Let's see who votes for oil and who votes for Florida

thanks. if you get time, could you take a quick look and give me your opinion...
Session :Bills : : flsenate.gov

Where did this come from? I'd support this amendment if it came to a vote.

Where did this come from? I'd support this amendment if it came to a vote.

well, unfortunately, you don't get to voteit's a senate amendment offered up by Sen. Gaetz. It's from the Senate Web page on bills. But, I am sure he would like to hear your approval--his staff would probably send you the other version of his form letter--

If, it really is designed to do what Susan said (above), I would support it too.

okay that makes sense. In your opinion is this what this bill does?

Class averaging seems like a good idea. Allows schools to manage their own classes.

well, unfortunately, you don't get to voteit's a senate amendment offered up by Sen. Gaetz. It's from the Senate Web page on bills. But, I am sure he would like to hear your approval--his staff would probably send you the other version of his form letter--

If, it really is designed to do what Susan said (above), I would support it too.

Hmm, I thought the class size thing was written into the constitution? I would think changes to that would require another amendment, but maybe this just changes existing legislation that tagged along side or something?

Thanks, Dave

Hmm, I thought the class size thing was written into the constitution? I would think changes to that would require another amendment, but maybe this just changes existing legislation that tagged along side or something?

I think that's right--this is the first step toward getting it to the people...then, you and I get to vote.

I did not mean to hi-jack this thread about oil drilling--I got interested in other bills being filed by Sen. Gaetz and then especially interested in the co-sponsors...but, Kurt, please move this if appropriate. I do find it interesting to cross reference the issues, but oil drilling is what this thread is about.

Op-Ed on Drilling

I am submitting this OP-Ed to the newspapers tomorrow:

Let's see who votes for oil and who votes for Florida

These are fascinating times for us in Florida. We are on the brink of decisions that could forever endanger our clean waters our clean beaches and our valuable tourism based economy.

It is clear members of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives are determined to push this oil legislation through this session or later in the year. The Senate just last week filed Senate Bill 2622, a companion bill to the House version that would allow for drilling from 3 to 10 miles offshore. Florida's House General Policy Council just voted in favor of asking the US Congress to lift the ban on drilling in Federal Waters from 3 to 125 miles offshore. Officials kept saying there would be no movement on the oil initiative this year in order to lull us into a trance. That is why I chose Feb 13 to organize Hands Across The Sand to bring Floridians full attention to this issue.

Interesting how this General Policy Council that recently voted on House Memorial Bill 563 was made up of 95% House Representatives who come from the spine of the state. You would think lawmakers would have the backbone to create a more balanced representation of coastal interests as well. If they are so confident Floridians are whooping it up about oil why would they do that? Talk about stacking the deck, they stacked the deck to open up the door to an industry that could easily, with one spill devastate an entire coastal economy in an instant. The word memorial is fitting because this could truly be a "Memorial" signaling a death knell to our beautiful, pristine coastline and waters.

I hear promises from politicians, I hear promises from oil lobbyists, I hear promises from the Oil Industry. I hear promises from the Ghost of Mr. Chicken but I don't believe any of them. Where were your promises when this oil bill was first written in the House of Representatives and in the recently signed Memorial Bill? All one needs to do is read the not so fine print to see what the boys in El Rancho Petro in Texas want. They are asking for the world; unfettered drilling from 3 miles out to 125 miles.

And I just love the new fangled, slickety smooth TV Ad campaign the energy companies are waging on the American Psyche. Oh boy, you would think they could be the saviors of the American Dream and the givers of jobs, jobs, jobs! And new, safer, "greener" drilling techniques! It's almost comical how the oil and gas industry is doing nothing more than employing a capable bunch of marketing minds to recreate this new "green" image. Not unlike "clean coal", the ultimate oxymoron. Please, don't insult the intelligence of Floridians.

