Ron DeSatanist and the Florida Republicans

[Bact PhD]

Jul 7, 2023 1:30:52 GMT LFC said:

WTF, Ron?

DeSantis, whose presidential campaign is going great right now, decided to take a break from harming children and marginalized communities to do something nasty to his own base of right-wing Republican white women. He signed a measure that bans permanent alimony and rewrites the formula for other kinds of alimony. Only existing non-modifiable agreements are not subject to the new terms. If they are modifiable, as many are, that means a flood of cases in Florida are about to be reopened and will overwhelmingly harm Florida women.


The law also includes a provision that would make it more difficult for judges to award alimony payments that exceed 25% of the payer’s gross monthly income.

Jan Killilea is the founder of the “First Wives Advocacy Group” whose members mostly receive permanent alimony. She had praise for DeSantis when he vetoed a similar measure last year. But as you may recall, last year was an election year. DeSantis doesn’t care anymore.

In fairness, this measure has been thrown around in some form or another for some years in the Legislature. The surprise is that he signed it this go-round. I recall he didn’t sign it the last couple of years because of one issue or another; I haven’t followed this enough recently to know what tweaks got him to finally sign it.

[goldenvalley]

Jul 7, 2023 14:05:20 GMT Bact PhD said:

Jul 7, 2023 1:30:52 GMT LFC said:

WTF, Ron?

In fairness, this measure has been thrown around in some form or another for some years in the Legislature. The surprise is that he signed it this go-round. I recall he didn’t sign it the last couple of years because of one issue or another; I haven’t followed this enough recently to know what tweaks got him to finally sign it.

I guess he doesn't want Republican women in Florida to vote for him in the presidential primary except maybe for the ultra ultra religious ones who see divorce as a sin.  Are there enough of them to get him the nomination?

[Bact PhD]

Jul 7, 2023 16:49:55 GMT goldenvalley said:

Jul 7, 2023 14:05:20 GMT Bact PhD said:

In fairness, this measure has been thrown around in some form or another for some years in the Legislature. The surprise is that he signed it this go-round. I recall he didn’t sign it the last couple of years because of one issue or another; I haven’t followed this enough recently to know what tweaks got him to finally sign it.

I guess he doesn't want Republican women in Florida to vote for him in the presidential primary except maybe for the ultra ultra religious ones who see divorce as a sin.  Are there enough of them to get him the nomination?

I doubt it, but that detail may not matter much. This legislative issue didn’t get a lot of coverage this go-round. Moreover, don’t underestimate the number of women (not necessarily especially religious) who align more closely with the Men’s Rights agenda than they admit…

[goldenvalley]

Jul 7, 2023 17:46:23 GMT Bact PhD said:

Jul 7, 2023 16:49:55 GMT goldenvalley said:

I guess he doesn't want Republican women in Florida to vote for him in the presidential primary except maybe for the ultra ultra religious ones who see divorce as a sin.  Are there enough of them to get him the nomination?

I doubt it, but that detail may not matter much. This legislative issue didn’t get a lot of coverage this go-round. Moreover, don’t underestimate the number of women (not necessarily especially religious) who align more closely with the Men’s Rights agenda than they admit…

I suppose they were all the morally superior ones who married to morally superior men...

[LFC]

DeStalinist isn't satisfied with poorly organized brown shirts. Now he wants his own state military under his direct command. I wonder who they'll be deployed at in order to intimidate, abuse, and murder. Notice how the pitch to those joining is completely different than the reality.

When the first recruiting class of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new Florida State Guard showed up for training last month, they had varied experiences and expectations.

Over 30 days in June, teenagers out of high school and retired military veterans came to Camp Blanding, the National Guard base near Jacksonville.

Many were told they would volunteer for a revived State Guard with a non-military mission: help Floridians in times of need or disaster.

Instead, the state’s National Guard trained the volunteers for combat. Khakis and polos were replaced by camouflaged uniforms. Volunteers assured they could keep their facial hair were ordered to shave. And they were drilled on how to rappel with ropes, navigate through the woods and respond to incidents under military command.

When DeSantis announced in 2021 he wanted to revive the long-dormant State Guard, he vowed it would help Floridians during emergencies. But in the year since its launch, key personnel and a defined mission remain elusive. The state is looking for the program’s third leader in eight months. According to records reviewed by the Herald/Times and interviews with program volunteers, a number of recruits quit after the first training class last month because they feared it was becoming too militaristic.

