More Florida Legislative insanity, better than the movie dumb and dumber

HORSESLAUGHTER -- PASSED -- Makes butchering a horse, selling its meat or purchasing its meat a third-degree felony, punishable by a $3,500 fine and a year in jail. (SB 765)

ABATE of Florida couldn't get a fine increase for running over and slaughtering "Bikers"?  Maybe we need to get the Horse people to lobby for bikers.  Hey I got a real novel idea! How about if BIkers get off there ass and be as mean as horse people!

 RED LIGHT CAMERAS -- PASSED -- Allows local governments to install red-light cameras at intersections and issue a $158 civil fine, plus court costs. Another bill that would have prohibited local governments from installing red-light cameras failed. (HB 325)

If any law illustrates the corrupt, spineless, weak kneed, status of the Florida legislators it is this one.  But then again it is also probably the one that made the greatest number of dollars flow under the table. Where did it flow to we wonder.

Here's the gig. Florida state law and the Florida states attorney said red light cameras were against the law.  Municipalities seeing a cash cow, "and" a way to violate the constitution and seize property illegally told the state "screw off" we are using them anyway.  The state kept saying, Au contraire amigo's it's against the law. The municipalities just said louder, screw you we are going to do it anyway.  So the state said, o.k. you when, since we don't want to prosecute you for violating the law we will just do away with the law.

And all the little piggies jumped with glee as they dreamed of money and confiscated houses and cars and how many other ways they will be able to rape the citizenry by  violating another law anad telling the state to screw off again!

TEACHER TENURE -- VETOED -- Teachers would have had to have their evaluations based in part on student test scores and administrators would be able to more easily fire teachers with weak evaluations. (SB6)

Whoa, dudes, like we totally understand this one man, like don't take any action that would increase the future electorates abilities to like understand the issues man, hey, surfs up..............

LOTTERY -- PASSED -- The Lottery can rent another 250 scratch-off vending machines. (HB 5001)

PARIMUTUEL WAGERING -- SIGNED INTO LAW -- Horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons in Miami-Dade and Broward counties get a 15 percent reduction in their tax rate, remain open longer hours and expand poker limits. (SB 622)

SEMINOLE INDIAN COMPACT -- SIGNED INTO LAW -- Gives the Seminole Tribe of Florida the exclusive right to operate three kinds of banked card games at five of its tribal casinos and Las Vegas style slot machines at all seven of its casinos in exchange for at least $1 billion over the next five years and more over 20 years. (SB 622)

YO everybody, blackjack at my house Friday night! What? That might be against the law?

  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -- PASSED -- Provides $218 million in tax incentives over three years for film productions, manufacturers and the space industry. Dozens of smaller incentives are also included. (SB 1752)

Way good, I like space, but unless of course we can figure out this speed of light gig probably ain't none of us gonna get from one rock to the next.  I could really like a few more government observatories looking for things like rouge asteroids or meteors, instead of relying on amateurs. Primarily cause I think we probably don't want to get taken out before we figure out this speed of light gig.


Film industry even better.  Packing my bags now to get a guest shot on CSI:Miami. Even going to supply my own sunglasses.

LAWSUIT LIMITS -- SIGNED INTO LAW -- Increases the total in monetary damages a victim can recover from government agencies from $100,000 to $200,000. (SB 2060)

Why am I thinking that no stupid government bureaucrat is going to lose a cent but the taxpayers will.
Why did they leave out the right to sue legislators over failure to do due diligence.  Better yet why didn't they just write in the right to sue legislators for being sleazy slime balls?

PILL MILLS -- PASSED -- Implements tough rules on pain clinics by giving the state the power to close clinics and discipline doctors. (SB 2272)

Do we detect a pattern here? Government playing doctor?  Hmmmm.........

 TEXTING-WHILE DRIVING -- FAILED -- Makes texting while driving a secondary traffic offense punishable by a $30 fine, or $60 on a second offense. (SB 448)

Charge somebody $30.00 for putting lives at risk?????  Oh no we can't do that can we?  Of course not, the wireless industry would cut off our cash flow if we did that.  Let me see, how many people  on cell phones are driving? How much per minute does that add up to?  How many legislators does that buy?

