FLORIDA DIGEST - October 18, 2008

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

Florida - Early voting starts Monday!
Avoid the confusion of long lines on November 2 - vote early!!!!


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Equality Florida
Pick up your FREE Equality Florida Customized Voter's Guide Today!
We've polled over 1,000 candidates.
We've convened statewide and local endorsement committees
We've created customized voter's guides for all 67 counties in Florida
http://www.eqfl.org/ElectionCenter/


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Dolphin Democrats
www.dolphindems.org

-There is a new feature on The Broward SOE website now that permits an inquiry from any one to verify if they are registered and at what address. There are two ways to see it. It's on the Home page under the Register To Vote section and in the middle of the Home page with the link Check Your Registration Status. Check it out. www.browardsoe. org

-Deadline to request an absentee ballot is Wednesday, October 29, 2008
-Voter Information Card is recommended but not required to vote.
-A Broward County voter can vote at any one of our 17 early voting sites.
-Postage for the absentee ballot is $1.17.
-In a general election, a voter can vote for the candidate of their choice,
no matter their political party affiliation.

-Campaign season is in full swing and voter turnout is expected to break all records! With early voting and vote-by-mail available, we're trying to help people make sure their votes are counted and educating them on these opportunities. The last thing we want on election day is a surprise that people weren't allowed to vote. We need your help. Please volunteer this weekend for two great events: The first is Bubba's Country Fair at Scandals Saloon in Wilton Manors Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, with shifts between 11 am and 7 pm.


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GLCC - Ft. Lauderdale
http://glccsf.org/

-GLCC Fundraiser!!
Help us raise funds for the GLCC while you shop!
Your participation in our fundraising is critical to help us achieve our finanancial goals. We have now made it easier than ever. Just visit our on-line store at www.shoptoearn.net/glcc. Every purchase you make sends a donation to the GLCC. We have teamed up with over 500 retailers you love! Just purchase items through our site, you get your products and we earn cash. That is it! Everybody wins. The holidays are right around the corner. If you are buying anything on-line, visit our site first.
http://www.shoptoearn.net/cgi-bin/genesis.exe/index.html?p_get_webid=glcc


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Mark's List
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/052908.htm

-The Gay and Lesbian Business Committee and Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera
Bower Invite you to Come Out October 19, 2008 1 PM to 4 PM. Locals and
Gay-friendly businesses will unite in Flamingo Park for the kickoff event
for Gay Pride, April 18, 2009.


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Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission Campaign
Justin@justinflippen.com
954-610-9100
Wilton Manors City Commission candidate Justin Flippen has been endorsed by the Broward County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and Equality Florida. The Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale has also voted to recommend Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission.


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This afternoon!!
Join Us For Our Statewide Day of Action!
Saturday, October 18 2:00-6:00pm
Locations Throughout the State!
(Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Gainesville, St. Pete, Tampa, Daytona, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee)
Saturday, October 18 2:00-6:00pm
It's all hands on deck! Polls show that we are very close to defeating Amendment 2 and we have less than 3 weeks to reach millions of Florida voters- and the time has come for everyone to step up! This Saturday we'll be in your community and we need you to join us. With less than 3 weeks until Election Day and early voting set to begin next Monday, Saturday is our best opportunity before November 4th to reach Florida voters with our message to vote NO on Amendment 2. Join the Vote No on 2 Campaign and hundreds of other volunteers as we go door-to-door to inform voters about the dangers of Amendment 2, the so-called "Marriage Protection" Amendment. Water, snacks and campaign materials will be provided. If you have a Vote No on 2 t-shirt, wear it! If not, please wear a plain white shirt and we will provide you with a sticker and/or pin. Click here to do your part! Remember, in these last few precious days before the Election it is only your dedication and hard work that can lead us to victory. More and more Floridians understand that it is wrong to deny people the legal right to take care of their loved ones. They are no longer fooled by cynical political tactics that let bigotry be the means for an even more destructive end. Your conversations will keep the momentum moving in our direction and help us defeat this mean-spirited measure.
Time is running out, step up today!
http://ga4.org/Equalityflorida/events/dayofaction/details.tcl