It's about as sick and twisted as you'd expect. It will be filled with Proud Boys and their ilk when all is said and done.

Three former members told the Herald/Times the program veered from its original mission.

“The program got hijacked and turned into something that we were trying to stay away from: a militia,” said Brian Newhouse, a retired 20-year Navy veteran who was chosen to lead one of the State Guard’s three divisions.

The original leadership team envisioned a disaster response team of veterans and civilians with a variety of practical skills, according to Newhouse. Two other former military veterans, who asked not to be named for fear of potential consequences and later quit, expressed similar concerns over a change in the State Guard’s mission.

On the first day of training, Newhouse said he was escorted off the base after lodging several complaints, including that the National Guard’s schedule required training on Sundays, instead of allowing members to use those days for religious services and personal time, as was the original plan.

He said he had previously complained that the National Guard didn’t have medics available during training.

“I don’t even think the governor knows what’s going on. I don’t think this is a fly on his radar right now,” Newhouse said, noting that DeSantis himself is a veteran.

”I think he would be appalled that a veteran — a disabled veteran — would be abused by other military members.”

If Mr. Newhouse thinks DeStalinist would be appalled, he clearly doesn't know him. The only thing that would bother him is that it might look bad for his campaign.

[LFC]

Florida is putting actual history back in the Confederate closet (archive link).

The Florida Board of Education approved a new curriculum for African American history on Wednesday, but not without pushback.

After more than an hour of public comment, with a majority of speakers opposed, the board voted unanimously to approve the social studies standards for African American history for kindergarten through 12th grades.

Opponents say the curriculum leaves out Florida’s role in slavery and the oppression of African Americans, victim blames Black communities and uses outdated language.

In a letter to board member Ben Gibson, a group of 11 organizations, including the NAACP and the Florida Education Association, criticized the state for omitting or rewriting “key historical facts about the Black experience.”

“We owe the next generation of scholars the opportunity to know the full unvarnished history of this state and country and all who contributed to it – good and bad,” the letter reads.

Don't you know that we have to protect delicate white nationalist snowflakes from things that might make them butthurt?

[goldenvalley]

Is DeSantis going to take a page from the Oklahoma Superintendent of Education?

Oklahoma’s far-right superintendent of public instruction thinks that schools should teach students about the Tulsa race massacre, so long as teachers don’t actually acknowledge that the white supremacist attack was about race.

*****

Walters held a public forum Thursday night, during which someone asked him how teaching about the Tulsa race massacre doesn’t violate his ban on CRT. “I would never tell a kid that because of your race, because of the color of your skin, or your gender or anything like that, you are less of a person or are inherently racist,” Walters said.

“That doesn’t mean you don’t judge the actions of individuals. Oh, you can. Absolutely, historically, you should. ‘This was right. This was wrong. They did this for this reason.’ But to say it was inherent in that because of their skin is where I say that is critical race theory. You’re saying that race defines a person.”

Interesting line he's trying to draw there.  So can you teach that the white individuals killed the black individuals during the riot or does that implicate CRT?   

And what about Rosewood in Florida Mr. Governor?  A whole town wiped out.  

[LFC]

Ron DeStainist really took "pay to play" quite literally. (archive link)

The Florida governor’s fundraisers hoped that nine lobbyists would raise at least $1 million each for DeSantis’s political action committee, the state and the Republican Governors Association, according to the document, which was drafted by Heather Barker, a top DeSantis aide and his primary fundraiser, and shared with others.

To help them haul in large sums of money, the document suggested that lobbyists be allowed to offer their clients certain perks, such as meals and rounds of golf with DeSantis, who loves the sport. DeSantis’s fundraisers envisioned that some golf outings with the governor would net contributions of $75,000 or more, according to other emails among DeSantis’s political advisers.

“I could sell golf for $50k this morning,” Barker wrote to other DeSantis aides in a 2019 email obtained by The Post, noting that a prominent Tallahassee lobbyist and his wife wanted to play golf with the recently elected DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis at a course the governor favored. The lobbyist would “get money through a client” to contribute in exchange for golfing with DeSantis, she wrote. It is unclear if the meeting happened. Barker did not respond to a request for comment.

