida ranks 41st, with 2.9 child abuse fatalities per 100,000. Source: Every Child Matters Education Fund, “Geography Matters: Child Well Being in the States,” 2008
Teens not working and not attending school Florida ranks 36th, with 9 percent. Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2008 Kids Count Data Book
Juvenile violent crime Florida ranks 48th in the nation in juvenile incarceration rates, with a custody rate of 451.8 per 100,000 children ages 10 and up. Source: Every Child Matters Education Fund, “Geography Matters: Child Well Being in the States,” 2008
There is a report of a gunman on the University of South Florida Tampa campus. An alert has been sent out and all buildings have been advised to lock their doors. The gunman has been reported near the location of the Science Center and Bio-Science buildings. Do not go near those areas.
Update: The Associated Press confirms the gunman is by the Bio-Science building. Student and facilty is advised to keep all doors locked.
USF Tampa—Reports of a gunman on campus in lot 2 near Bioscience building, which is adjacent to Administration building. Tampa Police Department and USF Police Department investigating. Stay inside and lock doors. Avoid area. We will update as details become available.
USF hasn't updated their homepage. Apparently, things are back to normal on campus.
News crews are now on campus interviewing students.
If students could be armed then wouldn't be problem!
Is this guy doing a Marco Rubio impression? The Virginia Tech shooting happened because a nutty student brought guns on campus.
The massacre prompted rapid changes in Virginia law that had allowed Cho, an individual adjudicated as mentally unsound, to purchase handguns without detection by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also led to passage of the first major federal gun control measure in more than 13 years, a law that strengthened the NICS, which was signed by President George W. Bush on January 5, 2008.
The NRA has been against any forms of background checks. I am more to the center than most progressives on gun control. I don't want an alcoholic behind the wheel of an automobile. I don't want a person as mentally unbalanced as Seung-Hui Cho owning a gun. Why does the NRA want to make it easier for nut cases to own guns?
Update: The lockdown is over. I have been on campus and there was never a sense of panic. I have not heard if the gunman has been arrested.
Update: this is coming from the Fox News web site. Take it with a grain of salt.
DEVELOPING: A reported gunman on the loose at the University of South Florida may be targeting his girlfriend who works in the campus library, according to WTVT.
Update:Ann Curry, of MSNBC, reports the gunman called campus police and gave his location. No arrest has been made. Curry tweets nothing about the alleged gunman targeting a girlfriend. This may have been a prank call. I walked by the Bio-Science building near the Bio-Science building when the alarm went off. I saw a two police cruisers but nothing unusual.
