Friday, May 28, 2010
THE JOHN LUIGI MICA FAMILY, TRULY SCARY PEOPLE, AS THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Big Oil's top Florida lobbyist, DAVID MICA, brother of JOHN LUIGI MICA
JOHN CLARK MICA, Fertilizer Institute lobbyist
D'ANNE LEIGH MICA, charged with DUI and Failure to Appear, lobbies for Big Oil
Here they are! Lobbyist-cash-dining vampire Congressman JOHN LUIGI MICA et ux, et brother-lobbyists (DAVID and DAN), et Congressman MICA's public dole-dining PR lobbyist children (D'ANNE and J. CLARK MICA).
And President GEORGE W. BUSH is LURCH.
Is that a dysfunctional family or what?
Of course, Al Gore wrote in "Earth in the Balance" that our Nation acted like a dysfunctional family when it came to environmental pollution, but the MICA FAMILY takes the cake (and shoots the caribou).
Why, Congressman JOHN MICA even joked to the Washington Post that he calls his FPC lobbyist brother DAVID "the polluter."
Ipse dixit.
Congressman JOHN LUIGI MICA's brother, DAVID MICA, plumps for offshore oil drilling off Florida's coast. There's an obvious correlation between MICA's advocacy in Congress and that of his brothers and children. MICA's children both lobby for oil, gas and petrochemical interests.
They're creepy and they're kooky,
Lobbyists and goofy,
They're all together oooky,
The Mica Family.
Our House is a disgra--ace
Where lobbyists embrace
They've completely lost face
The Mica Family.
(Neat)
(Sweet)
(Petite)
So get a pinstripe suit on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna recall 'em
The Mica Family.
What do you reckon?
Orlando Sentinel: Beaven Memorial Day message: Mica sold out America
Big Oil's top Florida lobbyist, DAVID MICA, brother of JOHN LUIGI MICA
JOHN LUIGI MICA with wife and kids (they both work for oil/petrochemical interests)
TALLAHASSEE — As far as election-year publicity moves go, this one’s not bad.
Heather Beaven, the Democrat waging a long-shot bid to oust firmly entrenched U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, is going to Louisiana to volunteer for oil-spill clean-up duty, and using the opportunity to hammer her opponent for his oil-industry ties.
In a press release, the Palm Coast candidate matter-of-factly notes that Mica “has said that this spill is not BP’s fault. He has also supported drilling in environmentally sensitive lands including ANWAR, the Keys and the Everglades since 1970.” She goes on that Mica ”whose brother, daughter, and son have spent time lobbying on behalf of big oil companies, has accepted nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions from oil special interest groups.”
“It’s Memorial Day weekend and the best way to honor those who have died for America is to make sure that we never again sell her to the highest bidder,” she said.
Ouch.
National Journal: Congressman JOHN LUIGI MICA (a/k/a "TARBALL") Tries to Blame Oil Spill on President Obama!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 1:15 PM
Mica Blames Spill On Administration
By Darren Goode, NationalJournal.com
House Transportation and Infrastructure ranking member John Mica, R-Fla., today pegged the safety failure of the BP-run Deepwater Horizon oil rig squarely on the shoulders of the Obama administration.
While Democrats have largely concentrated their ire on BP and other companies tied to the rig, Mica at a hearing in the transportation panel today said that "all of the actions to ensure that safety measures were put in place have to be attributed to the Obama administration."
Although the Bush administration approved the lease allowing BP to drill off the rig, Mica went through what he dubbed the "Obama oil spill timeline," which included the Obama Interior department in early 2009 approving BP's safety procedures at the rig.
He also noted that the administration requested cutting positions, ships, planes and other first-responder equipment at the U.S. Coast Guard.
"I'm not going to point fingers at BP, the private industry, when it's the government's responsibility to set the standards to do the inspections," Mica said.
Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar shot back, saying it was "inflammatory to call it 'the Obama oil spill.' And wrong."
Oberstar said BP's plans were approved early in the administration by career employees, not policy appointees. He also noted that Mica himself and other panel Republicans approved the Coast Guard budget cuts Mica cited.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar testified in two Senate panels Tuesday on the need to overhaul federal safety procedures, and he will be issuing a set of recommendations to President Obama by the end of the month.
Today's Transportation and Infrastructure hearing -- the fourth of five this week on the oil spill -- features testimony from EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Minerals Management Service Director Elisabeth Birnbaum. MMS has been targeted by both parties for not requiring BP to undergo a complete environmental review before they began drilling from the Deepwater Horizon rig. The Interior Department and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are reviewing the environmental review procedures at MMS.
Obama and Salazar also have admitted there was too cozy a relationship for years between MMS and the industry. Salazar last week announced that MMS would be split in order to create an independent environment and safety entity within the agency. Later today, Salazar will be announcing additional reorganization at the agency.
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Mica Blames Spill On Administration
By Darren Goode, NationalJournal.com
House Transportation and Infrastructure ranking member John Mica, R-Fla., today pegged the safety failure of the BP-run Deepwater Horizon oil rig squarely on the shoulders of the Obama administration.
While Democrats have largely concentrated their ire on BP and other companies tied to the rig, Mica at a hearing in the transportation panel today said that "all of the actions to ensure that safety measures were put in place have to be attributed to the Obama administration."
Although the Bush administration approved the lease allowing BP to drill off the rig, Mica went through what he dubbed the "Obama oil spill timeline," which included the Obama Interior department in early 2009 approving BP's safety procedures at the rig.
He also noted that the administration requested cutting positions, ships, planes and other first-responder equipment at the U.S. Coast Guard.
"I'm not going to point fingers at BP, the private industry, when it's the government's responsibility to set the standards to do the inspections," Mica said.
Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar shot back, saying it was "inflammatory to call it 'the Obama oil spill.' And wrong."
Oberstar said BP's plans were approved early in the administration by career employees, not policy appointees. He also noted that Mica himself and other panel Republicans approved the Coast Guard budget cuts Mica cited.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar testified in two Senate panels Tuesday on the need to overhaul federal safety procedures, and he will be issuing a set of recommendations to President Obama by the end of the month.
Today's Transportation and Infrastructure hearing -- the fourth of five this week on the oil spill -- features testimony from EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Minerals Management Service Director Elisabeth Birnbaum. MMS has been targeted by both parties for not requiring BP to undergo a complete environmental review before they began drilling from the Deepwater Horizon rig. The Interior Department and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are reviewing the environmental review procedures at MMS.
Obama and Salazar also have admitted there was too cozy a relationship for years between MMS and the industry. Salazar last week announced that MMS would be split in order to create an independent environment and safety entity within the agency. Later today, Salazar will be announcing additional reorganization at the agency.
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Reuters' Gregg Easterbrook: Exploiting the Spill (citing Rep. JOHN LUIGI MICA as one of the worst Republican offenders)
Exploiting the spill
May 27, 2010 11:07 EDT
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a serious problem, and could get worse if the capping maneuver being attempted by BP fails. But the spill is not “Obama’s Katrina” (Rush Limbaugh) or “destroying North America” (Chris Mathews) or “a national tragedy” (Robert Redford). Except for the 11 workers who died, and their families, is the spill even a “disaster,” as is being said by practically everyone?
The recent history of serious environmental events is that as they occur, their significance is drastically exaggerated in media and political commentary: then little attention is paid when supposedly “destroyed” areas recover rapidly. When Mount Saint Helen’s exploded in 1980, many scientists said the local biosphere would require centuries to return to life; pundits said this would never happen.
Instead it took the area about 10 years for most wildlife and plant life (except mature trees, of course) to recover. When the Exxon Valdez spilled about 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, commentators called that an unprecedented calamity. Considerable harm was done, and some residual problems remain to this day. But aquatic and intertidal life were mainly back to normal in less than a decade.
We forget that the biosphere has been conditioned, over the eons, to resist and recover from far worse than oil spills – comet strikes, ice ages, super-volcanoes. Life would not be here if it were not able to resist insults worse than any caused by people. That does not excuse BP – the company deserves strong public condemnation – nor forgive the Interior Department for being in bed with big oil. (Surely this will make you feel safer.) But the sense of perspective is missing.
“I heard someone say last night this well could give off oil unfettered for the rest of our lives on Earth,” Brian Williams supposed on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday. “That’s right,” his guest replied. There is no chance that’s right, unless you have some reason to believe the human experiment is about to conclude. If similar past events are a guide, the spill will do less total damage than now expected, while recovery will happen faster than expected. Eleven people are dead, Louisiana wetlands and Gulf of Mexico fisheries are damaged. That is awful, but not the epic calamity being depicted.
So far the worst-case estimates for the volume of oil leaked are roughly in the range of the Amoco Cadiz oil spill of 1978. Wednesday morning, CNN quoted unnamed sources as saying oil is leaking at the rate that works out to about 60 million gallons so far.
The Amoco Cadiz oil spill was about 65 million gallon. That spill caused a broad range of problems for the Brittany coast and its tidal rivers, but no lasting “disaster” – Brittany has long since returned to being a magnet for tourism. BP’s estimates put the leak volume lower, at about 8 million gallons so far. That is a fraction of the 43 million gallons spilled by the Odyssey, and most likely you don’t know where or when that spill happened, let alone recall the event as a disaster. (The depressing inventory of major oil spills is here.)
