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Mitch Perry Report 6.19.13 - When is it time for Dems to fear their odds vs. Rick Scott?

Mitch Perry — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:44:00 -0400

Unlike other local or national Web sites, our reporting on Quinnipiac's first poll of the 2014 Democratic candidates for governor did not lead off with how great Rick Scott is now performing, because the man trails both Charlie Crist and Bill Nelson by 10 points, even though neither is a declared candidate yet, and in the case of Nelson, probably never will be, unless he's absolutely brought kicking and screaming into the race next winter.

But we get why everyone else hailed the guv's new high water marks in both personal and job approval ratings - because they are creeping to almost even, getting over 40 percent in both categories. Combine that with the fact that he will have somewhere between $100-$125 million to spend on his re-election bid, and yes, jobs are picking up in Florida, and you do have a more formidable looking incumbent.

The question is, when will a Democrat who can beat Rick Scott get into the race? Actually, Nan Rich is running, and she was the only Democrat listed who is trailing Scott (42-36 percent). Alex Sink was not listed in the poll. As far as rumors that she will run? She tells the Times today that she won't decide until September 1.

But a word to those Florida Democrats (I think David Plouffe would call them bed-wetters) who are freaked out about Charlie Crist being their standard bearer. The poll shows that both he and Bill Nelson have a 10-point lead today over Governor Scott. That hardly looks like his popularity is weaning so much that you have to call in the calvery (i.e. Nelson), does it? And by the way, by 50-35 percent, Floridians in the poll said they didn't want Scott to be their governor again next year.

Speaking of polls, a new one came out regarding St. Petersburg's political scene, and it doesn't auger well for either Mayor Bill Foster or the Lens.

A rally is being scheduled for this Friday afternoon by a coalition of liberal activist groups against Bill Nelson and NSA surveillance. Nelson last week said he thought leaker/whistle-blower Edward Snowden was a traitor.

And aren't we all lucky that a gang-banger or lord knows who didn't pick up that loaded Glock left in a Ybor Muvico theater Sunday afternoon? It was a 9-year-old boy who found the weapon that an off-duty Hillsborough County Sheriff Deputy had decided to lay down as he uh, took a load off.

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Gun found in Ybor movie theater bathroom belongs to a Hillsborough County deputy

Mitch Perry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:24:00 -0400

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) reported this afternoon that the man who left his gun in the Ybor Muvico theater restroom on Sunday afternoon is one of their own.

That would be 38-year-old Luke Hussey, a 13-year veteran of the force.

Shortly after 9-year-old Zane Noland had settled into his seat with his brother and dad to check out the new Superman flick Man of Steel on Father's Day, he and his pop went to the restroom. Zane opened up a stall where on top of a toilet paper dispenser sat a loaded Glock 26.

He then told his father Wesley, a Marine veteran, who took the gun into another restroom and disarmed it.

The Sheriff's Department reported that Hussey was enjoying a movie (not listed in their press release) when about 90 minutes into the flick he had an "Oh, shit" moment, realizing that the gun he took with him inside the theater was no longer on him.

Hussey then spoke to the Muvico manager, who told him that Tampa Police had been called in and had recovered the weapon.

Larry McKinnon with the Sheriff's Department said in a press release, "HCSO takes this matter very seriously and has already began an administrative investigation to determine any policy violations that may have occurred."

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Rally against NSA surveillance set for Tampa this Friday

Mitch Perry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:22:50 -0400

General Keith Alexander, the director of the National Security Agency, told a public hearing of the House intelligence committee in Washington today that the programs were "critical" to the ability of the intelligence community to protect the US, and that two such programs revealed in the media over the past two weeks had "helped prevent more than 50 terrorist attacks in over 20 countries," with 10 of the plots directed towards the U.S.

Most of those prevention efforts, Alexander said, came from the NSA's monitoring of foreigners' internet communications under a program known as Prism. He added that they were "limited, focused and subject to rigorous oversight."

His comments came a day after President Obama gave he gave his most forceful defense of the NSA's surveillance activities to PBS's Charlie Rose,

As to where the American public stands on the issue, well that seems to vary depending on which pollster you trust most.

But there are definitely elements on both the political right and left who are angry about the revelations.
This Friday afternoon a rally in Tampa has been called to protest the snooping, though the groups sponsoring this event all are to left on the political spectrum.