The 2019 document detailed other avenues for securing contributions. “METHODS FOR FIRMS TO DELIVER SUPPORT: Golf, lunch, meetings, dinner, tours, events, etc. — Each have a threshold (ex. Golf $25k per person, which is a deal),” reads the document, whose authenticity was confirmed by multiple people with knowledge of it. Like others interviewed for this story, the people spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

While it is common for politicians to seek donations from lobbyists, the efforts by DeSantis to effectively auction off his leisure time to those seeking to influence state policy created a special pathway of access for wealthy donors to the governor that is striking in the way that it was documented in writing, ethics experts said. The golf-related fundraising was part of a broader push by DeSantis to cultivate relationships with big contributors, some of whom have received state appointments or benefited from state policies, as The Post has previously reported.

Another report on Hooker Ron. Perhaps on the golf course, that has more than one meaning.

The round of golf was scheduled at the exclusive Indian Creek Country Club overlooking Miami’s Biscayne Bay.

Three Duke Energy lobbyists were to join Gov. Ron DeSantis in mid February, a precious opportunity for the utility to get face time with Florida’s new governor weeks after he took office.

Internal documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times reveal that Duke’s lobbyists didn’t just request the governor’s time. They were supposed to pay for it, too.

“Is this the one that is $25k per?” asked the chair of DeSantis’ political committee, Susan Wiles, in February emails referencing the upcoming round of golf.

“A little more — Duke is going to do $100k,” responded the committee’s finance consultant, Heather Barker.

Days after the golf outing, Duke made a $75,000 donation to the Republican Party of Florida, which Wiles described in a memo as “interchangeable” with DeSantis’ political committee.

Other documents reviewed by the Times established prices donors could pay to interact with DeSantis or his wife, Casey.

Golf in a foursome? $25,000.

Golf one-on-one with DeSantis? $100,000.

A 10- to 15-minute meeting? $25,000.

A dinner event? $150,000.

One hour of an “intimate and high dollar” gathering? $250,000.

[LFC]

DeStalinist predictably downplayed the January 6 Republican Insurrection.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday downplayed the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, saying it was not an insurrection but rather a "protest" that "ended up devolving, you know, in a way that was unfortunate, of course."

DeSantis, speaking in an interview on the podcast of comedian Russell Brand, said the idea that Jan. 6 "was a plan to somehow overthrow the government of the United States is not true, and it's something that the media had spun up."

Meanwhile he continues to orally service Trump's taint when politically expedient.

"There's a difference between being brought up on criminal charges and doing things," DeSantis said Tuesday during a campaign stop in Colombia, South Carolina, where he officially filed to be on the statewide ballot. "For example, it was shown how [Trump] was in the White House and didn't do anything while things were going on. He should have come out more forcefully, of course."

He added: "But to try to criminalize that, that's a different issue entirely and I think that we want to be in a situation where, you know, you don't have one side just constantly trying to put the other side in jail. And that unfortunately is what we're seeing now."

[goldenvalley]

Aug 22, 2023 16:58:38 GMT LFC said:

******
Meanwhile he continues to orally service Trump's taint when politically expedient.

"There's a difference between being brought up on criminal charges and doing things," DeSantis said Tuesday during a campaign stop in Colombia, South Carolina, where he officially filed to be on the statewide ballot. "For example, it was shown how [Trump] was in the White House and didn't do anything while things were going on. He should have come out more forcefully, of course."

He added: "But to try to criminalize that, that's a different issue entirely and I think that we want to be in a situation where, you know, you don't have one side just constantly trying to put the other side in jail. And that unfortunately is what we're seeing now."

I doubt this fence straddling on Trump's behavior will convince anyone to vote for DeSantis. I suspect the primary will shake out with voters voting for Trump or they'll not vote at all.

[Bact PhD]

Nothing if not (at least somewhat) contrarian:

www.gainesville.com/story/news/healthcare/2023/09/13/ron-desantis-health-officials-contradict-cdc-on-covid-shot-guidance-florida/70843674007/

Contradicting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said Wednesday that state health officials will recommend against anyone under the age of 65 getting the new COVID-19 vaccine boosters recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The CDC is recommending everyone age six months and older receive one new shot from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. The CDC guidance says individuals 65 or older, or who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, can get two new shots.