POLITICAL DISASTER
Political convenience is a reason figures left and right are exaggerating the severity of the spill. Conservatives, who often downplay environmental concerns, suddenly are ultra-green and using the “Obama’s Katrina” nonsense to denounce the president. Katrina killed nearly 2,000 people and depopulated much of a major city: the Deepwater Horizon spill isn’t vaguely close in significance.
Republicans, among them Rep. John Mica of Florida, are waving around a timeline that shows Obama has spent less time in Louisiana in the aftermath of the spill than George W. Bush spent in the same number of days following Katrina. Conservative talk radio host Jeff Kuhner denounced Obama for planning to go to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, rather than go to the Gulf – to what, personally clean a bird? (Now the president will head to Louisiana.)
Bush was unfairly slammed by Democrats for not visiting New Orleans immediately after the hurricane – and now the same sort of unfair criticism is being directed at Obama. The elder George Bush was unfairly slammed for not going to Prince William Sounds, as if the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who went immediately, wasn’t the appropriate person. The key question for any of these presidents isn’t whether they went to the scene for an admiring photo-op, the key question is whether they directed an effective response.
Democrats are using the Gulf spill for political purposes, too. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the spill means greenhouse-gas regulations should be enacted immediately. The two concerns are unrelated; greenhouse restrictions, if already law, would not have prevented the Deepwater Horizon from exploding, nor ended demand for its oil. Democrats including Rep. Edward Markey demanded the BP video of the leak be shown live. If the goal was raising public awareness of U.S. oil addiction, showing the leak video makes sense; but the goal is to generate politically embarrassing images.
There’s a financial aspect to the exaggeration, too. Billions of dollars in federal payments went to Louisiana after Katrina. The clock on those payments has run out – and now many in Louisiana, perhaps the nation’s most corrupt state, see the spill as a chance to resume reaching into the nation’s pocket. “These people are crying, they’re begging for something… we’re about to die down here,” Louisiana’s Democratic political operative James Carville said Tuesday on ABC’s Good Morning America, speaking from New Orleans. An absurd excess of overstatement, or an appeal for yet another federal giveaway?
After mostly-Republican Alaska was showered with special payments in the wake of the Exxon Valdez, many Alaskans began to wish for more handouts. PLEASE GOD, JUST ONE MORE SPILL was a common bumper-sticker in Alaska about a decade ago. Now Louisiana finds itself with a political incentive to make it seem the oil spill is a second Katrina.
For the media, the spill is that most-desirable of stories – visual bad news. “You turn on the television and see this enormous disaster,” California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said a few days ago, announcing he now opposes offshore drilling. (Everyone wants unlimited amounts of gasoline that comes from that magical place, Somewhere Else.) Greenhouse gases are many orders of magnitude more troubling, as environmental and as social issues, than an oil spill. But they’re invisible. They’re terrible television. The spill is really good television.
Institutional Washington benefits from exaggerating the severity of oil harm in the Gulf. The Deepwater Horizon explosion “has unleashed a gusher of congressional hearings that may prove nearly as hard to cap as the blown well,” Associated Press reporter Tom Raum noted. With an election approaching, politicians of both parties want to be televised while fulminating about the spill or BP or Obama’s response – though many now appearing on the tube to comment on drilling mud and blowout preventers six weeks ago didn’t even know a Minerals Management Service existed.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has made trips to the Gulf to view the spill and speak for the cameras. Interior, the EPA and the Coast Guard have good reasons to be dealing with the spill: for Homeland Security, perhaps the spill can be leveraged into some nice empire-building. Many in Washington right now are pondering how the oil slick can be exploited to increase their budgets.
The Deepwater Horizon spill is a terrible event that has taken 11 lives, harmed Louisiana, and could get worse if the leak isn’t stopped soon. But the environmental harm is likely to be less, and shorter-lived, than commentary suggests. Meanwhile about 3,400 people have died in auto accidents in the United States since the day that drill platform exploded. The vehicles involved in the crashes that killed those 3,400 people were running on petroleum – and we would be entirely outraged if ample amounts weren’t available. Close to 100 Americans will die in traffic accidents today, and little or nothing is done, let alone an “enormous disaster” proclaimed. Perspective is not the strong point of American politics.
WILL BP CHANGE ITS NAME TO BS?
Footnote: one reason anger about the spill did not seem to build for the first two weeks is that BP over the last decade has done a masterful job of buying public opinion. CEOs John Browne and now Tony Hayward have been fixtures at environmental conferences and think tanks, saying all the right things about clean energy and corporate governance. BP was a leading donor to Barack Obama when he was a senator and spent $15.9 million in 2009 on U.S. lobbying, Erika Lovley of Politico recently reported.
Crafty image-creation — and the CEOs’ tasteful British accents, no Texas drawls — seemed to blind the Washington and New York establishments to BP’s record. The Deepwater Horizon blast wasn’t some weird anomaly for BP – in 2005, one of the company’s refineries exploded, killing 15 workers. Five years later, BP is still fighting a $87 million federal fine for some 300 safety violations at the facility. Here is the Center for Public Integrity on BP. Here is Second City satirizing BP’s self-serving image ads. At this point the company needs a slogan to replace “Beyond Petroleum.”
My suggestions:
BP: Pillaging the Environment One Ocean at a Time
BP: We Make Goldman Sachs Look Responsible
BP: George III’s Revenge
May 27, 2010 11:07 EDT
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a serious problem, and could get worse if the capping maneuver being attempted by BP fails. But the spill is not “Obama’s Katrina” (Rush Limbaugh) or “destroying North America” (Chris Mathews) or “a national tragedy” (Robert Redford). Except for the 11 workers who died, and their families, is the spill even a “disaster,” as is being said by practically everyone?
The recent history of serious environmental events is that as they occur, their significance is drastically exaggerated in media and political commentary: then little attention is paid when supposedly “destroyed” areas recover rapidly. When Mount Saint Helen’s exploded in 1980, many scientists said the local biosphere would require centuries to return to life; pundits said this would never happen.
Instead it took the area about 10 years for most wildlife and plant life (except mature trees, of course) to recover. When the Exxon Valdez spilled about 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, commentators called that an unprecedented calamity. Considerable harm was done, and some residual problems remain to this day. But aquatic and intertidal life were mainly back to normal in less than a decade.
We forget that the biosphere has been conditioned, over the eons, to resist and recover from far worse than oil spills – comet strikes, ice ages, super-volcanoes. Life would not be here if it were not able to resist insults worse than any caused by people. That does not excuse BP – the company deserves strong public condemnation – nor forgive the Interior Department for being in bed with big oil. (Surely this will make you feel safer.) But the sense of perspective is missing.
“I heard someone say last night this well could give off oil unfettered for the rest of our lives on Earth,” Brian Williams supposed on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday. “That’s right,” his guest replied. There is no chance that’s right, unless you have some reason to believe the human experiment is about to conclude. If similar past events are a guide, the spill will do less total damage than now expected, while recovery will happen faster than expected. Eleven people are dead, Louisiana wetlands and Gulf of Mexico fisheries are damaged. That is awful, but not the epic calamity being depicted.
So far the worst-case estimates for the volume of oil leaked are roughly in the range of the Amoco Cadiz oil spill of 1978. Wednesday morning, CNN quoted unnamed sources as saying oil is leaking at the rate that works out to about 60 million gallons so far.
The Amoco Cadiz oil spill was about 65 million gallon. That spill caused a broad range of problems for the Brittany coast and its tidal rivers, but no lasting “disaster” – Brittany has long since returned to being a magnet for tourism. BP’s estimates put the leak volume lower, at about 8 million gallons so far. That is a fraction of the 43 million gallons spilled by the Odyssey, and most likely you don’t know where or when that spill happened, let alone recall the event as a disaster. (The depressing inventory of major oil spills is here.)
POLITICAL DISASTER
Political convenience is a reason figures left and right are exaggerating the severity of the spill. Conservatives, who often downplay environmental concerns, suddenly are ultra-green and using the “Obama’s Katrina” nonsense to denounce the president. Katrina killed nearly 2,000 people and depopulated much of a major city: the Deepwater Horizon spill isn’t vaguely close in significance.
Republicans, among them Rep. John Mica of Florida, are waving around a timeline that shows Obama has spent less time in Louisiana in the aftermath of the spill than George W. Bush spent in the same number of days following Katrina. Conservative talk radio host Jeff Kuhner denounced Obama for planning to go to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, rather than go to the Gulf – to what, personally clean a bird? (Now the president will head to Louisiana.)
Bush was unfairly slammed by Democrats for not visiting New Orleans immediately after the hurricane – and now the same sort of unfair criticism is being directed at Obama. The elder George Bush was unfairly slammed for not going to Prince William Sounds, as if the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who went immediately, wasn’t the appropriate person. The key question for any of these presidents isn’t whether they went to the scene for an admiring photo-op, the key question is whether they directed an effective response.
Democrats are using the Gulf spill for political purposes, too. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the spill means greenhouse-gas regulations should be enacted immediately. The two concerns are unrelated; greenhouse restrictions, if already law, would not have prevented the Deepwater Horizon from exploding, nor ended demand for its oil. Democrats including Rep. Edward Markey demanded the BP video of the leak be shown live. If the goal was raising public awareness of U.S. oil addiction, showing the leak video makes sense; but the goal is to generate politically embarrassing images.
