Palin tour includes triple hit in Florida; media can’t get enough

Commentary by Kay B. Day

[Photo of Gov. Palin from Alaska Governor website.]Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) heads to Florida November 24 and organizers are preparing for what will likely be a warm welcome. Palin, new book and perseverance in hand, will visit supporters in Jacksonville, The Villages and Orlando. Palin’s press tour in conjunction with the release of ‘Going Rogue’ has garnered deep coverage from print, Web and traditional TV networks. From the moment Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced her as his running mate in the 2008 elections, Palin drew media like a ripe orange draws wasps. Obviously, she still does.

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With 2010 in mind, Florida Republican women elect a dynamo as president

by Kay B. Day

Incoming FFRW president Cindy Graves of Jacksonville chatted with Sen. John Thrasher (R-Fla. 8) and Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Board chair Mike Hightower (right) at Thrasher's victory party after the race for Sen. Jim King's successor..At the Florida Federation of Republican Women Convention in Orlando in September, Cindy Graves was installed as the 2010 president of the organization. Graves, who married her high school sweetheart, is a retired PR professional. She says she is “the proud mother of 4 Republicans.” She is the elected Duval County Republican State Committeewoman and has an extensive background in campaigns at all levels. Along with Duval GOP chair Lenny Curry, Graves is co-host of “What’s the Buzz?” a popular weekly radio show airing Thursdays at 5 p.m. on ABC 1320 WBOB in NE Florida.  And there's one issue that really gets to her personally.
 

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Government visits are a good reason to practice defensive journalism

Updated on Monday, September 28, 2009 at 4:58PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Cover of the Southern Poverty Law Center 'Intel Report' for 2009. The report broadens the vast right-wing conspiracy by lumping all conservatives together in a fictional "patriot" movement, alleging coalescence. [Screen capture from SPLC website.]I admit when I see government agencies on my website, readily identifiable by both domain name and IP number, it gives me pause. One example was the story I did on social security awhile back. Hundreds of readers from the agency came to my pages. There’s nothing like critting the agency holding all the keys to your identity.

Military entities, law enforcement and—worst of all—large trial lawyer groups spend time here. I practice defensive journalism, by the way, with an eye on survival during these times.

I had an ‘aha!’ moment on Sunday as I fact-checked Associate Editor Chris Carter’s article about the Southern Poverty Law Center. This influential center has made history, by setting right a number of wrongs. But as Main Streeters of all races co-exist fairly peacefully, if you discount gangs and domestic abuse, social justice organizations are having to become more creative to justify their existence.

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A Grassroots call to action

by Donna Barrow
Contributor to The US Report

The race for US Senate between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist is what it is all about to a political junkie like me. I have been interested in politics all my life, though my political interest at an early age was not a reflection of my parents’. It was more likely a reflection of my favorite subjects in school, history and civics.

I was thrilled when I registered to vote at age 21 and over the years I have taken my responsibility as a member of the American electorate very seriously. In grassroots circles I am what is known as a “super voter.” The kind of voter that all candidates seek to reach because I always go to the polls.

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Tea parties cause statists to pull the race card and therefore miss the boat

Conservatives took to the streets for tea parties in numerous American cities yesterday and now commenters and statist bloggers are crying racism. A typical response can be found on ‘Crooks and Liars’: “These "revolutionaries" are simply angry, frightened, white people highly frustrated because they have the word n****r on the tip of their racist tongues, but know they can't use it for it will expose the true meaning of their belligerence.” Many commenters agreed, taking the opportunity to bash white people, but it was another response that borders on the hilarious: “I'm less dismayed at the racism than I am at the bobblehead grasp of history these people show.”

Show me a statist who looks at history through an unbiased lens and I’ll show you a two-headed tomato. I’d suggest the hurler of the term ‘bobblehead’ read a little history and start with the insane measures Franklin D. Roosevelt took that burdened the middle and lower middle classes in a manner that until now was historic. Then segue to Jimmy Carter. And take a look at Bill Clinton’s econ team. And academics turned Roosevelt into a hero, even after he had livestock and crops destroyed as a large percentage of the populace almost starved. Go figure. History indeed.

Pop media was astounded, even perplexed, by the turnout. A CNN reporter flipped out and decided to debate with her interviewee rather than simply cover the event in Washington, D.C.

Steve Kira (left) and Will Pitts (right) at the Jacksonville Landing Tea Party. Kira is past Chairman of the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee. Pitts is chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus, Florida. [Photo by John C. Stevens]

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Tax protesters gather across U.S.; president promises cuts for some

Updated on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 4:17PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Please see updates below the main article. I'm trying to publish everything I get in email and by phone about the tea parties.

A pleasant feature of Jacksonville's downtown area: it smells like coffee because of the Maxwell House Plant. [photo by Kay B. Day]Even Jacksonville’s First Coast News TV anchor was surprised at the “jam-packed” Tea Party held at Jacksonville Landing on Tax Day. Organized by a number of grassroots groups, my own Republican Liberty Caucus (NE Florida) fellows participated, working hard to get a good turn out. This wasn’t an easy feat—today’s gathering came on the heels of a Fair Tax Rally that drew thousands to the Landing on Saturday. Neal Boortz and Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) spoke at the Fair Tax event.

A story by the Associated Press describes thousands gathering in cities across the nation to protest federal spending and of course taxes. The Homeland Security Dept. will be hard-pressed to track all these “right wing” types recently defined as “extremists” by the Obama administration.

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Tax Day tea parties gaining ground—will interlopers show up?

Tax Day tea parties are gaining ground with hundreds scheduled around the nation and if parties held in Orlando, Fla. are an indicator, thousands will show up to protest Uncle Sam’s hand dipping deeper into taxpayer pockets. Conservative sites like Newsbusters and Fox News’ Neil Cavuto have disclosed rumors of tax-loving statist interlopers showing up—we called these people liberals until Mark Levin hit the nail on the statism head with his book ‘Liberty and Tyranny.’ Huffington Post, the blog directory where you can set up your own deal and provide free content, has an invite posted: “The Huffington Post wants to have citizen journalists at as many of these events as possible.” Ironically, Mark Meckler, organizer of the Sacramento Tea Party, told Cavuto during an interview all are welcome. What a sharp contrast Meckler’s remarks illustrate. And by the way, what an insane term: 'citizen journalists.' Whoever thought that one up as blogs began to proliferate did us no favors.

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