They are, Veterans for Peace, Occupy Tampa, Friends of Human Rights, NatureCoast Coalition for Peace and Justice, Tampa Light Brigade, The Refuge, St. Petersburg Green Party, Peace and Freedom Party of Florida, Green Shadow Cabinet and the Poor People's Economic Rights Campaign.

Activists are calling for the rally to be held in front of the Federal Building in downtown Tampa, which houses Senator Bill Nelson's local district office. This statement comes via the press release issued out by St. Pete for Peace:

Senator Nelson described Edward Snowden, the person who heroically exposed the NSA spying program, as someone who committed an act of treason.“This is deliberately taking highly, highly super-compartmented classified information and giving it directly out,” Nelson told CNN, according to talkingpointsmemo.com. “He ought to be prosecuted under the law. Extradited and prosecuted. We cannot have national security if our secrets cannot be kept.”

But we believe Edward Snowden is a hero and it is Senator Nelson, and all those who disregard the 4th Amendment by supporting the NSA Prism program, as acting in a treasonous manner.

The demonstration will take place on Friday, June 21 from 4:00pm-6:00pm at the Federal Court House, 801 N. Florida Ave in Tampa.

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Lens prospects looking dimmer as referendum date draws closer

Mitch Perry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:19:00 -0400

Although Jeff Danner, Leslie Curran and other advocates of the Lens think support for the St. Pete Pier's replacement design will increase with more education, a new survey by St.Pete Polls indicates that it may be too late for that.

The survey out Tuesday shows the Lens — on the ballot Aug. 27 — losing 63-28 percent, with 10 percent undecided.

The poll also shows that Bill Foster may be in a major fight to survive the Aug. 27 primary, where he'll be on the ballot with Kathleen Ford and Rick Kriseman.

When asked how's he doing in the survey, St. Pete voters responded by a 56-43 percent margin that they don't think the mayor is doing a good job.

And attention Jim Kennedy fans. The District 2 City Councilman, the only incumbent who had been running unopposed, now has a challenger in environmentalist Lorraine Margeson (or maybe not, as Mark Puente at the Times reported). The two candidates are in a statistical battle at 22 percent each, with the vast majority (56 percent) undecided.

But back to the Lens.

Voters who said they opposed the Michael Maltzan-designed structure were given six choices for why they are against the Lens. The top criticism? More than 35 percent said their opposition lies in the fact that they were not allowed to vote on the future of the Pier. The next closest choice, 18.5 percent, said they didn't like the design.

Of those who said they support the plan, 33.6 percent said it's because it reflects the strong focus on the arts in the community, followed by another 30 percent who said there will be lots to do at the new structure.

The folks at St. Pete Polls called 1524 people in their survey conducted Monday night.

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New Music Tuesday! (June 18): Primal Scream, Kanye West, Beach Day, Sigur Ros & more

Leilani Polk — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:10:00 -0400

Week three of June brings some much-anticipated releases in hip hop, among some other appealing albums. Info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to check out releases that dropped over the past few months.

3OH!3, Omens (Photo Finish/Atlantic)

Adventures, Clear My Head With You EP (No Sleep)

Austra, Olympia (Domino)

Baths, Cerulean (Anticon)

Beach Day, Trip Trap Attack (Kanine)

The City and Horses, Strange Range (Paper Garden Records)

Columboid, Monster Vision (La Société Expéditionnaire)

Eddie Spaghetti, The Value of Nothing (Bloodshot Records)

Empire of the Sun, Ice on the Dune (Astralwerks)

Falling in Reverse, Fashionably Late (Epitaph)

The Gaslight Anthem, Singles Collection 2008-2011 (SideOneDummy)

Hanson, Anthem (3CG)

Heliotropes, A Constant Sea (Manimal Vinyl)
Four women from Brooklyn make up Heliotropes, which delivers hard-grinding stoner rock. This is their debut full-length, with the majority of songs featuring titles that are also names of various monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, Sasquatch). "Quatto" is the monster-thing from Total Recall; listen after the jump along with checking out the rest of this week's new releases...

Holy Folk, Motioning (Silver Side)

Hospital Ships, Destruction in Yr Soul (Graveface)
The bedroom recording project of Kansas musician Jordan Geiger fills out with a full band for this collection, ranging from swinging vintage-scuffed rock n' roll ala "Servants" (video below) to garage rock aggression to buoyant folk.