There’s a financial aspect to the exaggeration, too. Billions of dollars in federal payments went to Louisiana after Katrina. The clock on those payments has run out – and now many in Louisiana, perhaps the nation’s most corrupt state, see the spill as a chance to resume reaching into the nation’s pocket. “These people are crying, they’re begging for something… we’re about to die down here,” Louisiana’s Democratic political operative James Carville said Tuesday on ABC’s Good Morning America, speaking from New Orleans. An absurd excess of overstatement, or an appeal for yet another federal giveaway?
After mostly-Republican Alaska was showered with special payments in the wake of the Exxon Valdez, many Alaskans began to wish for more handouts. PLEASE GOD, JUST ONE MORE SPILL was a common bumper-sticker in Alaska about a decade ago. Now Louisiana finds itself with a political incentive to make it seem the oil spill is a second Katrina.
For the media, the spill is that most-desirable of stories – visual bad news. “You turn on the television and see this enormous disaster,” California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said a few days ago, announcing he now opposes offshore drilling. (Everyone wants unlimited amounts of gasoline that comes from that magical place, Somewhere Else.) Greenhouse gases are many orders of magnitude more troubling, as environmental and as social issues, than an oil spill. But they’re invisible. They’re terrible television. The spill is really good television.
Institutional Washington benefits from exaggerating the severity of oil harm in the Gulf. The Deepwater Horizon explosion “has unleashed a gusher of congressional hearings that may prove nearly as hard to cap as the blown well,” Associated Press reporter Tom Raum noted. With an election approaching, politicians of both parties want to be televised while fulminating about the spill or BP or Obama’s response – though many now appearing on the tube to comment on drilling mud and blowout preventers six weeks ago didn’t even know a Minerals Management Service existed.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has made trips to the Gulf to view the spill and speak for the cameras. Interior, the EPA and the Coast Guard have good reasons to be dealing with the spill: for Homeland Security, perhaps the spill can be leveraged into some nice empire-building. Many in Washington right now are pondering how the oil slick can be exploited to increase their budgets.
The Deepwater Horizon spill is a terrible event that has taken 11 lives, harmed Louisiana, and could get worse if the leak isn’t stopped soon. But the environmental harm is likely to be less, and shorter-lived, than commentary suggests. Meanwhile about 3,400 people have died in auto accidents in the United States since the day that drill platform exploded. The vehicles involved in the crashes that killed those 3,400 people were running on petroleum – and we would be entirely outraged if ample amounts weren’t available. Close to 100 Americans will die in traffic accidents today, and little or nothing is done, let alone an “enormous disaster” proclaimed. Perspective is not the strong point of American politics.
WILL BP CHANGE ITS NAME TO BS?
Footnote: one reason anger about the spill did not seem to build for the first two weeks is that BP over the last decade has done a masterful job of buying public opinion. CEOs John Browne and now Tony Hayward have been fixtures at environmental conferences and think tanks, saying all the right things about clean energy and corporate governance. BP was a leading donor to Barack Obama when he was a senator and spent $15.9 million in 2009 on U.S. lobbying, Erika Lovley of Politico recently reported.
Crafty image-creation — and the CEOs’ tasteful British accents, no Texas drawls — seemed to blind the Washington and New York establishments to BP’s record. The Deepwater Horizon blast wasn’t some weird anomaly for BP – in 2005, one of the company’s refineries exploded, killing 15 workers. Five years later, BP is still fighting a $87 million federal fine for some 300 safety violations at the facility. Here is the Center for Public Integrity on BP. Here is Second City satirizing BP’s self-serving image ads. At this point the company needs a slogan to replace “Beyond Petroleum.”
My suggestions:
BP: Pillaging the Environment One Ocean at a Time
BP: We Make Goldman Sachs Look Responsible
BP: George III’s Revenge
St. Augustine WRecKord Is So PR Driven It Fell for Ringo Starr Hoax -- Twice -- In 2004
The real Ringo Starr
The real Ringo Starr is coming to the St. Augustine Ampitheater on July 17.
Six years ago, the St. Augustine WRecKord twice fell for a hoax that RIngo Starr was in town and staying at the Casa Monica Hotel. It was front page news.
When it comes to shallowness and superficial reporting, the WRecKord can't be beaten.
The WRecKord's editor sent me nasty E-mails insisting that it was not "important" that two cities' Commissioners voted to oppose offshore oil drilling (while he printed front page articles when one of them at first voted against it).
It's time fot the St. Augustine WRecKord to be freed from the fetters of Republican dirty tricksters with the MORRIS family -- it's time for journalism, instead of political hackery (and quackery).
What do you reckon?
See below.
St, Augustine WRecKord Fell for Ringo Starr Hoax Fed by CA$A MONICA HOTEL PR Person -- TWICE!
By JUSTIN YURKANIN, Staff
(This was not Ringo Starr, but the WRecKord fell for a hoax, with two page one stories reporting on a Ringo Starr siting in 2004).
St. Augustine visitors, residents surprised to spot former Beatle Ringo Starr downtown
LORY POUNDER and Kati Bexley
Staff Writers
Published Friday, August 06, 2004
click photo to enlarge
RINGO STARR, former drummer for The Beatles, walks on the sidewalk outside of the Casa Monica Hotel in downtown St. Augustine on Thursday.
Ringo Starr almost escaped attention Thursday in downtown St. Augustine.
The world-famous drummer for The Beatles toured the Lightner Museum without fanfare, played the piano in the ballroom of the Casa Monica Hotel without drawing a crowd and politely said, "No comment, no comment" to St. Augustine Record reporters and photographers, who eventually caught up with him.
Marge Kirk, a volunteer at the Lightner Museum gift shop, said she talked to Starr without knowing who he was.
"You never expect to see someone like that," she said. "It never dawned on me it was him until someone told me it was Ringo. He had the accent and the beard. He was very friendly and so were the men he was with."
It might not have been Starr's first visit to St. Augustine. Forty years ago, The Beatles played in Jacksonville on Sept. 11 during the group's first United States tour.
On Thursday, Starr played the opening to "Lean on Me" in the Casa Monica's ballroom.
A gold star cross earring hung from his left ear. He wore a black T-shirt, with a Volkswagen Beetle on the front. When approached by a reporter, he was polite and calm.
Earlier, another reporter had been star struck and unable to speak.
At one point, Joni Barkley, director of sales and marketing at the Casa Monica, was sitting in the lobby discussing the upcoming America's Oldest City Stands United in Freedom charity event with a Record reporter.
Minutes after mentioning the possibility for VIP guests at the Sept. 10 event, Starr emerged from the hall. Barkley's eyes scanned the lobby as Starr walked by. Her face glowed when he flashed her a peace sign and walked out the door.
"We always have stars stay here," Barkley said. "You'd be surprised."
Previous guests have included John Travolta and Spain's royal couple, among others.
After being recognized outside, Starr remained in the hotel lobby to wait for a car to be pulled around the back. Employees tried to remain calm, but smiles and darting eyes were everywhere.
Charlene Peterson of Peterson's Bakery on King Street said her landlord met Starr around 1:30 p.m. while he was at the Lightner Museum. She said her landlord did not want to be identified.
"He told me he saw him and I kept saying, 'It was the Beatle, the Ringo Starr?' " Peterson said, laughing with excitement. "He said he shook his hand and I said little bits of Ringo Starr are on your hand. That's a really big thing."
Broken Hearts Club: Ringo sighting was just a hoax
KATI BEXLEY
Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, August 10, 2004
It turns out the Ringo Starr sighting in St. Augustine last Thursday was really a man starring in a hoax, according to Sgt. Steve Fricke of the St. Augustine Police Department.
A man with a beard, round sunglasses, a gold cross dangling from his ear and a British accent stayed at the Casa Monica Hotel last Thursday.
He even gave out autographs and appeared to shun media attention.
At the time, Joni Barkley, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, said the man was Ringo Starr, the legendary drummer of The Beatles.
Other celebrities, including John Travolta and the Spanish royal family, have stayed at the downtown hotel, which added an air of authenticity to the man's appearance.
Two stories with a photograph ran in The St. Augustine Record on Friday and Saturday. Other media also covered the news.
Fricke said Monday that he responded to media inquiries from England and found Starr had not been in St. Augustine at all.
"I talked to several sources to confirm it," Fricke said. "We are normally contacted when someone with a prominent background is in town. We were not contacted and that was the first indication something was amiss."
Elizabeth Freund, of Elizabeth Freund Public Relations in New York, told The Record that she is in charge of Starr's public relations and he was not in St. Augustine.
"He was not in Florida at all. I have no idea who that was, but he wasn't Ringo Starr," Freund said.
She said she heard there was a man pretending to be Starr in St. Augustine through e-mails and phone calls. She said she does not know of a Starr impostor in Florida.
Barkley would not comment Monday on the possibility that the man was not Starr. She said she could not give out any information about hotel guests.
A freelance reporter and photographer for The Sun, a newspaper in England, said they traveled to St. Augustine to do a story on Starr impostors they have found in Florida.
Fricke said St. Augustine Police are not investigating the Starr impersonator any further because he did not appear to break any laws.
"At this point we're making sure that no one in the community was scammed or harmed, other than a couple of people getting their hearts broken, which is kind of cruel," Fricke said.
During his stay in St. Augustine, the man was seen at the Lightner Museum, the Tradewinds Tropical Lounge and Grill and in the Casa Monica ballroom, where he played the opening of "Lean on Me" on a hotel piano.
