For those who like to share

Lot of buzz about Freedom of Speech. Have you ever written a letter to the editor to your local newspaper. I did a couple of times and now you can in many places just post online. The interesting thing is they have rules, word count, topic and such. Even Twitter has rules. Some of them you would think are common sense, but no, they have actual written rules. I would bet if you went there and looked at the rules you would say they were pretty sensible. With that said I get a huge kick from folks who are on whatever platform they are on complaining how they or someone they know are being oppressed, that their speech or thoughts or whatever is being infringed upon. The society I live in has become entitled. We believe that whatever comes from us or some other like-minded soul should not be censored, unless they don't agree with you. My society believes that if your opinion doesn't line up with my opinion you are evil and deserving of being bullied and ridiculed. This society we share believes that there is only one right and I am standing on it. I even saw a sign that says vote a certain way because, We might have our faults but the other side is pure evil. Back to where I was going with this. These platforms have rules. The groups I belong to have rules, even those who say we don't have rules. I was banned from a group that had no rules because I was a moderate, didn't lose any sleep. I was not allowed to comment on another group because I would ask questions and post rebuttals to this former politicians stuff. Doesn't make a difference. As for my rules, I have only unfriended 1 person since I have been on any platform and that was because he said he was a racist and I got NO TIME FOR THAT. I may dislike someone for a lot of reasons, but the color of their skin AIN'T EVER GOING TO BE ONE OF THEM. Like I said rules, they have them, we have them. You don't like someone telling you what time to be at work, start your own business and wait for your customer to wonder what time you will show up to do the job they are going to pay you for. Don't like the rules on your social media platforms, start your own and make sure you tell everyone you got no rules.

I like rules. I think that is how civilization became a thing.

I like rules. I think that is how civilization became a thing.

Amazing the number of people who don't. I shouldn't say that, I amazed that don't think the rules should apply to them but everyone else.

If you have spent your entire life lying, grifting, and flouting rules you will naturally think you are above them.

I think that society is divided on rules and some rules do have implicit biases. When I "talk" to people on both sides of our divide they believe that power is making rules that are not fair to them. What we can't seem to agree on is power. Each side complains and protests the rules that come from power and yet we can not agree on who is making unfair rules. So here is the common sense of this. Power has divided us and power wants us to stay divided for obvious reasons so power can generally do whatever it wants. We the people are so divided that we are reacting to everything that the other side does and that creates a complete breakdown of trust in our rule makers and therefore the rules that govern us. I do not see this changing anytime soon. I am certain that our typed words are not enough. We all have to be more active in society which is another subject. Let's take racism for example. Republicans have chosen to protect the status quo at the expense of minorities. Many of us call that racism yet we might live in predominately white neighborhoods and benefit from rules that are unfair to minorities and then talk a lot about how bad those evil republicans are racist and think we are somehow better. I honestly do see the difference in how democrats pass more rules to help than hurt YET we have not eliminated inequality and racial bias with rules so maybe it will be up to society to figure out how far we are willing to go to try and eliminate all forms of racism. We must have rules that are fair to all. It is easier said than done...

Cops jobs are hard. They have expectations from their bosses and the public they serve. Unfortunately perception can appear as reality. Some examples of this are the number of violations that seem to go unchecked, golf carts on road ways, illegal parking, speeding/ reckless driving. People don't seem to see a Cop when they see what appears to be a violation. Then they advertise a weekend or a time period when they are going to be out in force taking what appears to be a hard line enforcement approach. Then those same folks who complain are posting all over social media about "Speed Traps" letting their fellow motorist know where they are so they can be aware. My question is, are our LEO'S doing more or the same level of enforcement during these periods of advertising?

Cops jobs are hard. They have expectations from their bosses and the public they serve. Unfortunately perception can appear as reality. Some examples of this are the number of violations that seem to go unchecked, golf carts on road ways, illegal parking, speeding/ reckless driving. People don't seem to see a Cop when they see what appears to be a violation. Then they advertise a weekend or a time period when they are going to be out in force taking what appears to be a hard line enforcement approach. Then those same folks who complain are posting all over social media about "Speed Traps" letting their fellow motorist know where they are so they can be aware. My question is, are our LEO'S doing more or the same level of enforcement during these periods of advertising?

I think society is driven by economics and that includes law enforcement. Hard for me to put the blame on law enforcement because it is a dangerous job with a ton of rules. Don't get me wrong we need rules but we do need those making the rules to be fair and those enforcing the rules to be fair. It may be an impossible task since society is big and extremely complex. The rules in this forum are different for some people so maybe we should strive to be better each day and realize that our rules are a reflection of who we are. Hopefully we all want to be better but that will require Unity in our endeavor to be better...