The oil industry is a dirty business, period. All one needs to do is cruise the coastline from Gulf Shores Alabama to the border of Mexico to see how the oil and gas industry conducts it's business in our western gulf of Mexico and the mess is not only in the water. It's no secret there are parts of Texas and Louisiana that are industrial wastelands. There are nearly 4000 oil rigs off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama; of those 4000, 1000 are rusting, useless hulks. They are only using a fraction of the 100,000 oil and gas leases they have and they want more?

Leaks? Oh, they always say there are rarely leaks. Tell that to Grandpa. All one needs to do is a little research to find the level of oil that goes into our Gulf regularly and it is a fact that unintended spills happen often. Listen up Oil and Gas industry: clean up the existing cesspool you created west of Florida's border and then you might be qualified to talk all you want to about your "new, cleaner, greener" ways.

Nicol?s Guti?rrez, Jr, Bush appointee, Member, Board of Directors of the National Association of Cuban Mineral and Petroleum Rights Holders and 9 time Director of the National Association of Sugar Mill owners of Cuba mentioned in a recent op-ed: "For those who say offshore drilling will hurt our tourism industry, I urge you to learn more about the cleaner, safer and less intrusive technologies that can find and extract oil and natural gas without hurting our pristine coastline." Here's a guy who looks out for the oil and sugar industry talking about cleaner and safer technologies. Gimme a break. Your Texas buddies are already pissing in their chili over in Texas, (not my original thought) how can we expect them to take a lot of consideration with our Pristine coastline?

So, The Century Commission drilling report just concluded that all the oil in Florida's waters would power America for only one week. Based on these findings this oil drilling initiative should be dropped now, right? No, not a chance. Our leaders are choosing to ignore this fact. It is clear those Legislators flush with oil Lobby contributions are determined to push this through now no matter what. I guess they are just doing what they got paid to do. Should we be surprised?

Even after thousands of Floridians on 80 beaches statewide joined hands on February 13 against oil, I am afraid our leaders are not listening. Senator's and House Members and Governor Crist? Listen well; oil is on the lips of Floridians and they don't like the taste of it. Listen well; we will never let Florida forget who sold out our beautiful treasured coastline and waterways. We will never forget. Very soon we will see which Senators and House Members vote for oil and which ones vote for Florida. It is as simple a question as this: A vote for Oil or a vote for Florida?

If our leaders choose Oil we may be the last generation of Floridians who remember an unbroken horizon free of oil rigs. We may be the last generation to breath clean air free of choking diesel fuel from increased support traffic from tankers and crew boats. We may be the last generation of Floridians who remember pristine white beaches free of oil from busted pipelines and rigs. No Senators, House Members and Governor Christ we will never forget and I promise, those who vote for oil instead of Florida vote in peril of their political futures in Florida. That's a promise from this generation of Floridians. We are collectively holding our breath. For Florida's sake, choose Florida.

--
Dave Rauschkolb
Founder, Hands Across The Sand

Powerful stuff!

I drove by a FL Lottery billboard today. $116M Powerball. I had this idle fantasy about calling Sen. Gaetz' and Rep. Coley's offices and inquiring how much I'd have to donate to insure a vote against all this. After all, that's what the lobbyists for oil are doing.

Then it occured to me...

We have some homeowners in SoWal with seriously deep pockets. Perhaps some of them would step up to the plate if approached, even if anonymously.

Fighting fire with fire...

maybe we need to do a televised concert with some of the celebrity voices that choose to vacation in sowal. i'm guessing they don't want to see oil rigs either.
also, dave, great idea about doing the hands again in a busier season.

Oil & Class SIze

Yeah, I'm really annoyed that he's waffling on drilling. THe message I got from is office only said that he'd be against drilling if the military was. Possible military objection is only one of many reasons to be against drilling. How about wrecking our economy and our heritage.

The class size thing may not be as bad as it sounds: His proposal is to keep with the current scheme of class size limits by school average, instead of class by class. I could be wrong, but this kind of make sense to me. A high school history class, for instance may not need to be as small as a math class.