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Gary Resnick for Wilton Manors Mayor Campaign
RESNICK RECEIVES ENDORSEMENTS FROM BROWARD COUNTY AFL-CIO, QUALITY FLORIDA AND MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS,
Wilton Manors Florida
Commissioner Gary Resnick, Candidate for Mayor of Wilton Manors, is pleased to announce the endorsements of Broward County AFL-CIO, Equality Florida Action PAC and many prominent local, county and state elected officials. Some of those supporting Resnick include State Senators Steven A. Geller and Nan Rich, State Senator Elect Chris Smith, State Representatives Perry Thurston, Jim Waldman and Martin Kiar, Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl, Mayors Rae Carole Armstrong (Plantation), Lori Moseley (Miramar), Jack Brady (North Lauderdale), Beth Talabisco (Tamarac), Debby Eisenger (Cooper City), Joy Cooper (Hallandale Beach) and Frank Ortis (Pembroke Pines). Equality Florida, a statewide education and advocacy organization announced their endorsement of Gary Resnick for Mayor of Wilton Manors. Equality Florida works to eliminate all discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and class.
http://www.garyresnick.com/


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

-Sexual preference is irrelevant in adoptions
October 17, 2008
I am not sure the writer of the letter, "Gay adoption ban moral must," realizes that in his argument against homosexual adoption, he actually provides the very reasons why it should be allowed. Does he believe there are not heterosexual parents who have sexual preferences that he might consider unacceptable? Yes, what is important is that you are a good parent. Your sexual preference is irrelevant.
Niki Wilson, Boca Raton
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-pbmail996sboct17,0,2064032.story


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Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Video | 'One Man, One Woman' ad in favor of marriage amendment
Yes2Marriage.org news release:
TALLAHASSEE- -Today at the Florida Press Center in Tallahassee, Yes2Marriage.org Chairman John Stemberger announced the launch of the "One Thing" television spot. The spot portrays the beauty of Marriage and how it is the exclusive human institution that "Passes Life to the Next Generation." The "One Thing" television ad also informs voters about the true legal purpose and meaning of Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. http://www.yes2marriage.org/


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Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-12th Annual Miami Recognition Dinner
Fundraiser for Dade Community Foundation LGBT Fun; NGLTF
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is throwing a party this weekend, and all of South Florida is invited! The 12th Annual Recognition Dinner, one of the most important events on the South Florida GLBT social calendar, takes place tonight at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami. As the saying goes, everybody who is anybody will be there.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#21815

-2008 Best of Gay South Florida:
The envelope please...
Welcome to the 2008 Best of Gay South Florida awards. After weeks of voting and thousands of entries, we have compiled the list of winners in four categories. "Day Life" is the most general category, as it includes personal endeavors like shopping and spas and such, as well as community organizations and charities. "Night Life" centers mainly on bars and clubs, as well as the people who make the South Florida scene extra-special. "Sex Life" highlights our voters' favorite naughty pursuits, awarding the places where it feels so good to be bad. And then "Food" should be self-explanatory, with awards going to favorite restaurants.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/10-16/arts/cover/5179.cfm

-GLBT religious activists arrested in WPB
Six members of Soulforce a gay Christian activist organization were arrested in West Palm Beach Monday when the protesters attempted to enter a chapel at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Since 2006 Soulforce members have led protests at Christian Universities to help secure safe environments and rights for LGBT students. About 16 members showed up at PBAU Monday to engage students in a dialogue. The organization reported that their bus was vandalized the night before the protest, claiming that a large object had been thrown through the bus's door and two windows had been shattered.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/10-16/news/localnews/5159.cfm

-Stonewall Library gets new 20-yr lease
Broward County Commissioners on Tuesday approved extending a 20-year lease to the Stonewall Library's new location at the Art Serve building. The extension comes one year before the current lease expires. But the archives and library need to secure the long-term lease to qualify for a $100,000 matching grant from the Community Foundation of Broward. According to Stonewall president Nate Klarfeld the grant combined with the new lease means the community could count on the library's future. "It means we don't have to worry about things for a long while," said Nate Klarfeld, Stonewall's
president. "We are totally secure."
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/10-16/news/localnews/5161.cfm

-Dear Mayor Naugle: I find you 'troubling'
Letter to FTL mayor brings disturbing, but predictable, response
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/10-16/view/editorial/5165.cfm

-Fort Lauderdale Mayor's Race Heats Up With Two Gay Candidates
Remember the Fort Lauderdale mayor who wanted to spend $230,000 on a "robo-toilet" to cut down the number of men who have sex with men in public restrooms? His name is Jim Naugle, and after 18 years in office, come spring 2009, the homophobic mayor will bid adieu to City Hall. Two gay men are seeking to take his place and, in aligning themselves with Barack Obama's bid for the White House, hoping to make Florida a blue state in 2008.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid63845.asp



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Florida's unemployment remains at 6.6 percent in September, maintaining 14-year high Palm Beach County has region's highest rate; Broward's also up sharply Unemployment in Florida remained at 6.6 percent in September, but it's still the highest jobless rate in 14 years, the state Agency for Workforce Innovation said Friday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzjobless1018sboct18,0,5798461.story


