The New "Kill Bill" Law in Florida

People are now allowed to kill in self-defense on the street, instead of being forced to turn and flee (or face the consequences).

Critics are crying out that this will create a 'Wild West' mentality here. As if we aren't already being painted in the press as morons (i.e. 'hanging chads'), with a high number of deviants (i.e. all the latest child rapes and murders), illegal immigrants (i.e. Cubans and Mexicans), and with an overly large population of senile old people and bikini-clad tourists. To sum it up, America sees Florida as the Pamela Anderson of the United States.

Unless you live in Florida, you probably stand a good chance of buying into these stereotypes. And, granted, we have a little of all of the above. But we also have a huge population that has grown astronomically since the 1970s. When a population grows extremely fast, its very difficult for the infrastructure to grow to keep up with it. The weirdos are the exception in the state of Florida, not the rule.

But, let's address this "Stand Your Ground" law. What does it entail? Basically, if you are attacked by someone on the street, you have the right to defend yourself first. You don't have to run away, and risk a knife or a bullet in your back. It makes the criminal think twice. It's much easier to pluck a pigeon than it is to take on a tiger.

Critics complain that it will make gang fights legal. It won't, although it might make them lethal. But, weren't they anyway? I've never heard of gang fights that use, say, foam baseball bats when knives and guns are available. And the law would not have made a difference to them. It's not as if gangs check with their lawyers and the local police department before they rumble.

Only time will tell if this law will be a disaster, or if it will serve the purpose it was intended to serve. I firmly believe in our right to bear arms, and I also believe that we have the right to defend ourselves. It will be interesting to see what cases this new law may generate.

The Lowest Bidder

I drove along I4 the other day (in Tampa, FL), and dealt with the usual hideous traffic congestion. I found myself wondering when the road would be finished. By my calculations, the road has been in a state of repair and expansion for as long as I've been alive, which would be...too long, by any standards.

Why?

Because in Florida, our government gives all the contracts to the LOWEST bidder.

That means that if Florida has to choose between ABC Road Company (with 123 employees who can finish I4 in 2 years) and the XYZ Road Company (whose only employee is known as George), they will pick the XYZ Road Company if their bid is the cheaper of the two. That's good news for George, who will have a lifetime of employment. It's bad news for the drivers in the Tampa Bay area.

We have a horrendous spate of accidents on I4. There are areas that are notorious for the amount of deaths that are directly resultant of the continued construction in those areas. But, is the State of Florida negligable? Can they be sued for this?

No.

It's our own fault. Until we change our laws, until we put people in our government that will actually have some common sense, we will not see an end to this road construction.

We need to write to our legislators and ask them to re-evaluate giving every contract to the lowest bidder. Until then, we'll keep getting what we pay for.

The Other Woman in Michael Schiavo's Life

For those of you unfamiliar with what I'm referring to, let me take a moment to explain. You've heard of the Terry Shindler-Schiavo case by now, or you've been hiding under a rock. What some people don't know is that Michael (her husband) took on a mistress that he's been living with for years. He has two young children with her.

OK, I just read a very patronizing little article in the St. Petersburg Times today. The author goes out of her way to tell us that Michael Schiavo's mistress (Jodi Centonze) is sweet and gentle, nurturing and supportive. Why, she's even helped with Terry! She's even washed her clothes! In fact, the author implies, Jodi deserves sainthood, or a medal at least. She also tells us that Terry's parents encouraged Michael to date, and seems to ask us (indirectly) how can this be wrong?

Uh uh, sister. I'm not buying it. No matter how sugarcoated it is, the fact remains that it's not a good arrangement. It's not healthy for anyone involved. For crying out loud, how could it be? Further in the article, the author points out that Jodi is willing to be 'the other woman' and that she understands that Michael only has one wife and she's content with that. (Well, I bet after that one wife is good and dead, Michael will change his mind.)

But what I really have to ask is, what kind of a wimp would be willing to be second best? I mean, is there anyone out there buying this (besides the author of the story)? Let's face it, it's another try at spin control. Michael's looking like the bad guy. Let's do a Human Interest Story on him via a sympathetic pass at his mistress. Nope, I can read between the lines. Jodi is just another victim.

I have always felt Michael was an unsavory character. Remember the board certified psychologist that recently came out? She said she's carefully analyzed him and felt that he had the same profile as Scott Peterson and other sociopathic personalities. And she's not the only one. Lots of people think he's gotta be a pretty creepy guy to want so desperately to kill Terry, and many people (including Terry's nurses) have stepped forward to say that he's been chomping at the bit to 'Kill the B*tch' (as he's supposed to have said). Terry's parents don't have enough money to buy all this testimony. So we have to ask ourselves, why would these people be coming out and saying these things? What is their possible motivation, if it isn't the truth?

If we'd stop trying so hard to justify what he's doing, and have a serious look at him, I'm betting that none of us would want him marrying our daughters. Or living with them.

Ok, you say, but what does that have to do with us? It doesn't affect ME.

Ah, but it does affect you. You should heartily resent any attempts to manipulate you into seeing something other than the truth. You should detest people who try to obscure the truth by attempting to excuse away bad behavior. You should be furious that there is someone out there, trying to make sure that you can't see the forest for the trees.

Because that's exactly what this is, folks. This is a concerted attempt at manipulation.

Let's look at what's going on, assuming we know nothing, and stop hearing what Terry might have wanted, or might not have wanted. Let's stop focusing on the personalities and their motivations. Let's be cool, analytical, and logical. It all boils down to this: If there isn't a living will, is it OK for a husband to starve his wife to death if she's mentally handicapped? I know what my answer is.