I am a bit off topic but as the discussion turned to law enforcement I share my thoughts.

I began my public sector career in the 1970s working for a mid-sized police department in Central FL. Since that time, while I have decades of private sector experience, I worked part-time/reserve for three other police/fire/public safety entities as well as full-time for a few county and state agencies in this and other states. I speak from only my personal experience, specifically re my affiliations with law enforcement agencies.

Money and power corrupt.

Used to be that I scoffed at those who claimed law enforcement was corrupt. One evening very late I heard a racket outside. Checking on the commotion I saw a man (allegedly breaking into cars) splayed out on the hood of my car and surrounded by no less than five officers. One officer was kneeling on the hood of my car with a gun shoved in that suspect's mouth (for allegedly breaking into cars???!!). The other officers had their guns drawn on the man as well. Alarmed, I yelled, "what are you doing, why are you shoving your gun down the guy's throat." Thankfully, the startled officer withdrew his gun from the guy's throat. He immediately looked over his shoulder and yelled back at me to mind my own "GD business" and go back inside. (BTW, the "suspect" also shouted at me, "thanks, lady, you may have just saved my life.") I did just that (went inside) but called the police department directly. I was surprised that I received the same response from the commanding officer. I no longer am surprised at the behavior of many LEOs, current and former, who seem to feel that a gun on their hip gives them rights beyond those of the rest of us.

This was a single incident but I witness this type of behavior over and over again. Take anyone who has ever felt down-trodden (can't find another job, is fat, is short, is ugly, lacks a competitive education, etc., etc., et al) and place a gun in their hands and a badge of their chests and they immediately develop swagger, a "do you know who I am/who you are dealing with?" attitude.

The standards for law enforcement officers to be certified should include some type of nationally-standardized test (criterion and construct validity-tested to ensure against disparate impact to protected classes) to determine a candidate's 1) mental health/fitness for such a job, 2) ability to handle stress and pressure AND make good decisions, and 3) uncover overt and hidden biases against other members of the HUMAN race. It shouldn't be a one-time evaluation either but repeated according to a prescribed schedule.

The officers and administrations who balk at this type of a measure perhaps know something about their colleagues that should bar them from positions of public trust.

Just exercising my Constitutionally-given right to free speech.

When I started this thread, wasn't necessarily looking at starting a topic and then having back and forth. That said, most of what I am sharing are my observations about things people seem to have issues with. My expectations aren't very high that anything will change in areas I will write about. My "Feeling" won't be hurt if you disagree. This is a free share area, but it is the lounge so what else should we expect.

This year Local and State Redistricting is fixing to start. As I understand it the purpose is to even out the population in the District within the County and for House and Senate seats.
This occurs after the US Census is taken. Nationally, population determines how many members of Congress each State has. In the State, I don't believe we add Representatives or Senators, we tend to move the lines to get the population numbers correct. Seems like is wasn't that long ago, Senator Gaetz was in charge of Redistricting. Here is an article about what occurred under his watch.
The man appointed to lead the Redistricting for the State of Florida Senate is Senator Ray Rodriguez. I hope he follows the rules of the State Constitution.


The other day I saw the appointments to the Walton County Redistricting. My name wasn't on it, . Let me share with you about Redistricting at the County from my perspective. Many people think that certain areas will be carved up so they have less representation. In Walton County we at large vote for all Commissioners. Yes a Commissioner is required to live in a certain district they represent. Unlike Escambia where you only vote for a candidate in your district. They only have 1 seat at the table. In Walton, I can influence by my vote all 5 of those seats. The Redistricting Committee could make or divide an area and diminish its voting strength by drawing lines on a on peice of paper. But we don't vote single district. There are 20 voting Precincts in Walton County, close to 60000 registered voters and in the last election 4 Precincts had over half of all votes for in Walton. I could see where folks might be concerned about your vote and representation if we were single district and then carved those votes out of those 4 Precincts. I know there are folks who will disagree with me on this and I am good with that. When that committee meets and you want to see where the lines on the map end up, just remember your vote will still count for all your elected officials for School Board, County Commissioners and the like. If you like a Candidate and want to see them elected, get out and vote, put money into their campaigns, volunteer to host a meet and greet with your candidate, hold signs.

I am a bit off topic but as the discussion turned to law enforcement I share my thoughts.

I began my public sector career in the 1970s working for a mid-sized police department in Central FL. Since that time, while I have decades of private sector experience, I worked part-time/reserve for three other police/fire/public safety entities as well as full-time for a few county and state agencies in this and other states. I speak from only my personal experience, specifically re my affiliations with law enforcement agencies.

