Guest Column: 12 days of Christmas

Guest Column: 12 days of Christmas



ED SLAVIN
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 12/16/06


On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:


One new national park, "St. Augustine National Historical Park and Seashore" (SANHPS), preserving an "emerald necklace of parks," with restored 1928 trolley car system and Civil Rights Foot soldiers monument, honoring 11,000 years of First Coast history. From the Castillo to Fort Matanzas to Red House Bluff to the Slave Market to city streets, wetlands and forests, lets preserve what needs preserving for our visitors and residents.


Two new Democratic Houses of Congress. Two new St. Johns Commissioners. Expect thorough reforms/investigations.


Three progressive-populist-reform candidates for St. Augustine mayor/commissioners.


FDR's Four Freedoms" (freedom of speech and to worship and from fear and want) advancing everywhere.


Five new laws protecting "just us folks," including a "Living Wage."


Six more global religious leaders championing human rights and solving Global Warming.


Seven new ways to defeat Pharisees' globalizing greed -- outsourcing, price gouging, union busting, deforestation, monopolization -- "the race to the bottom."


Eight ways of restoring free-market competition and ending costly, no-competition government contracting.


Nine single-member St. Augustine Commission districts, one-per-precinct (as in our past), empowering neighborhoods.


Ten gnarly solar/conservation energy technologies, saving our frail planet.


Eleven ways to persuade the world's peoples to stop killing for religion/politics/ money/tribalism. "Give peace a chance."


Twelve St. Augustine city charter amendments assuring transparency, while preserving our peaceful town and stopping influential tree-killer-clear- cutter-overdevelopers.

At November 13th's City Commission meeting, I first proposed "St. Augustine National Historical Park and Seashore. Then-Mayor George Gardner snapped that I ask too many questions (about the peoples' business, unanswered). Kudos to the St. Augustine Record for defending free speech. Frustrated, retaliatory Gardner never stood up to City Manager William B. Harriss, Philistine overdevelopers, Time-Warner-cable-TV, government contractors, or "rampant corruption" (his words), habitually breaking campaign promises. I wear Gardner's scorn as a badge of honor. My religious tradition teaches forgiveness; I forgive Gardner and cronies.

Let's fill Christmas stockings:

Gold stars to County Commission Chair Ben Rich and other progressives, fighting corruption, thinking globally, acting locally.

To City Commissioners and Harriss, 47,248 lumps of coal for FDEP's illegal dumping fine ($47,248).

Both stars/coal to FDEP (which hid its proposed $47,248 fines under bushel-baskets, concealing "serious" violations and "lack of good faith" findings until one week after elections). Let's prosecute environmental criminals.

To Anastasia Mosquito Control District, 1,793,243 lumps of coal for buying a gold-plated $1,793,243 helicopter (with $1,347 map pocket), with no competitive bidding, with Board Chair Bosanko and Director Xue refusing to answer even newly elected board members' questions.

Gold stars to the local church and the motel-owner's granddaughter for apologizing (in DNWA) [the prize winning documentary "Dare Not Walk Alone"]for 1964s wrongs, but lumps of coal to City officials who refuse to do so, while discriminating (not one of 59 SAPD officers is African-American), with unconstitutional racial gerrymandering (more than 50 City annexations in 55 years while refusing to annex West Augustine).

Let's erase Apartheid/bigotry.

To City Commissioners Susan Burk and Joseph Boles: gold stars for supporting free speech (Rainbow flags on Bridge of Lions).

A gold star to U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr. for ordering the City to fly Rainbow flags.

Lumps of coal to Harriss for violating free speech on St. George Street and our Bridge.

Gold stars to the Record for exposing government wrongdoing.

To voters who "had enough": gold stars for defeating incumbents and electing reformers.

Gold stars to Arizonans for rejecting an anti-Gay marriage amendment, to Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Governor-elect Charles Crist for opposing a similar amendment. In 1566, Florida's first Governor ordered murder of a Gay translator, termed "a Sodomite and a Lutheran." Today's Floridians respect diversity.

2007 promises more progress. "We the people" demand liberty, justice and equality.

Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge transformed and reformed himself from villain into benefactor in one night, after visits from Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Today's Scrooges need our prayers.

O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" and the film "It's A Wonderful Life" teach that loving concern for others is the best Christmas gift -- the universal meaning of "the holidays" -- whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice or New Year.


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