FLORIDA DIGEST - September 06, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

From Justin Flippen, Candidate for Wilton Manors City Commission
www.justinflippen.com
-I am pleased to share with you that today I officially qualified with theCity of Wilton Manors as a candidate for the Wilton Manors City Commission.I will continue to work hard for your support and vote on November 4th andthen once elected every day after that as your public servant. I recentlyreturned from Colorado where I had the distinct fortune of being interviewedby Melissa Long on CNN. I invite you to watch the interview at the linkbelow where we discussed a number of issues including my candidacy foroffice:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?JSONLINK=/video/politics/2008/08/25/dcl.long.flippen.delegates.cnn


=
Equality Florida
http://www.eqfl.org/
-Sixty Day Countdown
Sixty days from today, millions of Florida voters will vote NO on Amendment 2.
Polling shows us that this amendment will be decided by a very slim margin.
In the next 60 days, we must talk to 400,000 Florida undecided voters andmake it clear that Amendment 2 will strip away essential domestic partnerbenefits and family protections. When people understand the harm inflictedby Amendmet 2, they vote NO. Will you help? We know you will vote NO on 2November 4th, but we need your help to reach 400,000 more voters who willvote NO.
There are two immediate ways you can help.
1) Phone Bank - Sign up to phone. If you like to talk - and we know you do -
phone banking is a fun and effective way to educate voters.
2) Contribute - With your help, we'll use our enormous grassroots network toeducate voters face-to face. We'll talk to voters on the phone and ask themto vote NO On 2. We'll mail tens of thousands of voters information on whyAmendment 2 is bad for Florida. But we can only do it with your support.We only have sixty days to ensure this mean-spirited amendment stays out ofthe Florida Constitution.
We need you now!
Sincerely,
Nadine Smith
Co-Chair, Fairness for All Families, Inc.
http://ga4.org/Equalityflorida/join.html?r=upzkIUpqYgqdE


Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Marriage needs no protection from the likes of these
We have all lost a good friend with the passing of Del Martin on August 27.
Most of us don't know Del, but in the photographs of the first legalmarriage between two women to take place in San Francisco on June 16, Del isthe one with the white hair, exchanging vows with Phyllis Lyon, her partnerof 55 years.
Del was a trailblazer for equality of rights for gays and lesbians, but morethan that, she was a human being who just wanted to be treated with dignityand respect, which is what we all deserve.
At the polls this November, faced with the question of Amendment 2 (theso-called "Marriage Protection Amendment"), I will be thinking of Del andPhyllis and their 55 years together. Marriage needs no protection from thelikes of them.
John Cutrone, Lake Worth
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-pbmail921pnsep06,0,7508118.story


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Storm FAQs
What gas stations and stores in Broward and Palm Beach counties havegenerators? And more ...
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-qa-0905,0,2422811.story

-Ike continues its track west
A hurricane watch has been issued for the Bahamas and other Atlantic islandsas Hurricane Ike, still a Category 3 storm, inches closer to South Florida,the National Hurricane Center reported. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, the tempestwas just 210 miles east of Grand Turk Island. Its maximum sustained windsremain at 115 mph. Ike is moving west-southwest at almost 16 mph.Forecasters say Ike will pass near or over the southeastern Bahamas lateSaturday night, then continue churning past Cuba and toward the FloridaKeys. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center.If the storm does not change course, it will hit South Florida late Tuesdayor early Wednesday, the Hurricane center said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-ike-8am,0,6144719.story

-Tropical Storm Five Day Forecast Map
http://weather.sun-sentinel.com/tropical/tracking/at200809_5day.html

-Hunt for missing ballots widens in Palm Beach County
Another Palm Beach County election mess, including thousands of missingballots, stumbled toward a new venue today with county officials leaving itto the courts to decide a disputed judicial race.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flprecount0905pnsep05,0,4647658.story


=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

--Florida has plenty of gas to weather Hurricane Ike
Drivers shouldn't have any immediate problems filling up their cars inpreparation for Hurricane Ike. This time around, Florida has plenty of gas.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/674479.html

-Next Dade schools chief likely to come internally
With Rudy Crew's tenure apparently ending, Miami-Dade's next superintendentwill probably come from inside the system.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/674449.html

-FAMILY CARE: Special-needs families can get extra care during Hurricane Ike
When hurricanes approach, Dr. Daniel Armstrong, director of the University of Miami's Mailman Center for Child Development, worries about the children --and adults -- with special needs. ''The way we respond to this as acommunity says a lot about us,'' he says. ``We learned a lot in HurricaneAndrew. We can do a lot of things to help.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/674489.html


=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Farmworkers exploited, even enslaved, in Florida
Between each December and May, Florida grows nearly the entire U.S. crop of fresh field tomatoes for our homes, restaurants and supermarkets. Although the tomato is essential produce, most consumers do not know, or do not care, that many of the farmworkers who harvest the crop are exploited and otherwise mistreated.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/article798738.ece

=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####