Commentary
On Election Day, remember three who sacrificed their lives
Jimmie Lee Jackson was 26 years old when he died. He was unarmed and trying to protect his mother from being beaten. That’s when an Alabama State trooper shot him in the stomach, fatally wounding him. Jackson was a former soldier, a deacon in his church, the father of a young daughter, and he died […]
The age of the political brats
I’m almost old enough to remember when Republicans acted like grown folks. Republicans were the party of fiscal responsibility, the party of moral probity, the party of Dads. They used to be into stuff like civil rights, science, and, OK, golf–golf is encoded in white men at the cellular level. Still, Republicans prided themselves on […]
Governor candidates find common ground: Expanding career tech programs. But will families buy into it?
Amid the strife, turmoil, and ideological differences throughout Florida’s gubernatorial campaign, Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum found some common ground. They agree on an important piece in their education platforms: Expanding career and technical education (CTE) – courses that prepare kids for the workforce and may not require a traditional college degree. It’s […]
A Black man who could become Florida’s next governor
In the 399 years that Black people have been in this country, only a handful of African Americans have been elected governor of a state. 2018 could be a watershed. On Nov. 6, three African Americans are vying to be elected governors of their respective states: Stacey Abrams, who would be the first-ever female governor […]
Island in the Storm: A letter from St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge on the eve of Hurricane Michael
Editor’s note: This article was originally published by SIERRA magazine. It is noon on Wednesday, October 10. The eye-wall of Hurricane Michael has neared the Florida coast, with an estimated wind speed of 150 miles per hour, a Class 4 hurricane. At our home in Tallahassee, my husband, Jeff, has filled the freezer with extra […]
A plea for civility
As I watched one Facebook friend question the intelligence and morals of another in the raging debate over the appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, I despaired of the level our national political scene has reached during the presidency of Donald J. Trump. It was especially awful to see the president openly […]
The politics of disaster, Florida-style
Hurricane Michael hasn’t hit land and it’s already political. Not only is the general election around the corner, but one full-time Tallahassee resident (Democrat Mayor Andrew Gillum) and one part-time Tallahassee resident (Republican Gov. Rick Scott), are in the final throes of bitter campaigns as the storm barrels toward Florida’s Panhandle. Gillum, now the Democratic […]
A unique environmental plan for Florida: Gillum promises to actually crack down on polluters
Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum released his environmental policy last week, and it differs markedly from his Republican opponent Ron DeSantis in many respects, including one very unique one: Gillum pledges to go after the polluters who are causing Florida’s disastrous water contamination. It’s unusual to hear any Florida politician say we need to […]
Florida’s racist legacy and today’s throwback politics
Florida pretends it’s not part of the South. Florida pretends it’s some Neverland of palms and pastels, beaches and theme parks full of talking animals and plastic princesses, a place where the past exists merely as a roadside attraction. You know that’s crap. It’s 2018 and the state only recently decided to exchange the statue […]
Central Florida Republican Party officeholders posting hate speech and conspiracies on Facebook
Some officials of the Republican Party’s Central Florida branch have been trafficking in hate speech and conspiracy theories on Facebook – including a horrible claim that the February mass shooting at South Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was a “false flag designed to take your guns,” and an illustrated meme that has one figure […]
Citizens rising up against the Florida Legislature, Gov. Rick Scott, and private property zealots
There’s a citizen uprising happening in the Panhandle’s Walton County. So far, about 8,000 people have signed sworn affidavits asserting that they use the beaches there. Probably not a single one of them thought they’d have to sign a legal document to prove they go to the beach – in their beach town. About the […]
Football’s female problem
It’s college football season, the time of year when men holler at television screens, women roll their eyes, and a good hunk of Florida’s population drapes itself in orange and blue or orange and green or garnet and gold, mainlines cheap beer, and reverts to a level of tribalism that would make the Sunni and […]