BONGS -- PASSED -- Prohibits stores from selling glass pipes, water pipes and other drug paraphernalia. An exception is made if less than 25 percent of the store's sales come from drug paraphernalia. (SB 366)

???????????????????????????????????????????????????HELLOOOOOO?????????????????????
I need help understanding this one?  It's against the law to sell drug paraphernalia unless less than 25% of your sales come from selling paraphernalia.  In that case it's perfectly legal to sell drug paraphernalia????   O.K. it's illegal if I'm a good Drug paraphernalia seller, but it's legal if I don't sell drug paraphernalia none to good?  O.K. I think I understand now.


And this one we saved for last cause I know I will catch hell for this. I just know I will. The christian Right will come out of the woodwork for sure. But we just can't help marveling at the insanity of it all. 

This session Florida legislators passed a bill that would, "Require women seeking an abortion in the first trimester to pay for an ultrasound exam and view the live image unless they can prove they are victims of rape, incest or domestic abuse".  

O.k. so how does this work? We are guessing that the purpose of making a woman who wants an abortion do an ultrasound and view the live image is designed to dissuade her from killing her "unborn child".  Because killing is wrong, it is against the law and it is a sin.  Unless of course the lady is a victim of rape, incest or domestic abuse? Then it's o.k. to kill, right?

But lets take this to the extreme. Lets engage in an exaggeration to illustrate a point. And yes this will probably drive some to want to kill somebody. You know like the Christians that kill abortion clinic workers. But if the aim of "forcing" an "unwilling" lady to view a live sonogram of her unborn child is to "prevent" the loss of life, follow me now cause I know you will scream, why did the legislators also not pass a cell phone bill that would prevent the loss of even more lives than abortion takes????

Is that like cruel and unusual punishment for someone who has not committed a crime? Is that not hypocrisy? Is that not pandering to your base to get a vote having nothing to do with morality?

"Ya see here Rocco, ya gots ta look at  the big picture Rocco.  Dem boys up dere in da capital ya see,

well they ain't nothin but a bunch a mugs like you and me see. Ya know what I mean. Worse even, they be like easy marks ya know.  So what were gonna do see, is were gonna call in da boys from chi town see and take over this place see. It's wide open man, wide open............"



Well it would be better than movie dumb and dumber.  But the movie was funny.  That fact that "We the People of the State of Florida allow this is tragedy. Ain't a damn thing funny about it!Add to Technorati Favorites

Judge strikes down Fla. law on police information, a victory for free speech

From the Miami Herald:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A federal judge has struck down a Florida law that made it a crime to publish police officers' addresses and phone numbers to intimidate, hinder or interfere with their duties. U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak ruled Friday that the law violates free speech rights. Smoak ruled in favor of a Tallahassee man, Robert Brayshaw, who challenged the law with help from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Brayshaw had been charged with violating the law for posting on a website the address and cell phone number along with criticism of a Tallahassee police officer.  The charge was dismissed because the state violated Florida's speedy trial law. Smoak also ordered the city to pay Brayshaw's $25,000 legal expenses.

Damn, I wonder if we ever posted anything about Tallahassee Police. Hmmm I wonder what we would see if we clicked here, or here, or oh gee, Thank you Jesus for the 1st Amendment.Add to Technorati Favorites

distracted driving causes 80 percent of all accidents. And how have spineless florida legislators addressed it

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving causes 80 percent of all accidents. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveal that drivers using a cell phone are four times more likely to be involved in a personal injury auto accident, that hands-free offers no improvement over handheld. A University of Utah study found that cell phone users were five times as likely to be in a crash and their driving performance was worse than a driver with a 0.08 blood alcohol content.

Aegis Mobility sells a program that that enables parents to insure their teens cell phone is unable to be used while driving. It markets a program called DRIVEASSIST GUARDIAN: for employers who want to insure their employees are not texting or using a cell phone while driving.

(Ed. NOTE: NOTE THE  DATE:)

Columbus, Ohio, October 13, 2008 — Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Aegis Mobility announced today an exclusive partnership to tackle the growing problem of distracted driving with the first of its kind cell phone technology, which empowers consumers to manage the distraction of cell phones or text messaging devices while a vehicle is in motion. Aegis Mobility’s DriveAssist™ automatically detects the onset of driving and enables parents and corporations to stay in touch with their teens or employees while minimizing cell phone use when driving. Nationwide Insurance® plans to offer an auto insurance discount for policyholders who sign up to use DriveAssist™.
Nationwide’s second annual Driving While Distracted (DWD) study shows nearly half of Americans (48 percent) considered cell phones to be the most dangerous distraction while driving. More than 40 percent say they have been hit or almost hit by another driver who was talking on a cell phone.
“Nationwide is working on a combination of solutions to curb DWD – including public awareness, legislation, highway design and encouraging the development of new technology,” said William Windsor, Nationwide’s AVP of Safety. “DriveAssist is the first technology for reducing DWD. Nationwide is partnering with Aegis Mobility to help bring consumers an effective tool that empowers people to make smart decisions behind the wheel and to make the road a safer place.”