Ladapo announced the state's new vaccine guidance during a panel discussion with health professionals who were critical of the shoot. The pop-up roundtable was convened and moderated by Gov. Ron DeSantis on the same day he is fundraising for his struggling presidential campaign in Greenwich, Conn.

DeSantis strongly promoted COVID-19 vaccines when they were first released but has since become one of the most prominent public officials raising questions about their safety, even as federal health officials insist that the benefits of the shots outweigh any risks.

“I will not stand by and let the FDA and CDC use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective,” DeSantis said in a press release sent out after the panel discussion.

The announcement comes as Florida hospitals are reporting more COVID cases than any other state. Florida’s pandemic death toll has surpassed 90,000 and the weekly new cases topped 24,000 for two consecutive weeks.

There’s more in a similar vein… ugggh

[jackd]

"Political" science.

[goldenvalley]

As I recall Lapado was hired from CA...UCLA Med where he claimed a lot of expertise in handling Covid cases but the UCLA Med docs said he wasn't actually around.  I'd say he lacks credibility.

Dr. Ladapo’s characterization of his work is contradicted by the sources who worked at the same UCLA flagship hospital. They spoke to MSNBC on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the record, but their credentials were independently verified. These sources, all of whom had experience treating Covid-19 patients, say that Ladapo’s numerous op-eds greatly mischaracterized the type of work he was doing during the pandemic. In addition, they do not believe Ladapo treated Covid-19 patients at UCLA until after July 2020 or even later.

“I was part of the team that was taking care of Covid-19 patients in the beginning of the pandemic and Dr. Ladapo was not part of that team. There were two separate groups, General Medicine and ICU, plus a volunteer program to take care of Covid-19 patients. Ladapo was not part of either,” said one of the sources who was part of UCLA’s Covid-19 task force. “It was a small group of people, a task force. Everyone knew everyone. He was not there,” the person added.

[Bact PhD]

Discussing sexuality in school is verboten, but legislators defrauding their fellow taxpayers is A-OK…or so this dude thought…

www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2023/10/19/former-ocala-lawmaker-joe-harding-sentenced-to-4-months-in-prison/71246400007/

Former Republican state lawmaker Joe Harding of Ocala, the architect of Florida's controversial law limiting discussions of gender and sexuality in public schools, was sentenced to four months in prison on charges of defrauding the government of $150,000 in pandemic aid.

Judge Allen Winsor sentenced Harding in U.S. District Court in Gainesville on Thursday.

[snip]

When he is released from prison, Harding will be required to serve two years of supervised release and pay a $300 fine. He was ordered to turn himself into custody by noon on Jan. 29.

Harding resigned from office in December shortly after being indicted on two counts each of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. Had he been convicted on all counts, Harding could have faced up to 70 years in prison.

Harding initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, but as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, he ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of each charge, cutting the maximum prison sentence to 35 years.

Despite serving just over a single two-year term in the Florida House from 2020-2022, Harding gained notoriety for being the sponsor of the Parental Rights in Education Act, a bill derided by critics as the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill,’ which banned discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools from kindergarten through third grade. The law was later expanded to cover fourth through 12th grades.

[snip]

According to court records, Harding defrauded the federal government through loan applications with the federal government’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program for two companies he owned that were inactive. He applied for a loan for both companies, but only one was approved.

Prosecutors said Harding used part of the money to pay his credit card balance. Some funds were shifted to the bank account of an oil company owned by his brother-in-law, Patrick Walsh. In January, Walsh was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for defrauding the federal government of $7.8 million in COVID-19 loans, some of which was used to purchase an island in the Gulf of Mexico.

(Yes, they did bury the lede—the material I snipped concerned all of his friends & relatives begging for leniency because he’s such a great guy. Evidently the judge bought a good amount of it.)

[Bact PhD]

Some pretty creative “two-fers” between official state business and the campaign trail when it comes to the use of the state plane. (Heavily excerpted due to paywall)

www.gainesville.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/10/22/fundraiser-raises-questions-about-ron-desantis-use-of-state-plane-travel-records/71240662007/

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign for president hasn’t been going well, as former President Donald Trump continues to dominate in the polls and fundraising.

Yet on Wednesday DeSantis took time off the campaign trail to dedicate a county park that was renamed in his honor.