He signed a few autographs and posed for photos with local people.
Angie Labutti, a waitress and bartender at Tradewinds, took a picture with Starr and watched him perform the Beatles' song "Boys" Thursday night with the Tradewinds house band.
"I thought he sounded exactly like Ringo Starr," Labutti said. "I was a huge fan of The Beatles in high school. I had their posters, I read their books."
She said the man never called himself Starr.
"He never said he was Ringo Starr. He never said he wasn't when people called him that," Labutti said.
She said she doesn't care either way if the man she met wasn't Starr.
"I think it's cool I met a guy that looks just like him."
ABA Journal: Goldman Sachs Lawyer Advises Long Pauses, Rambling Answers
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A lawyer reportedly helping Goldman Sachs executives prepare for a Senate hearing today revealed his usual strategy for congressional hearings in an interview last year.
O’Melveny & Myers partner K. Lee Blalack II told the American Lawyer last March that a congressional hearing room is not a forum for divining the truth, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. The goal, he said, is minimal damage to reputation.
“Long, thoughtful pauses followed by rambling nonresponsive answers can easily devour half of a member’s allotted questioning time,” Blalack told the American Lawyer.
The New York Times says Blalack is helping the executives prepare along with Michael Bopp, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
A lawyer reportedly helping Goldman Sachs executives prepare for a Senate hearing today revealed his usual strategy for congressional hearings in an interview last year.
O’Melveny & Myers partner K. Lee Blalack II told the American Lawyer last March that a congressional hearing room is not a forum for divining the truth, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. The goal, he said, is minimal damage to reputation.
“Long, thoughtful pauses followed by rambling nonresponsive answers can easily devour half of a member’s allotted questioning time,” Blalack told the American Lawyer.
The New York Times says Blalack is helping the executives prepare along with Michael Bopp, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt Knew Economic Royalists and He "Welcomed Their Hatred"
President Franklin D Roosevelt said in 1936: "We know now that government by organised money is just as dangerous as government by organised mob. Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me and I welcome their hatred."
The same goes for the local KKK-style hate websites and absurd anonymous "Anonymice" poseurs and posters on the St. Augustine Record's website.
MICHAEL GOLD f/k/a "MICHAEL TOBIN," operator of "HISTORIC CITY NEWS," a front for two politically-motivated hate websites (plazabum.com and shamefulpeople.com), which are racist, misogynist, sexist, anti-Gay, homophobic; his family is a longtime vendor of no-bid uniforms to St. Johns County Sheriff, bagman for Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "DAVID HOAR," for whom he raised more than $250,000, and shill for attacking those who hold governments accountable in corrupt St. Johns County and St. Augustine.
Photo (C) 2010 Clean Up City of St. Augustine, Florida
NEWS THAT MORRIS PUBLISHING’S St. Augustine WRecKord Won’t Cover
Congressman JOHN LUIGI MICA’s daughter (D’ANNE LEIGH MICA) was a no-show at her DUI hearing, resulting in Failure to Appear (FTA) charges (see below). No word from the “Chain Gang Journalists” (sic) at the St. Augustine WRecKord. The controlling MORRIS family of Augusta, Georgia like MICA and they don’t want you to know, I reckon.
Local con artist LYDIA CLADEK has been sued twice in two months for fraud by the Justice Department, which alleges she had a gigantic Ponzi scheme converting millions of dollars of investors’ funds to her own use. No word from the “Chain Gang Journalists” (sic) at the St. Augustine WRecKord. The controlling MORRIS family of Augusta, Georgia must not want you to know that either, I reckon.
Two cities – St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach – passed resolutions against offshore oil drilling, but the WRecKord got snippy with me, refusing to cover either event for some nine days after the SAB resolution, with WRecKord editor Peter Ellis proclaiming it wasn’t “important” that two local governments have acted as the conscience of our community vis a vis Big Oil. I reckon the coverup was related to the fact that the MORRIS family loves JOHN LUIGI MICA, our corrupt Congressman, who has received more than $100,000 in Big Oil money and supports not only offshore oil drilling, but also drilling in the Everglades National Park. This ninny’s brothers are lobbyists (DAVID MICA works for Big Oil) and his children are lobbyists (both working for oil and petrochemical interests). MICA has said his favorite people on Earth are lobbyists.
What do you reckon?
Local con artist LYDIA CLADEK has been sued twice in two months for fraud by the Justice Department, which alleges she had a gigantic Ponzi scheme converting millions of dollars of investors’ funds to her own use. No word from the “Chain Gang Journalists” (sic) at the St. Augustine WRecKord. The controlling MORRIS family of Augusta, Georgia must not want you to know that either, I reckon.
Two cities – St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach – passed resolutions against offshore oil drilling, but the WRecKord got snippy with me, refusing to cover either event for some nine days after the SAB resolution, with WRecKord editor Peter Ellis proclaiming it wasn’t “important” that two local governments have acted as the conscience of our community vis a vis Big Oil. I reckon the coverup was related to the fact that the MORRIS family loves JOHN LUIGI MICA, our corrupt Congressman, who has received more than $100,000 in Big Oil money and supports not only offshore oil drilling, but also drilling in the Everglades National Park. This ninny’s brothers are lobbyists (DAVID MICA works for Big Oil) and his children are lobbyists (both working for oil and petrochemical interests). MICA has said his favorite people on Earth are lobbyists.
What do you reckon?
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES TWO LAWSUITS ALLEGING FRAUD BY LYDIA CLADEK, INC. – St. Augustine Record Fails to Bring Us the News (Yet Again).
Alleging a classic “Ponzi scheme” involving mail fraud and wire fraud by LYDIA CLADEK and LYDIA CLADEK, INC., the United States Justice Department has sued LYDIA CLADEK in an in rem action for civil forfeiture. An in rem action is a case involving property, not suing individuals. Forfeiture of three expensive properties purchased for more than $7 million is sought based upon mail fraud and wire fraud.
The Justice Department is seeking return to the LYDIA CLADCEK Bankruptcy Trustee, Michael Phelan, of three parcels of real estate, including 1061 SW Alaska Way, Greenville (Madison County), Florida (purchase price $269,000 on March 23, 2004); 16250 Captiva Drive (Lee County) Florida(purchase price $3.95 million on June 1, 2006); and 4443 Waters Edge Lane, Sanibel (Lee County), Florida (purchase price $3 million on April 6, 2005). The lawsuit, supported by a sworn declaration by FBI Special Agent Bridgette Trela Frost, shows that investors’ money was used to purchase expensive homes for CLADEK while concealing the true owner.Trustee Michael Phelan, represented by Akerman SEnterfitt, has sued
The lawsuit was filed April 8,l 2010 by United States Attorney A. Brian Albritton and Assistant United States Attorney Bonnie A. Glober. It alleges CLADEK funneled more than $12 million in investor funds into her own personal bank accounts. The suit alleges, “These absconded funds
were used to purchase million dollar homes and real estate, to fund
mortgage payments for these homes, to pay renovation and
landscaping costs for several properties in Southwest Florida, and to
purchase multiple luxury vehicles for Cladek's personal use.” The suit further alleges, “Cladek purchased many properties in the names of nominee
corporations including Captiva Island Vacation Properties, LLC and
Land Trust Service Corporation, both of which are named defendants
in this action.”
In addition, the Trustee has filed a lawsuit seeking to “pierce the corporate veil” based on fraud, and to “impose alter ego liability” upon LYDIA CLADEK and her entities for her fraudulent actions. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and turnover of property to the Trustee, to void fraudulent transfers of money and property, to provide an accounting and a constructive trust and to remedy CLADEK’s breach of fiduciary duty.
The lawsuit was filed on May 19, 2010. It names Lydia I Cladek, 189 Sea Colony Parkway
St. Augustine, FL 32080; Captiva Island Vacation Properties, LLC, 3201 Fern Valley Road
Suite 212, Louisville, KY 40213; and Land Trust Service Corporation, which CLADEK allegedly used as a front or nominee or strawman.
A preliminary injunction was granted by Chief Bankruptcy Judge Paul M. Glenn on May 25, 2010.
The injunction may be read at https://ecf.flmb.uscourts.gov/doc1/046134651417
Not one word of either lawsuit has appeared in the St. Augustine WRecKord, whose owners (MORRIS PUBLISHING) have engaged in disinvestment, starving the WRecKord’s newsroom for funds and staff, and expecting a skeleton staff to cover corrupt Florida’s most corrupt county and our Nation’s Oldest City (where the crooks are bold and the newspaper editors are as soft on white collar crime and corruption as they re on SHERIFF DAVID SHOAR f/k/a “DAVID HOAR).
Orlando Sentinel: Beaven Memorial Day message: Mica sold out America
Uncategorized — posted by aaron deslatte on May, 28 2010 2:49 PM
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TALLAHASSEE — As far as election-year publicity moves go, this one’s not bad.
Heather Beaven, the Democrat waging a long-shot bid to oust firmly entrenched U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, is going to Louisiana to volunteer for oil-spill clean-up duty, and using the opportunity to hammer her opponent for his oil-industry ties.
In a press release, the Palm Coast candidate matter-of-factly notes that Mica “has said that this spill is not BP’s fault. He has also supported drilling in environmentally sensitive lands including ANWAR, the Keys and the Everglades since 1970.” She goes on that Mica ”whose brother, daughter, and son have spent time lobbying on behalf of big oil companies, has accepted nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions from oil special interest groups.”
