Today on Context Florida:
To appreciate why Donald Trump is thumping Jeb! Bush in the polls, Martin Dyckman says to simply substitute a question mark for the exclamation point. Jeb? isn’t doing so well at persuading people that what they think they heard isn’t what he meant to say. It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to know that someone’s first, unguarded remark reveals much more about him than any effort to explain it. The latest example is his vacillating position on his brother’s war in Iraq.
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater discusses the Planned Parenthood debate, and the consequences of speech. The callous and insensitive manner in which Planned Parenthood executives view abortion should not only strip away any pretext to claims of selfless outreach but also thoroughly condemn the value structure of the organization, he writes. Our reaction as a civil society to this abhorrent and inexcusable behavior will speak volumes about our standards and values as well.
Shannon Nickinson says Pensacola has officially embarked on a new chapter in the 130-year history of a community institution of health and wellness. The new downtown branch of the Northwest Florida YMCA will be a $15 million, 52,000-square-foot facility with an aquatic center, a gymnasium, a wellness center, group exercise space, a KidZone, a demo kitchen, and multipurpose rooms that can be used for a wide variety of programs and events. All of that is awesome. Because this community is sick, Nickinson says, and making a Y the centerpiece of our downtown is a sign we are ready to cure what ails us.