Governor Ron DeSantis Park in Southwest Florida's Manatee County features pickleball courts, playgrounds, fitness trails and dog parks. The pickleball courts may not have been the real draw for DeSantis, though.

Later in the day he held a presidential fundraiser at an exclusive golf club near the park, where guests paid a minimum of $1,500 to hear the governor talk about Israel and other issues.

It appears that DeSantis flew to Wednesday's events in his state plane, raising the question of whether taxpayer resources benefited his presidential campaign.

DeSantis' wife, Casey DeSantis, may even be following the pattern.

The state plane flew to Sarasota a second time a day later on Thursday, Oct. 19. Casey DeSantis had long been scheduled – the event was announced in April – to headline a fundraiser for the Sarasota GOP, which was held Thursday evening. She also held an official event at New College of Florida earlier in the day announcing an employment program for disabled persons. The event was announced that day.

It's not the first time the governor's office appears to have used a state plane to double up public appearances and personal fundraisers. State law prohibits the state's elected chief executive from using the plane for personal use, but by stacking the two Manatee County events – one official and one personal – taxpayers may be covering flights to fundraisers.

"The use of public resources to supplement his campaign has been a consistent pattern," said Ben Wilcox, research director and co-founder of government watchdog group Integrity Florida.

[snip]

Using private jets has contributed to a cash crunch for DeSantis’ campaign, which spent nearly all the money it raised in the third quarter.

The campaign has been trying to control costs. Some political observers believe that piggybacking an official state event onto a political fundraiser may be an attempt to justify flying to the fundraiser on the state dime.

[snip]

The Manatee County events aren't the first time that DeSantis has scheduled official appearances and fundraisers on the same day and location, and he is far from the only elected officials to pair events like that.

For example, former President Barack Obama visited the Miami area in 2015, where he toured the National Hurricane Center and held two fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.

“Everybody does it,” said a top Florida Republican. “Because the goal is to shift the cost from your campaign to essentially the taxpayers.”

Wilcox said the governor is "adept at blurring the lines between his public business and his campaign."

"A public official is supposed to draw a bright line between the two," Wilcox added. "That said, it's not uncommon for public officials who are also campaigning to test the limits of what they can legally get away with. That appears to be what's going on here."

Cue up Gomer Pyle…

[Bact PhD]

In yet another installment of “Rules (& ‘Morals’) for Thee but Not for Me”, a Sarasota-based GOP “power couple” involved in polyamory? Say it ain’t so! (Bold mine)

www.gainesville.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/30/florida-republican-chair-christian-ziegler-accused-of-sexual-battery/71754031007/

The Sarasota Police Department is investigating an allegation of sexual battery against Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, according to a report by the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

[snip]

Multiple GOP sources with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the sexual battery investigation and said the probe also involves allegations of illegally taping sex acts.

[snip]

Ziegler and his wife, Sarasota County School Board member and Moms for Liberty founder Bridget Ziegler, have emerged as one of the most prominent political couples in the state in recent years.

A former Sarasota County Commissioner, Christian Ziegler took over the Florida GOP in February after years of grassroots GOP activism.

Sources told the Florida Center for Government Accountability that the woman accusing Christian Ziegler of sexual battery "alleged that she and both Zieglers had been involved in a longstanding consensual three-way sexual relationship prior to the incident."

[snip]

A sexual scandal featuring one of the party's leading figures could be a major distraction for the party, and tarnish its image at a time when the GOP has pushed culturally conservative policies centered on moral values.

Bridget Ziegler has led that charge through her work with Moms for Liberty, which she is no longer involved with, and in implementing DeSantis' education agenda, which has emphasized LGBTQ and racial issues. She was with DeSantis when he signed legislation derided by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

[jackd]

And this is going to bother Florida members of the Trump cult?

[andydp]

Nov 30, 2023 21:02:18 GMT jackd said:

And this is going to bother Florida members of the Trump cult?

No effect at all.  They weren't involved in "Icky Gay Sex" just a plain old fashioned menage a trois, with a kinky element.

[andydp]

The GOP where every accusation is an admission of guilt.  The latest opinion piece on the menage a troi.