Nationwide is passionate about developing safety solutions for teenage drivers. Last year, Nationwide developed a program called SmartRide to empower teenagers to be safer drivers. Teaming with the National Safety Council, Nationwide developed www.NationwideSmartRide.com, a website to provide parents and teens free tools and resources to help develop safe drivers and reinforce smart behavior. It is available free to anyone regardless of whether they are a Nationwide customer, however Nationwide customers and their families have access to additional training and coaching tips.

CELL CONTROL  Offers a variety of solutions to keep cell phones disabled while driving.

ZOOMSAFER: advertises itself as a safe solution to driver distraction, but is a scam.

What these three companies have in common however is that they have recognized that Parents and employers have identified distracted driving as a dangerous and libelous activity that will not only kill, but affect the bottom line.  IN OTHER WORDS, Insuring persons can not use a cell phone while driving is the SMART thing to do!

And to the question as to how the Spineless Florida legislators address the problem???

NOTHING!!!!!!!!

Despite a dozen +/- bills introduced into the legislature this session to address driver distraction due to the use of cell phones inclhttp://handsfreeinfo.com/florida-cell-phones-texting-laws-hands-free-infouding texting, worded in any number of convoluted ways to try and insure some type of passage, INCLUDING:  HB 687: Seeks to prohibit use of cell phones in school zones. Nonmoving violation with fines doubled. (Chestnut)

Over the past three years this site and others, most notably Ray Henkes Motorcyclists Against Dumb Drivershave documented report after report substantiating that the use of these devices is equivalent to DUI.  

When even business recognizes that the problem is such that the solution could be a profit one must wonder how legislators profit by turning a blond eye to science.  Unless of course one lives in Florida.

Then one doesn't have to wonder at all when behind closed doors they sing, "we got pockets that jingle jangle jingle..............."

For related posts start here. Note we have been posting on cell phones since 2006Add to Technorati Favorites

779th Engineer Battalion returning home to Tallahassee, upcoming PGR mission

We escorted the 779th Engineer Battalion on their way to the Sand Box, in Tallahassee last year.

Now we have the honor of escorting them home! They will need an escort from Ft. Stewart. (Savannah, Ga.) to Tallahassee, Fl. on 5/20/2010. Route is expected to be Hwy 84 from Savannah to Thomasville, through Valdosta. then south to Tallahassee.

As we have learned in the past, everything subject to change. So keep checking back and we will update as they come in.Add to Technorati Favorites

Shout out to C.O.B.B.

We want to throw out a thanks to C.O.B.B.  They know what for.

If you are like somewhere around my age then you know what C.O.B.B. was "Crippled Old BIker Bastards". I just recently learned it is gong through some changes and is now, "Crippled Old Biker Brothers (and Sisters)".  But it would appear the spirit remains the same. 

I fer sure love the last line of their Golden Rule (emphasis ours):

Respect is the name of the game, give it and you will
receive it. Remember we are not a motorcycle club or
riding club, we’re a society, better known as a Social
Club. We do not subscribe to anything but our own
stupidity. Individual people may have individual
“associations” with other entities. Those are strictly
personal and have absolutely NOTHING to do with
our C.O.B.B. Society. COBBers are friends to all riders,
no matter what their affiliation. We remain neutral
and have no affiliations with any other organization.
We are the guys/gals that have overcome fear,
ruffed off our ego’s, brushed ourselves off and are
still on two wheels after all these years. AGE + EXPERIENCE
+ RIDING=C.O.B.B. That’s all there is
to it and that’s what we are all about! Please keep
this in mind at all times. Because of our age, we’ve
been around the block a few times to say the least,
which has given us the experience to know we have
nothing to prove and respect what everyone around
us is doing. Riding is what has brought on all of this
wonderful COBBrodity! So let’s keep it that way! It
doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from. We
don’t have wanna be’s, we have “gonna be’s!
Party in peace and Ride Till Ya Rot!

The Central Florida Chapter is having a "Can you see me now" May, 16th.

Head here for more info and Ride on...........Add to Technorati Favorites