Money and power corrupt.

“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power,” wrote Robert Green Ingersoll, reflecting on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. “Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power.”
​

Used to be that I scoffed at those who claimed law enforcement was corrupt. One evening very late I heard a racket outside. Checking on the commotion I saw a man (allegedly breaking into cars) splayed out on the hood of my car and surrounded by no less than five officers. One officer was kneeling on the hood of my car with a gun shoved in that suspect's mouth (for allegedly breaking into cars???!!). The other officers had their guns drawn on the man as well. Alarmed, I yelled, "what are you doing, why are you shoving your gun down the guy's throat." Thankfully, the startled officer withdrew his gun from the guy's throat. He immediately looked over his shoulder and yelled back at me to mind my own "GD business" and go back inside. (BTW, the "suspect" also shouted at me, "thanks, lady, you may have just saved my life.") I did just that (went inside) but called the police department directly. I was surprised that I received the same response from the commanding officer. I no longer am surprised at the behavior of many LEOs, current and former, who seem to feel that a gun on their hip gives them rights beyond those of the rest of us.

This was a single incident but I witness this type of behavior over and over again. Take anyone who has ever felt down-trodden (can't find another job, is fat, is short, is ugly, lacks a competitive education, etc., etc., et al) and place a gun in their hands and a badge of their chests and they immediately develop swagger, a "do you know who I am/who you are dealing with?" attitude.

The standards for law enforcement officers to be certified should include some type of nationally-standardized test (criterion and construct validity-tested to ensure against disparate impact to protected classes) to determine a candidate's 1) mental health/fitness for such a job, 2) ability to handle stress and pressure AND make good decisions, and 3) uncover overt and hidden biases against other members of the HUMAN race. It shouldn't be a one-time evaluation either but repeated according to a prescribed schedule.

The officers and administrations who balk at this type of a measure perhaps know something about their colleagues that should bar them from positions of public trust.

Just exercising my Constitutionally-given right to free speech.

This is a privately owned site so your first amendment rights do not apply here. Not trying to be a smarta** it’s just a fact.

Are you suggesting that the private owners of this site do not apply first amendment rights to all participates? I would disagree if you are. I think they are doing their very best to allow free speech.

Are you suggesting that the private owners of this site do not apply first amendment rights to all participates? I would disagree if you are. I think they are doing their very best to allow free speech.

So this is a quote from one of your post.
"The rules in this forum are different for some people so maybe we should strive to be better each day and realize that our rules are a reflection of who we are"

So this is a quote from one of your post.
"The rules in this forum are different for some people so maybe we should strive to be better each day and realize that our rules are a reflection of who we are"

Somehow you always seem to miss my points. I am sure it is my inability to express my thoughts. Yes it is very difficult to apply rules fairly but I think we are better for at least trying.

Are you suggesting that the private owners of this site do not apply first amendment rights to all participates? I would disagree if you are. I think they are doing their very best to allow free speech.

If this is a question for me it’s apparent you do not comprehend the first amendment. The 1A only applies to the government restricting free speech. It is stated very clearly in the first five words.
You are the only one suggesting the owners of this site are unfair in their enforcement of the rules.

Somehow you always seem to miss my points. I am sure it is my inability to express my thoughts. Yes it is very difficult to apply rules fairly but I think we are better for at least trying.

So you weren't saying rules weren't equally applied to all here? Were you saying the rules are different than what some people are accustomed too? I have never been unfairly treated here. I think I was put in jail for a day and wasn't sure what I did on this site. When I asked for clarification it was kind of a non issue. We, as a community do what we do here. There have been some asshats who have pushed the envelop in other threads where the rules might be a little more narrower/ civil. The Lounge on the other hand is not for the faint of heart or for someone who wears their heart on their sleeve. If you are easily offended or feel you are picked on or singled out it is because these folks in here can be like sharks. I like it here, it is a like a bar in the worst section of town, where you can throw s**t, "within reason" and get away with it. If it wasn't fair to all, guys like Poppy, Leader and Happy would probably be banned. I have never been around such an elceletic group and happy I get to participate.
As the saying goes
C'est La Vie