Curtains for Moms for Liberty: The fallout of a rape charge shows the far-right group is floundering

But what is genuinely startling — downright shocking, even — is there are signs that these revelations could result in bona fide political consequences for the Zieglers. Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose support of Moms for Liberty played a huge role in the group's skyrocketing to national prominence, didn't mince words when asked about the allegations Thursday night. He called on Ziegler to resign, saying, "He’s innocent till proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny."

www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/curtains-for-moms-for-liberty-the-fallout-of-a-rape-charge-shows-the-far-right-group-is-floundering/ar-AA1kXN87?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=0047a51cbe3d40d79d4a03ea1b3bd099&ei=20

Wait !! There's more !!

Philadelphia Moms for Liberty organizer is a registered sex offender: report

Aprominent figure of the Philadelphia chapter of Moms for Liberty is a registered sex offender, according to a new report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Phillip Fisher Jr. is a pastor at the Center for Universal Divinity and a Republican ward leader responsible for coordinating faith-based outreach for the group, which is a well-endowed organization that aims to align American education with a number of the GOP's far-right ideals.

www.salon.com/2023/11/20/philadelphia-moms-for-liberty-organizer-is-a-registered-offender-report/

Snarky Comment: No transvestites or drag queens have been identified yet.

[goldenvalley]

Dec 4, 2023 12:45:56 GMT andydp said:

The GOP where every accusation is an admission of guilt.  The latest opinion piece on the menage a troi.

Curtains for Moms for Liberty: The fallout of a rape charge shows the far-right group is floundering

But what is genuinely startling — downright shocking, even — is there are signs that these revelations could result in bona fide political consequences for the Zieglers. Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose support of Moms for Liberty played a huge role in the group's skyrocketing to national prominence, didn't mince words when asked about the allegations Thursday night. He called on Ziegler to resign, saying, "He’s innocent till proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny."

www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/curtains-for-moms-for-liberty-the-fallout-of-a-rape-charge-shows-the-far-right-group-is-floundering/ar-AA1kXN87?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=0047a51cbe3d40d79d4a03ea1b3bd099&ei=20

Wait !! There's more !!

Philadelphia Moms for Liberty organizer is a registered sex offender: report

Aprominent figure of the Philadelphia chapter of Moms for Liberty is a registered sex offender, according to a new report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Phillip Fisher Jr. is a pastor at the Center for Universal Divinity and a Republican ward leader responsible for coordinating faith-based outreach for the group, which is a well-endowed organization that aims to align American education with a number of the GOP's far-right ideals.

www.salon.com/2023/11/20/philadelphia-moms-for-liberty-organizer-is-a-registered-offender-report/

Snarky Comment: No transvestites or drag queens have been identified yet.

That first quote is a bit too hopeful.  Yes the organizers are probably hypocrites and perhaps grifters too, but they've attracted a lot of true believers who won't go quietly.  They have their teeth into school boards and they will do as much as they can while in office. I think they'll hurry because they've seen in PA that communities are not voting for their type for school board anymore.

As to the Zieglers, I've noticed that the anti-gay folks are more fixated on male on male sex.  The other type doesn't seem to register most of the time unless one of the partners appears to be more masculine.  A threesome with two women in it is just titillating, not threatening.

[andydp]

And the hits just keep on coming.

Moms for Liberty chapter splits off over response to rape allegation against co-founder's husband

After the Florida Center for Government Accountability first reported on the sexual assault allegation Thursday, Moms for Liberty posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was “another attempt today to ruin the reputation of a strong woman fighting for America.” Moms for Liberty deleted the tweet; co-founder Tiffany Justice said she did so because of an influx of hateful messages.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/moms-for-liberty-chapter-splits-off-over-response-to-rape-allegation-against-co-founder-s-husband/ar-AA1l3p4f?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=f2ecd61c4fab49ee82f371a1dca0c266&ei=17

[andydp]

I wonder if they're going for a boxed set in time for Christmas giving.

Cops recover second sex video involving scandal-plagued Moms for Liberty leader: report


www.rawstory.com/bridget-ziegler/?utm_source=msn

[goldenvalley]

Dec 22, 2023 21:38:07 GMT andydp said:

I wonder if they're going for a boxed set in time for Christmas giving.

Cops recover second sex video involving scandal-plagued Moms for Liberty leader: report


www.rawstory.com/bridget-ziegler/?utm_source=msn

I really don't understand why grown people take videos of themselves having sex. 