Susan, do you have any insight into why he is reluctant to take a stand against the drilling? Also, why does he want to increase class size? If I'm not misinformed, he filed a bill to increase ...Session :Bills : : flsenate.gov

The celebrity angle is a good one, and many of them rumored to own here already support environmental causes. How can we contact their people with our predicament and enlist their help? Who among us knows people who know people?

Also, we need to enlist major organizations who we know are opposed to drilling, like Florida Realtor, environment, tourism and hospitality groups.
Would buses to Tallahassee help?

Scooterbug, you're right that coastal dwellers are against drilling, but there's a large contingent of unemployed and misinformed inland dwellers who believe the lies they are being fed by the oil lobby - that they'll have cheaper gas and higher paying jobs to buy it with. We need ideas on counteracting that, and experience tells me that logic and reason don't always work.

And, Dave, you said it. As a south Louisiana native who's fished many times off the Louisiana coast, I can vouch that these companies leave their garbage everywhere. They're like locusts, sucking their prey dry then moving on to the next. The ultimate irony regarding Sen. Gaetz is that - if my information is correct - it was his home used in the movie The Truman Show, portraying a place so perfectly beautiful that it didn't even exist in real life, but had to be created as a television set. The fact that he would even consider in any way jeapordizing the actual, real-world version tells me he has sold his soul for his ambition. How terribly sad.

Yes. I was doing some web surfing and came upon a collection of essays Theodore Roosevelt penned regarding his various outdoor experiences. There is one entire essay he devoted to a birding expedition he participated in circa 1915. The party launched boats in Pass Christian, Mississippi and explored the various barrier islands and beaches in the Mississippi Sound, then headed east. I don't know exactly how far east they made it and I don't think they came as far as Pensacola or he would have mentioned it, but Roosevelt's description of the water, sand, birds, fish, reptiles and insects is striking. I was amazed to read his description of so many things we still see today.

Apparently, raiding bird nests for plumes and eggs used to be big business. Roosevelt penned a lament one morning as the party discovered a number of nests that had been plundered. He wrote:

Defenders of the short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek to champion them by saying that "the game belongs to the people." So it does; and not merely to the people now alive, but to the unborn people. The "greatest good of the greatest number" applies to the number within the womb of time, compared to which those now alive form but an insignificant fraction. Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations. The movement for the conservation of wild life, and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources, are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method.

Amazingly appropriate comments that still ring true today, especially when you consider he was talking about OUR GULF COAST!!!

The entire book is available online. It is entitled "A Book Lovers Holidays In the Open". Here is the link. The Gulf Coast chapter is Chapter 10
Roosevelt, Theodore. 1916. A Book-Lover?s Holidays in the Open

Skunkape - thank you for the wonderful words. I would love to have that book... going to look now.

Marti Coley has received much criticism on this site and I understand why. Therefore, it was interesting to talk to her yesterday.
I had left a rather heated message on her office answering machine and she gracefully returned my call. I will not try to reiterate our conversation but suffice it to say she definitely gave me the impression that she was aware of our concerns, why we had them and that she would be looking out for our interests. While she did not come out in total support of our efforts it was my distinct impression she was leaning that way. I felt it was a productive and useful conversation.
I informed her of the SoWal website and, to my surprise, she stated she was unaware of it. She did say that she was going to access it as soon as she hung up. I can only hope she did as I feel she would have gotten a lot of good information as well as SoWaller's opinions. Just thought some of you would like to know that, at least in one instance, our elected representatives responded directly to a request.

Marti Coley has received much criticism on this site and I understand why. Therefore, it was interesting to talk to her yesterday.
I had left a rather heated message on her office answering machine and she gracefully returned my call. I will not try to reiterate our conversation but suffice it to say she definitely gave me the impression that she was aware of our concerns, why we had them and that she would be looking out for our interests. While she did not come out in total support of our efforts it was my distinct impression she was leaning that way. I felt it was a productive and useful conversation.
I informed her of the SoWal website and, to my surprise, she stated she was unaware of it. She did say that she was going to access it as soon as she hung up. I can only hope she did as I feel she would have gotten a lot of good information as well as SoWaller's opinions. Just thought some of you would like to know that, at least in one instance, our elected representatives responded directly to a request.