So you weren't saying rules weren't equally applied to all here? Were you saying the rules are different than what some people are accustomed too? I have never been unfairly treated here. I think I was put in jail for a day and wasn't sure what I did on this site. When I asked for clarification it was kind of a non issue. We, as a community do what we do here. There have been some asshats who have pushed the envelop in other threads where the rules might be a little more narrower/ civil. The Lounge on the other hand is not for the faint of heart or for someone who wears their heart on their sleeve. If you are easily offended or feel you are picked on or singled out it is because these folks in here can be like sharks. I like it here, it is a like a bar in the worst section of town, where you can throw s**t, "within reason" and get away with it. If it wasn't fair to all, guys like Poppy, Leader and Happy would probably be banned. I have never been around such an elceletic group and happy I get to participate.
As the saying goes
C'est La Vie

Okay I will try to explain better. I am saying that those that are making rules have to enforce the rules evenly and fairly which is hard to do. That's it. Trust me I am aware that sometimes you get put in jail when you ain't really done nothing wrong And that is okay. All we have to do is learn something positive from the experience...

If this is a question for me it’s apparent you do not comprehend the first amendment. The 1A only applies to the government restricting free speech. It is stated very clearly in the first five words.
You are the only one suggesting the owners of this site are unfair in their enforcement of the rules.

Nope. I am suggesting that rules are easily written or said but difficult to enforce equally and fairly.

You brought up 1A. I was talking about rules and enforcement of rules and only asked you a question about your post that referenced 1A. Please don't make communication any harder than it already is. We are on the same page most of the time. When I disagree with your post it could be because I did not understand your point OR it could be that I completely disagree and still respect your point. There is no good reason to be condescending. I may see things differently. That's all. I prefer friends not enemies but as my wife has told me before I am a warrior. I am working on it

Okay I will try to explain better. I am saying that those that are making rules have to enforce the rules evenly and fairly which is hard to do. That's it. Trust me I am aware that sometimes you get put in jail when you ain't really done nothing wrong And that is okay. All we have to do is learn something positive from the experience...

I’ve been banned for breaking the rules and it was all on me, no one else.

Nope. I am suggesting that rules are easily written or said but difficult to enforce equally and fairly.

You brought up 1A. I was talking about rules and enforcement of rules and only asked you a question about your post that referenced 1A. Please don't make communication any harder than it already is. We are on the same page most of the time. When I disagree with your post it could be because I did not understand your point OR it could be that I completely disagree and still respect your point. There is no good reason to be condescending. I may see things differently. That's all. I prefer friends not enemies but as my wife has told me before I am a warrior. I am working on it

We don’t always agree, but you and I are always good.

I follow a few pages that have to do with with making our area better. Many folks say you have to engage in the process, emails, talking to those who make decisions, showing up at meetings. Folks complain emails aren't returned, access to meeting are hindered because of the time of day and access to decision makers is difficult. I wonder if we have anyone in all these groups who agree on everything. We have people who want to limit/ stop development because of infrastructure issues. We have folks who own property who want to build on their property. So we have competition for what should be allowed and not allowed.

The answer to much of this is Politics. But even local politicians are limited to what they can do based on limits that were put in place by previous Politicians or by legal precedent or even State intervention.

The way to make change is to become involved. Either via email, or making time to visit with those decision makers or stepping out and running for office or being appointed to some of the committees. We can't be discouraged by obstacles that seem to occur. We can't be afraid to put ourselves in the middle of the politics that is Walton County. We have to be involved. If you don't like the representation you have, then you have to either run or find someone who will run and support them. What I find in my conversations with people and my reading here locally is that it is very easy to complain until you have to put skin in the game. Elections occur every 2 year, redistricting every 10 years.

One of the things I have recently noticed folks have some strong thoughts about the Planning Commission. I was recently told/ read about how folks feel these people just rubber stamp items on their agenda. That this commission doesn't take into consideration the thoughts or impacts these projects have on the community/areas. I would venture to guess there is someone who is employed by the County who sits in on these meetings who is versed on what the codes and rules are. It may be a lawyer. I would also venture the developer or someone in his employ is also sitting presenting the why they should be allowed to do what they believe they are allowed to do. In the end is seem to go to the Planning Board members for the final say. Either way, whether it is approved or disapproved someone won't be happy. It seems those appointed to these positions should be looking out not for the interest of the people or the developer but the rules that have been set forth in the codes and zoning established by the county. The Solar Farm is kind of an example for me. If I remember correctly, the Planning Commission approved the plan over the objections of the residents. The BCC turned around and denied it and was basically fixing to be sued. After all that something happened in Tallahassee (Preemption of Local Decision) occurred and even before it was signed by the Governor the County was back at the table negotiating with Gulf Power. Personally, not sure what the Legislature did would have made a difference in the Walton County case, but could/ will have a profound impact going forward.