“It’s Memorial Day weekend and the best way to honor those who have died for America is to make sure that we never again sell her to the highest bidder,” she said.
Ouch.
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TALLAHASSEE — As far as election-year publicity moves go, this one’s not bad.
Heather Beaven, the Democrat waging a long-shot bid to oust firmly entrenched U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, is going to Louisiana to volunteer for oil-spill clean-up duty, and using the opportunity to hammer her opponent for his oil-industry ties.
In a press release, the Palm Coast candidate matter-of-factly notes that Mica “has said that this spill is not BP’s fault. He has also supported drilling in environmentally sensitive lands including ANWAR, the Keys and the Everglades since 1970.” She goes on that Mica ”whose brother, daughter, and son have spent time lobbying on behalf of big oil companies, has accepted nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions from oil special interest groups.”
“It’s Memorial Day weekend and the best way to honor those who have died for America is to make sure that we never again sell her to the highest bidder,” she said.
Ouch.
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA'S EARNED A NICKNAME: TARBALL
My friend, James Nelson Ramsey, long the District Attorney General for the 7th Judicial Circuit in Anderson County, Tennessee, had a great way of inventing nicknames for perseverating prevaricating politicians. I am inspired
Today's nickname goes to JOHN LUIGI MICA: in tribute for his support for offshore oil drilling, which is about to hit Florida.
CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE NAMES REP. MICA "PORKER OF THE MONTH"
CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE NAMES REP. MICA "PORKER OF THE MONTH"
Rep. John Mica
Washington Office:
Phone: (202) 225-4035
Fax: (202) 226-0821
CAGW Names Rep. Mica Porker of the Month
Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) its July Porker of the Month for his opposition to an earmark ban and defense of earmarks.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, on July 8, Rep. Mica said, “There’s no way in hell I would support banning earmarks … That’s our job, getting elected and making decisions. Yes, there are bad earmarks, like there are bad members of Congress. And what you do is get rid of them.”
CAGW’s 2008 Congressional Pig Book uncovered 11,610 pork-barrel projects worth $17.2 billion in the 12 fiscal year 2008 appropriations bills. Contrary to what Rep. Mica thinks, all earmarks are bad because they are congressionally targeted expenditures which bypass the normal budget rules and are unaccountable. The 2008 Pig Book included $3,000,000 for The First Tee; $1,950,000 for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service; and $188,000 for the Lobster Institute in Maine.
Earmarking is not Congress’ “job,” as Rep. Mica claims. Before the 1980s, Congress would fund general grant programs and let federal and state agencies select individual recipients through a competitive process or formula. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees named specific projects only when they had been the subject of hearings and approved by authorizing committees. Members of Congress with local concerns would lobby the president and federal agencies for consideration. The normal budget process, which is aimed at preventing abuse and allocating resources on the basis of merit and need, has become a sideshow in the scramble by individual appropriations committee members to pick winners and losers based on seniority.
Earmarking invites corrupt behavior. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s indictment and conviction (R-Calif.) for earmarking in return for bribes is the most notorious example. In June, it was revealed that former Congressman John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) is being investigated by the Justice Department for his role in directing earmarks to a lobbyist. On July 2, The Washington Times ran an opinion piece that documented how a program to combat improvised explosive devices in Iraq was earmarked to an inexperienced contractor who had bribed and donated to members of Congress. That program was a failure that cost not just tax dollars, but American lives.
The concept of an earmark ban has gained traction in the wake of these abuses. In March, a Senate amendment to the 2009 budget resolution to impose a year-long moratorium on congressional earmarks was co-sponsored by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), among others, but lost 29-71. Forty Representatives and six Senators have made personal pledges not to request any earmarks this year. An earmark ban will allow members to reform the appropriations process, devote more attention to critical national issues, and help keep money in taxpayers’ wallets instead of diverting it to Washington where it can be converted into pork.
For opposing an earmark ban or moratorium and defending the out of control earmarking process, CAGW names Rep. John Mica its July 2008 Porker of the Month.
Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.
####
For more information, contact: Alexa Moutevelis
202-467-5318
amoutevelis@cagw.org
IN HAEC VERBA: Mica Strategic Communications Website
About Us
Headquartered in Orlando, with an office in Washington, DC, and strategic partnerships in Tallahassee, Mica Strategic has Florida and the rest of the country covered. Boasting a team with extensive PR, Marketing, Communications and governmental experience, Mica Strategic has the edge in exceeding any organization's challenge. Our experience is unmatched and at your disposal.
Contact Us:
Mica Strategic Communications
1950 Lee Rd. Suite 109
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 924-5260 phone
(407) 386-3369 fax
info@micastrategic.com
D'Anne Mica, President and Founder
With more than a decade of professional experience on all sides of the public relations spectrum and a lifetime in the government arena, Mica leads the agency with an invaluable perspective. As a veteran of Washington, DC, her combination of media experience and extensive political and corporate background give her an uncanny ability to make things happen. Before opening Mica Strategic Communications in 2003, Mica worked as a news producer and assignment editor at WKMG-TV 6 – the CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida. Mica also managed a cross-country public relations tour for one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, Sea World of Florida.
Prior to returning to her native Central Florida, Mica lived and worked in Washington, DC for several years holding positions such as a major donor fundraiser for the Republican National Committee and Special Consultant to US Airways for the sponsorship of the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Mica also pioneered special projects in the US Airways Sales and Marketing department. Born and raised in Winter Park, Florida, Mica earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
Rebecca Ritchey
Utilizing communications training that began almost twenty years ago, Rebecca brings expertise from a career including marketing, sales, public relations and training while specializing in strategic marketing partnerships. She also keeps a strong focus on evaluation and electronic media strategies. Rebecca’s professional insight is the result of hosting, producing and marketing television programs and acting as national and international spokesperson for the $8 billion Florida citrus industry. In Washington DC, Rebecca was Assistant Director of Membership for the non-profit Greater Washington Board of Trade, the largest regional network of business and non-profit leaders.
Later in Washington, Rebecca worked at US Airways managing the performance, relationships and marketing of accounts totaling more than $60M in revenue. Rebecca has served clients as expert marketing advisor, public relations manager, sales trainer, teacher and many more communication-centered roles. A graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism, Rebecca resides in Maitland, FL.
Headquartered in Orlando, with an office in Washington, DC, and strategic partnerships in Tallahassee, Mica Strategic has Florida and the rest of the country covered. Boasting a team with extensive PR, Marketing, Communications and governmental experience, Mica Strategic has the edge in exceeding any organization's challenge. Our experience is unmatched and at your disposal.
Contact Us:
Mica Strategic Communications
1950 Lee Rd. Suite 109
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 924-5260 phone
(407) 386-3369 fax
info@micastrategic.com
D'Anne Mica, President and Founder
With more than a decade of professional experience on all sides of the public relations spectrum and a lifetime in the government arena, Mica leads the agency with an invaluable perspective. As a veteran of Washington, DC, her combination of media experience and extensive political and corporate background give her an uncanny ability to make things happen. Before opening Mica Strategic Communications in 2003, Mica worked as a news producer and assignment editor at WKMG-TV 6 – the CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida. Mica also managed a cross-country public relations tour for one of the country’s leading tourist destinations, Sea World of Florida.
Prior to returning to her native Central Florida, Mica lived and worked in Washington, DC for several years holding positions such as a major donor fundraiser for the Republican National Committee and Special Consultant to US Airways for the sponsorship of the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Mica also pioneered special projects in the US Airways Sales and Marketing department. Born and raised in Winter Park, Florida, Mica earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
Rebecca Ritchey
Utilizing communications training that began almost twenty years ago, Rebecca brings expertise from a career including marketing, sales, public relations and training while specializing in strategic marketing partnerships. She also keeps a strong focus on evaluation and electronic media strategies. Rebecca’s professional insight is the result of hosting, producing and marketing television programs and acting as national and international spokesperson for the $8 billion Florida citrus industry. In Washington DC, Rebecca was Assistant Director of Membership for the non-profit Greater Washington Board of Trade, the largest regional network of business and non-profit leaders.
Later in Washington, Rebecca worked at US Airways managing the performance, relationships and marketing of accounts totaling more than $60M in revenue. Rebecca has served clients as expert marketing advisor, public relations manager, sales trainer, teacher and many more communication-centered roles. A graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism, Rebecca resides in Maitland, FL.
Criminal law resource: "FAILURE TO APPEAR"
Failure to appear in court as promised is a violation of the law which may result in an arrest warrant, fines, and other penalties. Any time an individual has a duty, or has made an agreement, to appear in court, they can be penalized for failure to appear. A failure to appear can involve a traffic court appointment, jury services, a civil case, or a criminal case.
Failure to appear in traffic court is a violation of the written promise to appear in court on a given day at a specific time. One can be penalized for a failure to appear even if they are found not guilty of the arrest or citation charge or even if the case is dismissed. Failure to appear may be considered a misdemeanor offense in some jurisdictions. When court has on record your failure to appear, they may issue a bench warrant for your arrest. Failure to appear can also result in a court order to suspend your license. In many jurisdictions, in order to clear a failure to appear record a person must pay the original amount for the citation plus the penalty fees for the failure to appear.