Andy, I believe she played you like a fiddle.

Andy, I believe she played you like a fiddle.

And I believe it is attitudes such as your toward government that, to a great degree, causes the situation we are in.

I think it is great you actually talked to her, but I am not believing anyone until they publicly and unequivocally state their position on the issue - and even then it's not a guarantee!

Glad you told her about Sowal! Hopefully she logs on and realizes just how many voters and visitors are discussing this ........ and for whom this is a litmus issue!

I think it is great you actually talked to her, but I am not believing anyone until they publicly and unequivocally state their position on the issue - and even then it's not a guarantee!

Glad you told her about Sowal! Hopefully she logs on and realizes just how many voters and visitors are discussing this ........ and for whom this is a litmus issue!

I couldn't agree more about the "position" part. I think she understood that while I am not a single issue voter in most cases, on this issue I am. Also, I am anything but naive when it comes to any of our government.

I think she understood that while I am not a single issue voter in most cases, on this issue I am.

This issue is quite the unifier IMO - crossing party and demographic lines like no other issue I've seen. The sooner the politicians realize that, the better!

This issue is quite the unifier IMO - crossing party and demographic lines like no other issue I've seen. The sooner the politicians realize that, the better!

We just have to get the point where the unifying issue rises above the other major ingredient: $$$$.

$$$ and disinformation! :angry:

$$$ and disinformation! :angry:

$$$ buys lots of disinformation!

And I believe it is attitudes such as your toward government that, to a great degree, causes the situation we are in.

Andy I realize that you are in a great SWGB bashing mood, but that fact remains that you are against oil drilling and she is not.

I am also of the opinion that I can recreate that phone call with a short length of hose and a carton of Marlboro's.

I am submitting this OP-Ed to the newspapers tomorrow:

Let's see who votes for oil and who votes for Florida

These are fascinating times for us in Florida. We are on the brink of decisions that could forever endanger our clean waters our clean beaches and our valuable tourism based economy.

It is clear members of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives are determined to push this oil legislation through this session or later in the year. The Senate just last week filed Senate Bill 2622, a companion bill to the House version that would allow for drilling from 3 to 10 miles offshore. Florida's House General Policy Council just voted in favor of asking the US Congress to lift the ban on drilling in Federal Waters from 3 to 125 miles offshore. Officials kept saying there would be no movement on the oil initiative this year in order to lull us into a trance. That is why I chose Feb 13 to organize Hands Across The Sand to bring Floridians full attention to this issue.

Interesting how this General Policy Council that recently voted on House Memorial Bill 563 was made up of 95% House Representatives who come from the spine of the state. You would think lawmakers would have the backbone to create a more balanced representation of coastal interests as well. If they are so confident Floridians are whooping it up about oil why would they do that? Talk about stacking the deck, they stacked the deck to open up the door to an industry that could easily, with one spill devastate an entire coastal economy in an instant. The word memorial is fitting because this could truly be a "Memorial" signaling a death knell to our beautiful, pristine coastline and waters.

I hear promises from politicians, I hear promises from oil lobbyists, I hear promises from the Oil Industry. I hear promises from the Ghost of Mr. Chicken but I don't believe any of them. Where were your promises when this oil bill was first written in the House of Representatives and in the recently signed Memorial Bill? All one needs to do is read the not so fine print to see what the boys in El Rancho Petro in Texas want. They are asking for the world; unfettered drilling from 3 miles out to 125 miles.

And I just love the new fangled, slickety smooth TV Ad campaign the energy companies are waging on the American Psyche. Oh boy, you would think they could be the saviors of the American Dream and the givers of jobs, jobs, jobs! And new, safer, "greener" drilling techniques! It's almost comical how the oil and gas industry is doing nothing more than employing a capable bunch of marketing minds to recreate this new "green" image. Not unlike "clean coal", the ultimate oxymoron. Please, don't insult the intelligence of Floridians.