[andydp]

No drag queens have been found so far. As we all know this was not "icky gay sex" this was simply horny hypocritical Floridians.

Authorities expanding investigation into Florida GOP chair accused of rape

MIAMI — Sarasota authorities are expanding their investigation into Florida Republican Chair Christian Ziegler to probe whether he broke any laws when he allegedly recorded a sexual encounter with a woman accusing him of rape, according to a search warrant affidavit.

<SNIP>

The new revelation adds to the mounting problems for Ziegler, who has insisted that the Oct. 2 sexual encounter was consensual and has refused to step down from his role with the GOP despite Gov. Ron DeSantis and other top Florida Republicans urging him to resign. The party’s executive board members stripped Ziegler of his power and salary during a meeting in Orlando on Dec. 17.

Ziegler’s wife Bridget Ziegler, who co-founded the conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, has also faced accusations of hypocrisy in part because she told police during the probe that she had a consensual sexual encounter with the victim and her husband about a year ago. Bridget Ziegler has pushed traditional family values and was an outspoken supporter of Florida’s law that bans teachers from instructing students on sexual orientation and gender identity, known by opponents as “Don’t Say Gay.”

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/authorities-expanding-investigation-into-florida-gop-chair-accused-of-rape/ar-AA1mmzFc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=681a63b4b81b45f5aabcc745f8c4ec30&ei=32

[Bact PhD]

Annnd, they’re off!
Supreme Emperor gives a speech aimed as much at Des Moines as at Dunnellon:

www.gainesville.com/story/news/politics/2024/01/09/gov-desantis-delivers-state-of-the-state-speech-to-open-legisla-calls-florida-the-envy-of-the-nation/72120819007/

In his roughly 35-minute speech to lawmakers, DeSantis mentioned President Biden or his administration in five separate instances, each time negatively and mostly focused on the influx of migrants across the U.S. border with Mexico.

The governor also wrapped up his address with a litany of more than a dozen accomplishments he claimed, from pushing back against COVID-19 "authoritarianism," to having "kneecapped" environmental, social and governance policies, and enacting legislation that "protected the sanctity of human life."

And the Legislature is doubling down on 2023’s social issues:

www.gainesville.com/story/news/politics/2024/01/08/new-anti-trans-bills-law-florida/72119930007/

At least 17 bills either targeting transgender people specifically and or potentially LGBTQ+ people in general have been filed before Tuesday's start of the session. One, filed last week by Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville — which removes mentions of "gender" throughout the Florida Statutes and requires sex affidavits from all Floridians with driver's licenses — might be one of the most sweeping anti-trans bills proposed in Florida yet.

[snip]


HB 1233: Biological Sex

Rep. Black's bill seeks to ban legal recognition of transgender identities in the state and requires biological sex affidavits for all Floridians getting new or renewed driver's licenses. The bill would:

Add reproductive-based definitions of "sex," "female," "male," "woman," "girl," "mother, "father," and "equal" (in respect to sex) to the very first Florida Statute.

Replace the word "gender" with the word "sex" in every state application for ID including licenses and ID cards, disabled parking permits, driver's licenses, discrimination laws, and requirements for representation on boards, commissions, councils, and committees.

Mandates that the sex listed on a person's birth certificate would determine if the person may serve as a committeeman or committeewoman.

Prohibits the Department of Motor Vehicles from issuing or renewing driver's licenses with a listed sex different from the one listed on a person's original birth certificate.

Requires every Floridian — transgender or not — applying for a new or renewal driver's license to sign an affidavit certifying that the sex listed on the application is identical to the one on their original birth certificate. If it is found not to match, the card must be revoked.

Mandates that any insurance company covering gender-affirming prescriptions or procedures must also provide coverage for detransition treatment, with no end-of-coverage date provided.

Requires any health insurance provider issuing policies in Florida that include gender-affirming coverage to also offer policies that do not.

Blocks insurance companies from prohibiting coverage of anti-trans therapy.

Defines separate accommodations for biological sex as "not inherently unequal" and allows laws and rules that distinguish between the sexes with respect to "athletics, prisons or other detention facilities, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, locker rooms, restrooms, and other areas where biology, safety, or privacy are implicated."

Specifically says that if any single part of the act is held invalid, the rest still applies.

A second bill has similar provisions. It will be interesting to see how much of this gets through. I’m not taking any bets…