Failure to appear can also apply to violations of jury services requirements. All United States citizens over the age of eighteen are required by law to fulfill jury duty services periodically unless a legal excuse has been approved by the proper authorities. Depending on the jurisdiction, a failure to appear for jury duty may initially result in notifications and additional jury duty assignment notices. At any point, a failure to appear for jury duty services may result in a bench warrant being issued for the arrest of the person in contempt of court. Failure to appear for jury duty may also result in punitive fines.
Failure to appear in a civil case has slightly different consequences than those in other failure to appear cases. If the plaintiff (the one who filed the lawsuit) fails to appear in court as required, the case may be dismissed, thereby forfeiting the chance to pursue the legal case in the future. If the defendant or respondent in a civil case commits a failure to appear violation, the court may automatically judge in favor of the plaintiff in the absence of a trial. This is called a default judgment and the decisions rendered in this way are legally binding to all parties.
When a person is charged with a crime, there can be heavy penalties for failure to appear. If a person faces criminal charges there will be a number of mandatory court appearances they must make. Upon arrest and prior to release, the alleged offender will agree to appear in court on a specific day and time. A failure to appear will result in a bench warrant issued for your arrest. Once apprehended, the defendant may be required to post bail or be denied from release prior to the conclusion of the trial. An attorney may appear on behalf of a defendant at an arraignment hearing, except in cases of domestic violence, DUI, or other offenses. In most other cases, however, a failure to appear in criminal court as required will result in significant penalties.
If you would like to learn more about failure to appear, please contact us to speak with a qualified and experienced attorney in your area.
Like father, like daughter
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA's daughter allegedly failed to appear for proceedings in her DUI case (below). Likewise, CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA often fails to appear here in St. Augustine and St. Johns County (as when his staff lied to veterans about his whereabouts last fall, at an excellent program in Flagler College Auditorium put on by St. Johns County veterans).
Several years ago, St. Johns County Republicans blasted JOHN LUIGI MICA when he failed to inform them of his visits and speeches to St. Johns County and St. Augustine.
But when it comes to contribution-funded "meals with constituents," MICA often appears at fancy restaurants, eating high on the hog at the expense of Big Oil and other funders.
Several years ago, St. Johns County Republicans blasted JOHN LUIGI MICA when he failed to inform them of his visits and speeches to St. Johns County and St. Augustine.
But when it comes to contribution-funded "meals with constituents," MICA often appears at fancy restaurants, eating high on the hog at the expense of Big Oil and other funders.
D'ANNE MICA INTRODUCED AS "CONGRESSMAN MICA'S DAUGHTER," WALKS AWAY WITH $20,000 NO-BID SANFORD AIRPORT CONTRACT -- TYPICAL FLORIDA CORRUPTION?
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SANFORD AIRPORT AUTHORITY
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2004
* * * * *
D’Anne Mica
President Dale introduced D’Anne Mica, Congressman John Mica’s Daughter, Marketing Consultant, and her partners Paul J. McCormick and James H. Gilmore, Jr.
President Dale requested approval to enter into a contract with Mica and McCormack for public relations work in partnership with the City of Sanford and subject to the City of Sanford being on board with the project. The contract would cost $40,000.00 with SAA paying half and the City of Sanford paying half.
Discussion ensued.
Board Member Howell requested resumes be provided to the Board.
Discussion by Board Member Howell regarding the type of marketing and the number of consultants the Board has.
Motion by Board Member Howell, seconded by Board Member Williams, approving entering into a contract for public relations work with Mica and McCormack, subject to the City of Sanford also being on board, at a cost of $20,000.00 to SAA and $20,000.00 to the City of Sanford.
Motion passed.
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA's DAUGHTER CHARGED WITH FAILURE TO APPEAR AT DUI HEARING
See below. Efforts to obtain additional information from the offices of the State's Attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit, Judge Michael Miller and D'ANNE defense attorney Stuart Hyman, who specializes in DUI defense were unavailing this afternoon, the day before the Memorial Day weekend. Thus, the docket entry, below, must speak for itself.
DUI Arrest Puts Spotlight on Florida Congressman's Daughter
John Mica Oversaw Big Road and Rail Projects; D'Anne Mica Listed Key Contractor as a Client
By MATTHEW MOSK
Jan. 12, 2010 —
The highly publicized arrest last week of U.S. Rep. John Mica's daughter for driving under the influence has spurred the Florida Republican's political opponents to renew their focus on connections between the congressman's work on Capitol Hill and his daughter's connection to a powerful Florida construction company.
Congressman Mica is the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. His daughter D'Anne Leigh Mica, 34, a public-relations executive, has a web site that identifies one of the largest transportation engineering and construction firms in the country, Florida-based PBS&J, as one of her clients.
How much money the company has paid the congressman's daughter is unclear. In an interview on Monday night, D'Anne Mica told ABC News that she never did any direct work for the national contractor, and the public relations job had nothing to do with her father.
"My father has no idea what I do in my business. And I have no idea what he does in his," she said.
WATCH CONGRESSMAN MICA HEAD-BUTT AN ABC NEWS REPORTER'S CAMERA
The same is true, she said, about an Orlando area airport that hired her to promote its new commercial air service at the same time her father was helping secure federal aviation funds for the facility. The Orlando Sanford International Airport was also listed on her web site as a client.
Questions surrounding the congressman and his daughter come at a time when potential congressional conflicts are garnering close scrutiny. A Washington Post report out Monday focused on the legislative work of Rep. John D. Dingell Jr., a Michigan Democrat, and the lobbying by his wife, Debbie Dingell.
Rep. Mica's chief of staff said Monday there has never been any conflict between the congressman's Capitol Hill work and his daughter's small Florida public relations firm, Mica Strategic Communications.
The firm opened its doors in 2003, starting as a partnership between D'Anne Mica and a Jacksonville public relations consultant, Mica said. C.L. Conroy, a spokeswoman for PBS&J, said the contractor hired the Jacksonville firm three or four years ago, but not because Mica was in the Orlando office.
"We don't remember if we used her or not," Conroy said.
'She Says She Has Never Represented PBS&J'
Rusty Roberts, Rep. Mica's chief of staff, said he can't figure out why D'Anne listed PBS&J as a client. Roberts initially told ABC News that D'Anne may have helped train company executives to speak effectively on television. But after a conversation with D'Anne, he called back to say she had never done any work for the firm at all.
"She says she has never represented PBS&J," Roberts said. "Why did she put it on her website? I don't know."
Asked why, D'Anne Mica said she added it several years ago because of her involvement in the earlier partnership.
Regardless, Roberts said, none of D'Anne Mica's public relations work has had any bearing on the congressman's pursuit of transportation projects for his district.
One of the most high profile of those has been his effort to secure federal support for a high speed rail link that would connect Orlando to Lakeland and Tampa. Mica helped push legislation for the 110-mile-per hour fast train through congress in 2008. Last month, he said Florida was one of four finalists to get millions in funding for the pioneering project. (The Federal Railroad administration disputed that, saying there is no short list yet. They are currently considering requests from 24 states seeking a combined $50 billion.)
Forms submitted by PBS&J lobbyists last year indicate the company has pursued the rail project both with members of the House Transportation Committee and congressional representatives from Florida to discuss, though it does not identify which members they contacted.
A spokeswoman for PBS&J said there is no connection between the company's lobbying and whatever work it may have offered Rep. Mica's daughter. The company has had its share of tough publicity in recent months, however, related to its efforts to attract business from government officials in Washington and elsewhere.
First came a $36 million embezzlement scandal, which led to the conviction of three ex-employees. That led to the discovery of a practice within the company of reimbursing employees for campaign contributions, which is illegal. In September, FEC staff recommended a stiff fine over the alleged use of so-called "straw donors."
But Republican appointees on the FEC declined to pursue the matter, because they said the contributions took place too far in the past. Company officials expressed satisfaction with the decision, telling reporters at the time that they cooperated fully, and were pleased to have the matter formally closed.
Then, last week came reports of end-of-year filings in which PBS&J informed the Justice Department and federal securities regulators that it was investigating possible crimes involving its overseas construction projects.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
The company's chief financial officer wrote in an SEC filing that the company was investigating to see whether any of its employees had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act "in connection with certain projects undertaken by PBS&J International Inc., one of the company's subsidiaries, in certain foreign countries." The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act generally prohibits U.S.-based companies from making improper payments to foreign officials, usually through bribes. PBS&J has done engineering and construction work around the world.
None of those cases involved Rep. Mica, who came to office in 1992 after founding several successful business ventures, including those in real estate, communications, international trade consulting and governmental affairs.
In 2007, Mica's name surfaced in a 151-page investigation called "A Family Affair" by the group Citzens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which found that the congressman was one of 64 house members who had made payments to family members for consulting work on their campaigns. He paid D'Anne $1,000 during his 2002 reelection bid.
PBS&J is not the only client with business before Rep. Mica's committee that D'Anne Mica had listed as a client. She was also hired to promote the Orlando Sanford International Airport.
Roberts said D'Anne's work for the airport involved promoting the airport in states outside of Florida, and had nothing to do with any congressional action taken by the congressman.
"They don't need to hire his daughter to get to know him. If the airport needs help he's going to help them," Roberts said. Rep. Mica has helped secure millions in funding for the airport.
