At Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and New Years holidays, we give thanks

At Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and New Years holidays, we give thanks for the
people who this year helped bring the world closer to the ideals of
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other world religions and ethical belief
systems – the idea of treating people right and leaving the world a better
place.
Christmas tree gold stars and thanks to:
1. President-elect Barack Obama, former community organizer, for a classy
campaign and near-landslide electing our first African-American President.
America, we’re recovering from the scourge of racism.
2. Stetson Kennedy, courageous local civil rights hero, whose decades of
investigating Ku Klux Klan and segregationists advanced brotherhood, helping
make Obama’s election possible.
3. St. Augustine Civil Rights Foot Soldiers, whose actions in 1963-64 helped
bring about the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
4. Faye Armitage for running a good strong race against U.S. Rep. John Luigi
Mica.
5. Doug Courtney for running a good
strong race against State Rep. William
Proctor.
6. Rev. Ron Rawls, Judith Seraphin and other local volunteers, for bringing our
community together. This was the banner year when community activists defeated
our City Hall’s efforts to bring solid waste back to Lincolnville, halting our
city and state in their tracks as they tried to move waste illegally dumped in
the Old City Reservoir back to Lincolnville.
7. St. Johns County Democrats, working to end one-party Republican misrule
(which recently saw Republican County Commission Chairman20Thomas Glaize Manuel
arrested and charged with two federal felony bribery counts),
8. First-time voters, proving wrong the commentators who said that young, poor
and minority people don’t turn out to vote. 2008 marked an epic shift, where
people spoke out against abusive, authoritarian, hierarchical regimes.
9. St. Augustine Ampitheater and Winter Wonderland, for bringing music, fun,
snow, ice skating and tobogganing to our sunny clime.
10. Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County (AMCD), for adopting
a whistleblower policy on November 20th, one all other local governments must
emulate.
11. 39% of Florida voters, for rejecting anti-Gay Amendment 2, realizing that
it’s unAmerican to deny constitutional rights in state constitutions.
12. Justice Department, for indicting and convicting corrupt public officials.
13. Unions and workers, for standing up to organizations that export jobs and
exploit=2
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14. Diplomats for working toward "Peace on Earth."

I salute you.


Big Christmas stocking lumps of coal to:
1. President Bush and VP Cheney for mucking up our Nation and planet, mocking
our Constitution as "just a piece of paper."
2. Congressional Democrats for not impeaching Bush/Cheney.
3. Controversial Congres
sman John Mica, for being a doormat for Bush/Cheney,
head-butting an ABC news cameraman, lying about his anti-veteran record (zero
DAV rating three years in a row)(Mica recently admitted he is "right-wing").
4. Repressive governments , which continue to play "gotcha" with citizens and
small businesses, while wasting our money.
5. City of St. Augustine for secrecy, waste, illegal dumping and racism.
6. "Plazabum.com" and Republican dirty tricksters for perpetrating
hatred/propaganda/censorship.
7. Republican Governor Charles Crist and Republican-dominated Florida
legislature, which haven’t reversed the 2000 vote by which all OSHA protections
for government workers (state, county, city, town and special taxing district
employees) were stripped away, with none of the protections afforded
non-government workers. This is a disgrace. Florida’s not come far enough since
1566, when Florida's first Governor, Pedro Menendez, ordered a French Gay
translator murdered.

In the New Year, let’s "give peace a chance" and give average people decent
respect. Enough bailouts for undeserving billionaires. Let’s rollback NAFTA20and
grow American jobs (including creation of a St. Augustine National Historical
Park, Seashore and Scenic Coastal Highway).


Happy Holidays.


Ed Slavin
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
P.O. Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
904-829-0808 (o)

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