I follow a few pages that have to do with with making our area better. Many folks say you have to engage in the process, emails, talking to those who make decisions, showing up at meetings. Folks complain emails aren't returned, access to meeting are hindered because of the time of day and access to decision makers is difficult. I wonder if we have anyone in all these groups who agree on everything. We have people who want to limit/ stop development because of infrastructure issues. We have folks who own property who want to build on their property. So we have competition for what should be allowed and not allowed.

The answer to much of this is Politics. But even local politicians are limited to what they can do based on limits that were put in place by previous Politicians or by legal precedent or even State intervention.

The way to make change is to become involved. Either via email, or making time to visit with those decision makers or stepping out and running for office or being appointed to some of the committees. We can't be discouraged by obstacles that seem to occur. We can't be afraid to put ourselves in the middle of the politics that is Walton County. We have to be involved. If you don't like the representation you have, then you have to either run or find someone who will run and support them. What I find in my conversations with people and my reading here locally is that it is very easy to complain until you have to put skin in the game. Elections occur every 2 year, redistricting every 10 years.

One of the things I have recently noticed folks have some strong thoughts about the Planning Commission. I was recently told/ read about how folks feel these people just rubber stamp items on their agenda. That this commission doesn't take into consideration the thoughts or impacts these projects have on the community/areas. I would venture to guess there is someone who is employed by the County who sits in on these meetings who is versed on what the codes and rules are. It may be a lawyer. I would also venture the developer or someone in his employ is also sitting presenting the why they should be allowed to do what they believe they are allowed to do. In the end is seem to go to the Planning Board members for the final say. Either way, whether it is approved or disapproved someone won't be happy. It seems those appointed to these positions should be looking out not for the interest of the people or the developer but the rules that have been set forth in the codes and zoning established by the county. The Solar Farm is kind of an example for me. If I remember correctly, the Planning Commission approved the plan over the objections of the residents. The BCC turned around and denied it and was basically fixing to be sued. After all that something happened in Tallahassee (Preemption of Local Decision) occurred and even before it was signed by the Governor the County was back at the table negotiating with Gulf Power. Personally, not sure what the Legislature did would have made a difference in the Walton County case, but could/ will have a profound impact going forward.

Exactly right. We got to be more involved! Sitting around on our arse is not going to getrdone. Complaining is not going to getrdone. It is a lot of work to jump through all the hurdles and to be honest I have failed more than I have been successful. As a small business person I have found the hurdles to be very high and sometimes it takes more resources than I have access to. So to be very honest the process is not fair to all. The more resources available to you the more success you will have. I do understand why a lot of people feel like they can't fight City Hall and give up trying. I have made that same mistake but if I have learned anything is that if you want something to change it will take a strong work ethic. It helps to have many voices who come together for a common purpose which is a time consuming as well as labor intensive to figure out. Community involvement takes time and organization not to mention a respect for each other no matter what our politics are. Not all of us have access to time and of course that is a problem. The complexities of politics and government could be better understood if our educational curriculum included Civics which would certainly help us organize our voices into an efficient demand for representation. So there are things that can help us be better represented but the bottom line is to have skin in the game...

That's why organizations like Beach to Bay and SWCC (South Walton Community Council) were formed as advocacy groups. Unfortunately they don't receive the funding they used to and should. If you can't attend meetings and don't feel emails work then get involved with or simply support some of the local organizations that do exactly what you're looking for.

That's why organizations like Beach to Bay and SWCC (South Walton Community Council) were formed as advocacy groups. Unfortunately they don't receive the funding they used to and should. If you can't attend meetings and don't feel emails work then get involved with or simply support some of the local organizations that do exactly what you're looking for.

Or work for the candidates who more closely represent your views. You would not imagine the number of folks I have talked with while sitting at the polls, who want to know about candidates as they are preparing to vote. 2 things I don't do, #1 trash talk the other candidates to a perspective voter and #2 tell them how to vote. The last election a couple came up to discuss the candidates and they didn't know they got to vote for all the BCC and School Board seats. When they found out they went home to do some homework.

I believe that we the people will have to demand a 3rd party candidate in the very near future to save our democracy. It will have to be a grass roots movement that pulls all this negative energy between democrats and republicans to a positive hope for our future. The problem is the roots of our two parties have been fertilized by something green and with a lot of zero's that turns colors and smells bad very quick. So it may never happen as it will be almost impossible to compete with the BS two party system. Another problem is that it will be a risk that many of us will not be willing to make. I am not optimistic about a 3rd party or a 4th party or more but I now believe that democracy will not survive with a two party political system.

The GOP will be thrilled to hear that. Third party candidates put Trump in office.