The oil industry is a dirty business, period. All one needs to do is cruise the coastline from Gulf Shores Alabama to the border of Mexico to see how the oil and gas industry conducts it's business in our western gulf of Mexico and the mess is not only in the water. It's no secret there are parts of Texas and Louisiana that are industrial wastelands. There are nearly 4000 oil rigs off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama; of those 4000, 1000 are rusting, useless hulks. They are only using a fraction of the 100,000 oil and gas leases they have and they want more?

Leaks? Oh, they always say there are rarely leaks. Tell that to Grandpa. All one needs to do is a little research to find the level of oil that goes into our Gulf regularly and it is a fact that unintended spills happen often. Listen up Oil and Gas industry: clean up the existing cesspool you created west of Florida's border and then you might be qualified to talk all you want to about your "new, cleaner, greener" ways.

Nicol?s Guti?rrez, Jr, Bush appointee, Member, Board of Directors of the National Association of Cuban Mineral and Petroleum Rights Holders and 9 time Director of the National Association of Sugar Mill owners of Cuba mentioned in a recent op-ed: "For those who say offshore drilling will hurt our tourism industry, I urge you to learn more about the cleaner, safer and less intrusive technologies that can find and extract oil and natural gas without hurting our pristine coastline." Here's a guy who looks out for the oil and sugar industry talking about cleaner and safer technologies. Gimme a break. Your Texas buddies are already pissing in their chili over in Texas, (not my original thought) how can we expect them to take a lot of consideration with our Pristine coastline?

So, The Century Commission drilling report just concluded that all the oil in Florida's waters would power America for only one week. Based on these findings this oil drilling initiative should be dropped now, right? No, not a chance. Our leaders are choosing to ignore this fact. It is clear those Legislators flush with oil Lobby contributions are determined to push this through now no matter what. I guess they are just doing what they got paid to do. Should we be surprised?

Even after thousands of Floridians on 80 beaches statewide joined hands on February 13 against oil, I am afraid our leaders are not listening. Senator's and House Members and Governor Crist? Listen well; oil is on the lips of Floridians and they don't like the taste of it. Listen well; we will never let Florida forget who sold out our beautiful treasured coastline and waterways. We will never forget. Very soon we will see which Senators and House Members vote for oil and which ones vote for Florida. It is as simple a question as this: A vote for Oil or a vote for Florida?

If our leaders choose Oil we may be the last generation of Floridians who remember an unbroken horizon free of oil rigs. We may be the last generation to breath clean air free of choking diesel fuel from increased support traffic from tankers and crew boats. We may be the last generation of Floridians who remember pristine white beaches free of oil from busted pipelines and rigs. No Senators, House Members and Governor Christ we will never forget and I promise, those who vote for oil instead of Florida vote in peril of their political futures in Florida. That's a promise from this generation of Floridians. We are collectively holding our breath. For Florida's sake, choose Florida.

--
Dave Rauschkolb
Founder, Hands Across The Sand

.
Brilliant piece Dave.
And to think ... when we moved to TX back in the 90s everyone told us to go to the FL panhandle beaches instead of TX beaches. There was a reason for that!

Our nation could cut oil consumption drastically if we would all just make a concerted effort to practice conservation.

.

Politicians are usually charming cause if they aren't who will vote for them. They will say what you want to hear to win your vote. Once in office they will work for whoever paid them in the first place. There are less exceptions than the rule. Anyone voting for oil drilling in Florida does not care about you or me period. They are not in politics for the good of the people, they are in it for them. Don't be deceived.
The bloodsuckers of society finance these weakminded individuals and then push their agendas. If perhaps I was a bit more charming I would have more green chiclets , but I prefer the truth and its not always popular. This oil drilling issue is about one thing and one thing only- GREED