As for whether the congressman intervened to help secure the contract for his daughter, Roberts said absolutely not. "She did everything on her own. She never asked him to help and she's never volunteered to help."
D'Anne Mica told ABC News the DUI case against her is "pending," but chose not to comment further. She was arrested in Maitland, Florida on Friday, booked and then released on $500 bail.
State of Florida v. D'ANNE LEIGH MICA -- DUI AND FAILURE TO APPEAR AT TRIAL
Register of Actions
Case No. 2010-CT-000108-A-E
| STATE OF FLORIDA vs. MICA, D'ANNE LEIGH | § § § § § § § |
|
Party Information
Lead Attorneys | ||||
Defendant | MICA, D'ANNE LEIGH | HYMAN, STUART IRA, Esquire Retained 407-896-0536(W) | ||
Plaintiff | STATE OF FLORIDA | |||
Charge Information
Charges: MICA, D'ANNE LEIGH | Statute | Level | Date | ||
| 1. | CT- DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE CAR | 316.193(1) | First Degree - Misd | 01/08/2010 | |
Events & Orders of the Court
| OTHER EVENTS AND HEARINGS | |||
| 01/08/2010 | Bond Filed POWER #A062230776 | ||
| 01/15/2010 | Notice of Appearance | ||
| 01/15/2010 | Request for a Copy of Charge | ||
| 01/15/2010 | Waiver of Arraignment | ||
| 01/15/2010 | Written Plea of Not Guilty | ||
| 01/15/2010 | Notice of Discovery Filed | ||
| 01/15/2010 | Motion for Statement of Particulars | ||
| 01/20/2010 | Criminal Traffic Violation | ||
| 01/20/2010 | Mandatory Court Appearance - By Offense | ||
| 01/20/2010 | Charging Affidavit | ||
| 01/22/2010 | CANCELED Arraignment (8:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Miller, W Michael) Cancelled | ||
| 01/26/2010 | Notice for Pre-Trial AND TRIAL | ||
| 01/29/2010 | State's Witness List | ||
| 01/29/2010 | Notice of Provision of Supplemental Discovery | ||
| 02/04/2010 | Pre-Trial Conference (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Miller, W Michael) TRIAL 2/15 - 2/25/10 | ||
| 02/04/2010 | Motion to Suppress breath test or in the alternative motion in limine with regard to intoxilyzer and intoxilyzer teat results XII | ||
| 02/04/2010 | Motion to inspect, photograph and/or video tape | ||
| 02/04/2010 | Motion to set hearings on motion to suppress breath test or in the alternative in limine with regard to intoxilyzer and intoxilyzer test results I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Defendant's Reciprocal Discovery response | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Defense Witness List | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Suppress confressions, statements and admissions | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Suppress test results x | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Suppress test results IV | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Suppress test results II | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Suppress and /or in limine with regard to breath test result affidavit | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Defendant's Reciprocal Discovery compulsory judicail notice oupon request | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Produce III | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Produce | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Produce II | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Motion to Suppress request for a frye hearing XIIII | ||
| 02/05/2010 | Trial Date Set 03/23/2010 | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion To suppress | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion To Suppress | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion To suppress | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion To Suppress | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion To dismiss | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Motion To Dismiss | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Subpoena Returned | ||
| 02/08/2010 | Subpoena Returned | ||
| 02/10/2010 | Subpoena Returned | ||
| 02/16/2010 | Notice OF JUDICIAL NOTICE REQUEST | ||
| 02/18/2010 | Subpoena for ON-CALL STATE WITNESS - SERVED | ||
| 02/18/2010 | Subpoena for ON-CALL STATE WITNESS - SERVED | ||
| 02/18/2010 | Subpoena for ON-CALL STATE WITNESS - SERVED | ||
| 02/24/2010 | Motion motion to strike defendant's motion to suppress | ||
| 03/01/2010 | Pre-Trial Conference Set | ||
| 03/09/2010 | Notice of Hearing | ||
| 03/23/2010 | Trial (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Miller, W Michael) | ||
| 04/05/2010 | Response to defense motions to suppress and motions in limine | ||
| 05/04/2010 | Pre-Trial Conference (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Miller, W Michael) | ||
| 05/06/2010 | Trial (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Miller, W Michael) | ||
| 05/06/2010 | Hearing Date Set 05/25/10 | ||
| 05/08/2010 | Delinquency Notice Issued - FTA | ||
| 05/08/2010 | Suspension Satisfied Failure to Appear | ||
| 05/25/2010 | Status Hearing (8:30 AM) (Judicial Officer Miller, W Michael) | ||
| 05/26/2010 | Delinquency Notice Issued - FTA |
Down With Tyranny: REP. JOHN LUIGI MICA (a/k/a "TARBALL") Ranks Among COngressional Homophobes
The Dirty Half Dozen-- The 6 Worst Homophobes In The House
When I read a blurb in the Advocate listing the most dangerous members of Congress to the gay community. As time went on I noticed he was very aggressive in pushing a hate-filled anti-gay agenda (which increased when he left the Baptist Church and became a Mormon). Years later he wound up on another list-- as one of the most corrupt of the Abramoff co-conspirators in ripping off American Indian tribes.Istook left Congress to run for governor and was the victim of the biggest gubernatorial history in many decades as he was swamped-- in the reddest state in the Union-- by Democrat Brad Henry. Henry took 66.5% of the vote and 74 of Oklahoma's 77 counties. Istook won in the state's 3 most backward counties, the three that make up the Panhandle, Beaver, Cimarron and Texas. It turned out one of his campaign staffers, Jordan Edmund, was one of the underaged male pages Republican Mark Foley had molested.
Still very much an obsessed homophobic sociopath, who bragged he would never hire a gay person to work for him, he never lets up demonizing gay people. People wonder who the next Ernest Istooks are likely to be.
Unfortunately, just looking at the voting records of House Members does not tell the story. ProgressivePunch scores all House members on a dozen roll call votes since 2004 that directly impacted gay people. 146 currently serving Republicans (plus one Blue Dog, Travis Childers of Mississippi) can boast ZERO scores! Only 32 Republicans don't have zeroes, including Ahn Cao (who has a disgraceful 50%, Mary Bono Mack (with an event more horrible 33.33% and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (also at 33.33%), all of whom represent large gay populations, respectively, New Orleans, Palm Springs and Miami Beach/Key West. The only gay closet case who doesn't score a zero is Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk (who scored a 25%). Closeted gays who voted against people every single time they had an opportunity to include David Dreier (CA), Trent Franks (AZ), Patrick McHenry (NC), Dana Rohrabacher (CA), Aaron Schock (IL), and Adrian Smith (NE).
So how do we define the worst of the worst? I may bear a particular animus toward lock-step anti-gay fanatics who represent large gay constituencies, like homophobic fanatic-- and zero-- John Culberson (R-TX) whose constituents include an awful lot of gay men and women in Houston's Montrose area. And I also harbor some animus towards closet cases-- even "everyone knows" types like David Dreier-- who vote against equality for gays in less favorable positions than they are. Ironically, Dreier, a zero himself, was vetoed for the Republican House Leader position by Roy Blunt based soley on the fact that he's gay. You'd think they guy would grok the concept of being discriminated against! But I decided when researching this piece to leave all that stuff aside and just concentrate on members of Congress who are proactively anti-gay, over and above their dismal voting records.
Let's take, for example, Dan Lungren (R-CA). Forget that he's a zero; they almost all are. Instead, notice that on March 4 last year he authored and proposed a constitutional amendment targeting gays and lesbians. As it turns out, his pernicious amendment, H.J.Res. 37 was referred to Jerrold Nadler's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, where it died the death it deserved. Forty Republicans rushed to co-sponsor it, including loudly bigoted gay-haters like Paul Broun (R-GA), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA, traumatized at an early age for his transgender first name), Mike Pence (R-IN), Steve King (R-IA), closet queen Trent Franks (R-AZ), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), John Mica (R-FL), Dan Burton (R-IN), Ken Calvert (R-CA), a shameless congressman arrested fleeing in a parked car with his pants down around his ankles when caught with a junkie-hooker by the police, and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT). And speaking of Chaffetz...
Chaffetz has appointed himself spokesperson for the GOP's anti-gay squad. When the Washington DC City Council voted 12-1 to recognize same sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions, Chaffetz went to war. "Some things are worth fighting for, and this is one of them," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), the ranking Republican on a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee that oversees the District. "It's not something I can let go softly into the night... I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue." Or at least the majority of Utah voters who don't live inside the city limits of Salt Lake City.
Soon after, virulent gay-haters Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Dan Boren (D-OK) introduced a bill to force DC to not recognize same-sex marriage. A Pat Robertson front group filed an anti-marriage equality brief on behalf of 37 House members suing to stop the city from recognizing same sex marriages. Some very familiar names on that list: Robert Aderholt, Todd Akin, Michele Bachmann, Gresham Barrett, Roscoe Bartlett, Marsha Blackburn, John Boehner, John Boozman, Eric Cantor, Jason Chaffetz, John Fleming, Randy Forbes, Virginia Foxx, Scott Garrett, Phil Gingrey, Louie Gohmert, Jeb Hensarling, Wally Herger, Walter Jones, Jim Jordan, Steve King, Jack Kingston, John Kline, Doug Lamborn, Robert Latta, Don Manzullo, Michael McCaul, Thaddeus McCotter, North Carolina closet case Patrick McHenry, Cathy McMorris Rogers, Jeff Miller, Jerry Moran, Randy Neugebauer, Mike Pence, Joe Pitts, Mark Souder, and Todd Tiahrt.
