One of the issues I hold close to my heart is the state of Israel. No, I am not Jewish, but like many religious Americans, I believe that the future of the Jewish state is inextricable linked to our nation’s future. After all, if this world cannot protect a prosperous democracy in the heart of the Middle East, then there is no point of foreign affairs. The Jewish people are so noble in their resilience and so fierce in their…
A source inside Angelo Cappelli’s state House campaign reports that he raised another $15K for his bid to represent District 52. With several upcoming fundraisers, including one to be hosted by Ambassador Mel Sembler, Cappelli remains the front-runner in the Republican primary.
Today, my 30th birthday, is a rare moment when the past is probably just as long as the future and so I can’t help but feel both hopeful and reminiscent. As for that reminiscense, I wanted to jot down a few birthday memories that I will never forget: I recall fondly my 17th birthday because, at that age, that was the first year I could go to the movies by myself to see an R-rated film. Not that I hadn’t gone…
Florida’s basic infrastructure may be splitting at the seams, but that doesn’t appear to worry Governor Jeb Bush, who said the upcoming spring legislative session will include some of the most dramatic proposals for reform since his first year in office and that substantial tax cuts are at the top of his list since Florida’s hot economy has generated a budget surplus of more than $3 billion for the state. I am not an economist, I only play one on…
Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to three felony counts in Washington today as part of a settlement with federal prosecutors, ending an intense, months-long negotiation over whether the Republican lobbyist would testify against his former colleagues, people involved with the case said. Mr. Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion, setting the stage for prosecutors to begin using him as a cooperating witness against his former business and political colleagues. In exchange, Mr. Abramoff faces a maximum of about…
I am sitting here, at Amie and Sherwin’s, for an extended weekend getaway, clinging to the minutes left of being 29 years old. My 30th birthday is tomorrow and I am filled with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Turning 30 is suppose to mark some milestone in a man’s life and so I can’t help but get caught up in taking stock of my life. As it happens, I am going to keep that inventory to myself, other than to say that,…
The difficulty for being Adam Smith, the St. Petersburg Times political editor (other than his getting dressed for the TV program “Political Connections,” on which Smith displays both an ability for insightful journalism and horrendous wardrobe choices, is that his newspaper spent the last four years sleepwalking through the GOP ascendancy in Pinellas politics. That’s why Smith is forced to write catch-up pieces, such as today’s article debating the apoliticalness (new word!) of the Pinellas-Pasco Judicial Nomination Commission. Smith writes…