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

-Rep. Mahoney admits affairs, says he broke no laws
U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, embroiled in an adultery scandal and a tight race for re-election, admitted Friday to having at least two affairs but insisted he broke no laws and will not resign. The first-term Democrat conceded that one of the affairs began as he was running on a family values platform to replace Mark Foley, a Republican who resigned amid revelations that he sent lurid Internet messages to male pages who had worked on Capitol Hill as teenagers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/730575.html

-CAMPAIGN 2008 | REPUBLICANS
FIU gives John McCain a hearty welcome
John McCain was cheered by an enthusiastic, predominantly Hispanic audience at Florida International University.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/731111.html


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

-Will Sunshine State Sway Red Or Blue?
CBS Evening News: Why Florida Is One Of The Final Battleground States Lifelong republican Jim Piccillo always thought he'd vote for John McCain. But as the Florida housing market crashed, so did the mortgage company he worked for. Two months ago, he lost his job.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/eveningnews/main4530305.shtml?source=RSS&attr=HOME_4530305

-CAMPAIGN 2008 |ENVIRONMENT: Obama favors Everglades restoration
Candidate Barack Obama promised increased funding for the Everglades, a Tamiami Trail bridge, and cleaner rivers and beaches -- but no money details.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/729592.html

-Broward senator to head biotech panel
State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland, was named today to lead the Task Force for the Study of Biotech Companies.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/broward_senator_to_head_biotec.html

-Sheriff's race is the hottest election in Broward
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/sheriffs_race_is_the_hottest_e_1.html

-Incendiary sign in McCain office links Obama to dictators
Among the images that greeted visitors to the John McCain campaign office in Pompano Beach this week was a sign headlined "Barrack Hussein Obama" that compared the Democratic presidential candidate to Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro. Shown a picture of the sign Thursday night, Broward Republican Chairman Chip LaMarca said he was "disgusted" by it and would immediately go to the office and remove it.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/incendiary_sign_in_mccain_offi.html

-Take a good look at the economy, governor
While Gov. Charlie Crist campaigned in Miami with John McCain on Friday, more bad economic news tumbled out of his administration. Florida's unemployment rate remained at 6.6 percent in September for the second month in a row. That's half a percentage point above the national average and 2.4 points higher than a year ago.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/article860299.ece

-Wasserman Schultz has earned another Congressional term
Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz would be a highly formidable foe even if she had a solid, well-financed opponent in the U.S House District 20 race.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsushouse20sboct18,0,94743.story

-An update on 'no match' controversy
Fears about "tens of thousands" of voters being disenfranchised by the controversial "no match" law are not adding up, but the number has grown to 9,259, according to new figures released today by the Department of State.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/10/an-update-on-no.html

-ACORN targeted by violent threats
When Civil Rights-hero and congressman John Lewis warned the McCain-Palin campaign over the weekend that their attacks were creating a supercharged climate which raised the threat of violence, we assume these were the sort of threats now aimed by ACORN were among the things he was worried about. Here's an excerpt from a story by McClatchy Newspapers' Washington bureau: WASHINGTON -- An ACORN community organizer received a death threat and the liberal activist group's Boston and Seattle offices were vandalized Thursday, reflecting mounting tensions over its role in registering 1.3 million mostly poor and minority Americans to vote next month.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/acorn_targeted_by_violent_thre.html

-Mel on Palin, the economy and being a "slow white guy"
Mel Martinez addressed a gathering of newspaper editors from around the country this morning at the Citrus Club, fielding questions about everything from Sarah Palin to his relationship with Barack Obama. Among his comments to leaders of the American Society of Newspaper Editors: * He believes the bailout was necessary but didn't really do anything to address "underlying problems" of declining home values. He also said that, in the meeting with Paulson and Bernanke before the vote, he was left with the message that they believed America was heading towards a "deep and long recession, bordering on the Great Depression."
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_namesblog/2008/10/mel-on-palin-th.html

-Officials see no signs of voter fraud
Despite the national furor over voter fraud, elections officials in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast said they saw no evidence that people had falsified voter registration forms in hopes of stuffing the ballot box on Nov. 4. Of the roughly 15,000 voter registrations that streamed into the Palm Beach County elections office since mid-September, 503 couldn't be verified, Assistant County Administrator Brad Merriman said. By Friday, 183 voters had submitted documentation and were cleared to vote. Information is trickling in and he expects more will be issued voter cards during the next two weeks.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/10/17/1017voterreg.html

-New voter registration law snares mostly minorities
Hispanics and blacks account for more than half of the people in Florida whose voter registration forms were rejected in recent weeks under the state's controversial new voter verification law.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article858377.ece


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