On October 21 the House voted-- overwhelmingly-- to pass Tom Harkin's bill to amend title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the program for providing life-saving care for those with HIV/AIDS (the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009). For normal Americans, regardless of party, it was a non-controversial, bipartisan endeavor and it passed 408-9. All the Democrats (including homophobic Blue Dogs who routinely vote against gay equality) and 162 Republicans including every single GOP closet case in the House and most of the garden variety hatemongers, voted for it. So who voted "no?" A motley array of the most vitriolic, hate-filled Republican bigots who come crawling out from under their rocks to revel in this kind of thing, including two on our list of the worst of the worst, Virginia Foxx and Louie Gohmert. Time for the list of the six worst, the ones who are always at the front of the line when it comes to kicking around gay people, the ones who scream the loudest and make the ugliest faces:
The Haters Who Act On Their Hate
Steve King (R-IA)- Where do we start with this raving package of pure Satanic hatred? How about the sick, McCarthyite letter King wrote to President Obama demanding he fire Kevin Jennings, the Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. (Co-signers, obviously, included the rest of the Dirty Half Dozen.) Or maybe we should stick to Iowa and his classy reaction to the ruling by his state's Supreme Court recognizing that all Iowans were entitled to marriage equality.
Virginia Foxx (R-NC)- Poor Foxx built her entire demented career around spewing hatred towards gay people, first in the North Carolina legislature and more recently on the floor of the U.S. Congress, where she is considered one of the two dozen least effective, least influential members. Ironically she's become a kind of "fag hag" for Republican closet queen Patrick McHenry and he's one of the only members of Congress willing to be seen in public with her, especially after her demented tirade directed at Matthew Shepard's grieving mother. (See video below.) I don't know if any gay people read DWT or not but if you know any, please let them know that Blue America has endorsed Billy Kennedy, the progressive Democrat running against Foxx, and that he could use some help in the fundraising department, even if just a $10 or $20 contribution.Louie Gohmert (R-TX)- Half of the Republican Party tag team of bigotry with Utah wingnut Jason Chaffetz, Gohmert was famously dubbed, by Rachel Maddow, Oscar the Grouch, popping out of his trash can to take aim at active duty military personnel who happen to be gay. Watch the video of him annoying members of the House by talking about his perverted sexual fantasies.
Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)- This one has decided his path to political ascendancy among the Mormons is through anti-gay demagoguery. Mormons, whose victimization at the hands of the narrow-minded isn't so far in the past, should know better.
Trent Franks (R-AZ)- The only closet case in the Bottom Six, Franks was driven out of the Arizona state legislature for his aggressive sexual behavior towards younger males. Safely ensconced in the Republican congressional caucus he figures that as long as he can bray homophobic epithets loudly enough, no one will figure out what he does when the lights go out. Best known for calling President Obama an enemy of humanity and claiming that African-Americans may have been better off when they were slaves, Franks is the definition of a kind of self-loathing homosexual that mostly went extinct in the early 1960s.
Duncan Hunter, Jr (R-CA)- Hoping to live up to his father's reputation as the most hysterical homophobe in Congress, Junior is as dumb as a brick and Aaron Schock's secret heartthrob. Because he served in the Marine Corps the GOP has tasked him with speaking out against equality for gays serving in the military. He does it badly and it is widely rumored that his confused statements about hermaphrodites stems from having been molested as a child. He, like the other 5, should see a psychiatrist and stop trying to victimize other taxpaying, law-abiding American citizens.
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA (a/k/a TARBALL) VOTED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST GAY, LESBIAN and BISEXUL SOLDIERS, SAILORS, MARINES and COAST GUARDSMEN 5/27
So, last night, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 234-194 to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the provision of federal law that resulted in tormenting and torturing thousands of service members with witch hunts. resulting in some 14,000 service members being discharged since 1993.
Needless to say, CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA voted for bigotry.
Enough. MICA previously voted against outlawing hate crimes. His Philistinism and mendacity know no boundaries.
BIGOTED CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA VOTED AGAINST OUTLAWING HATE CRIMES ---- MICA's IN BED WITH JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY, BIGOTS, EXTREMISTS, KKK, etc.
According to the Florida Times-Union tally of Congressional votes in today's edition, 7th District U.S. Congressman JOHN LUIGI MICA voted against amending federal hate crimes legislation to protect women, the disabled and Gay and Lesbian people from violent crimes based upon prejudice.
Goofy guys like JOHN LUIGI MICA want to shrink government just small enough to fit in your bedroom.
Our right-wing reprobate of a Congressman voted in lockstep with other Republicans, who can't stand thinking for themselves (or protecting human rights). Shame on him.
Eighteen (18) Republicans supported the bill, including three from Florida, among them Miami's Rep. Ros-Lehtinen. Ironically, the Florida hate crimes law contains a similar provision, so MICA voted against not only the Miami-area Republicans but also contrary to the express will of the Florida legislature.
Our right-wing local St. Augustine Record doesn't bother to report Congressional voting records, so people who rely on the WrecKord won't know. The REcord is guilty of endorsing racist, sexist, misogynist, head-butting homophobic, creepy MICA on the basis of his pork barrel record. Shame on the Record for being so eerily gullible.
Nearly 150,000 people voted for Faye Armitage and against MICA last year. Shame on us if we don't vote MICA's butt out of Congress for good next year.
Right-wing CONGRESSMAN JOHN LUIGI MICA is in bed with the John Birch Society -- he is an embarrassment to all of us here in the 7th Congressional District. See the John Birch Society's propaganda on the issue (below).
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Hate Crimes' Bill Would Open a Prosecutorial Pandora's Box
Written by Warren Mass
Wednesday, 29 April 2009 10:06
On April 2, Rep. John Conyers (D.-Mich.) and 42 cosponsors introduced H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 in the House and the legislation was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. As we write, the bill has 120 cosponsors and the House has scheduled action on it for April 29, when it will be considered and considered and debated on the House floor. An April 29 vote is likely.
While the stated objective of H.R. 1913 is “to provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes,” this legislation, if passed, would open the door to a wide variety of abuses. Among the “trouble spots” with this proposed legislation:
• “State and local authorities are now and will continue to be responsible for prosecuting the overwhelming majority of violent crimes in the United States, including violent crimes motivated by bias. These authorities can carry out their responsibilities more effectively with greater Federal assistance.”
The legislation attempts to categorize crime according to the “motivations” of the perpetrator. As a writer in The New American magazine once noted:
Hate crimes legislation creates a new body of laws based on the underlying motivations behind criminal acts. When penalties are enhanced, then the thoughts themselves are criminalized. This approach is essentially totalitarian, no matter how repugnant the motivating beliefs, since it requires the state to prove what is in the mind of a defendant and (in the case of enhanced penalties) to punish his beliefs.
Furthermore, when the bill proposes that local law enforcement authorities be given federal assistance, the end result will be federal control over all law enforcement.
• “Existing Federal law is inadequate to address this problem.”
The reason federal law is supposedly inadequate is because crimes that would most likely be committed out of hate, such as assault, battery, and murder, are already being prosecuted by state and local government. Federalizing such crimes (even by definition) creates a redundant layer of law enforcement that can only lead to the aforementioned federal control of all law enforcement.
• “Federal jurisdiction over certain violent crimes motivated by bias enables Federal, State, and local authorities to work together as partners in the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.”
Again, the legislation attempts to ascertain and criminalize motivations, coming dangerously close to creating a category of “thought crimes” as depicted by George Orwell in 1984. And the establishment of federal jurisdiction over crimes traditionally prosecuted at the state level is an infringement upon states’ rights.
• “The term `local' means a county, city, town, township, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State.”
Such language raises the potential for federal interference of law enforcement matters into the tiniest hamlets of America. Even a fight between neighbors of different ethnic or philosophical persuasions might be labeled as “a hate crime.”
• “The Attorney General may provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or any other form of assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that — (A) constitutes a crime of violence; (B) constitutes a felony under the State, local, or Tribal laws; and (C) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim….”
Not content to cite “sexual orientation,” the legislation includes “gender identity,” meaning that, theoretically, a bouncer who exerted an indiscreet amount of physical force in ejecting a disorderly cross dresser from a nightclub might be charged with “a hate crime.”
While H.R. 1913’s original sponsor, John Conyers, attempted to reassure the reluctant that “The bill only applies to bias-motivated violent crimes and does not impinge public speech or writing in any way,” another cosponsor, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) signaled her intention that the legislation would apply not only to attacks with sticks and stones, but also with words: “We also need to protect those potential victims who may be the recipients of hateful words or hateful acts, or even violent acts.”
Attempting to ascertain an assailment’s motivations is a difficult assignment, and sure to create more problems than it solves. Our state and local authorities have protected their citizens against violent crime since our nation’s founding. All violent crime is hateful. Motivations are irrelevant. There is no need to complicate the prosecution of crime any further, or to invite federal agents to interfere in local matters.
Urge your representative and senators in Congress to oppose passage of H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.
Follow this link to an alert that allows you to email your representative and senators now, urging them to oppose this dangerous legislation.
To read more about this threat to states' rights and traditional values, read this message posted by the Traditional Values Coalition: http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3627