J. Cole, Born Sinner (Roc Nation/Universal)
The first artist to sign to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label (real name Jermaine Lamarr Cole) finally issues his much-anticipated sophomore LP; lead single "Power Trip" featuring Miguel peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Rap Songs charts, No. 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Video below.

Delbert & Glen, Blind, Crippled & Crazy (New West)
Legendary Americana maker Delbert McClinton teams up with Glen Clark for their first duets record in more than four decades, a mix of swampy blues, soul and honky tonk.

Natasha Kmeto, Crisis (Dropping Gems)

Lemuria, The Big Distance Is So Big (Bridge Nine)

Light Years, I Won’t Hold This Against You (Paper + Plastick)

The Mantles, Long Enough To Leave (Slumberland)

Mac Miller, Watching Movies with the Sound Off (Rostrum Records)
The sophomore album from Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller.

Rick Moranis, My Mother's Brisket & Other Love Songs (West End Pictures / Warner Bros.)
Yes, that Rick Moranis. The spectacle-wearing comedian/nerd returns with a collection of songs reflecting on his Jewish roots and upbringing with a mix of klezmer, rumba, folk and jazz backing songs about family, food, religious traditions, love, and dessert.

Primal Scream, More Light (Atlantic)
The new full-length from Scotlands's seminal alt rock band sees its U.S. release.

Kelly Rowland, Talk a Good Game (Republic)

Said the Whale, I Love You EP (Universal)

Sigur Rós, Kveikur (XL)

Spectrals, Sob Story (Slumberland)

Statik Selektah, Extended Play (Duck Down Music)

Steve Gunn, Time Off (Paradise of Bachelors Records)

Stripmall Architecture, Suburban Reverb (Tricycle Records)

Sublime, 3 Ring Circus: Live at the Palace, October 21, 1995 (UMe)

Tripwires, Spacehopper (Frenchkiss)

Tunng, Turbines (Full Time Hobby)

Two Inch Astronaut, Bad Brother (Exploding In Sound Records)

Tylan, One True Thing (Girlyman)

Vacation, Candy Waves (Don Giovanni Records)

Kanye West, Yeezus (Def Jam)
Kim Kardashian's boo and her baby's daddy, rapper, producer and overall superstar West presents his much-anticipated sixth solo LP, which West has described as "like trap and drill and house. I knew that I wanted to have a deep Chicago influence on this album, and I would listen to like, old Chicago house music. I think that even 'Black Skinhead' could border on house, 'On Sight' sounds like acid house, and then 'I Am a God' obviously sounds, like, super house." Among the collaborators this go-round are The-Dream and spoken word artist Malik Yusef, Thomas Bangalter of duo Daft Punk (who produced the first track), Chief Keef, Justin Vernon, and others. Check out his performance of "Black Skinhead" from SNL below.

The World Is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid To Die, Whenever, If Ever (Topshelf Records)
A Connecticut indie rock octet with emo and chamber tendencies; this is their wistfully pretty first LP. TWIABPAIANLATD plays Epic Problem in Tampa on Fri., June 21.

Anton Zap, Water (Apollo Records)

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Diving in the shallow end of a stripper pool party

Shawn Alff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:20:00 -0400

"Who exactly is this charity event benefiting?" I repeatedly asked the golfers and volunteer strippers drinking around the pool at Gopher's Hole Country Club.

"It's for the kids," replied most of them, with a grin engorged by alcohol and arousal.

Exactly which kids was unclear. The strippers' kids? The strippers themselves?

That wasn't the only question that went unanswered. There was also confusion as to what exactly the golfers were paying for — beyond a barrage of sexual innuendos involving strokes, balls and holes — when they bid on the exotic dancers to be their caddies for the day.

I don't play golf nor do I participate in charity auctions, so it's hard for me to say how this event differed from other charity tournaments. One participant I talked to claimed that Gopher's Hole hired extra security this year to limit the number of forays the golfers and their unlicensed-caddies made into the woods surrounding the course. All I can really say with certainty is that Gopher's Hole made a smart decision by banning children and wives from the country club that day, particularly when it came to the pool party following the tournament.

I had wondered who would show up to a charity golf tournament on a Monday. The answer is corporate men who could afford to write it off as a team-building exercise.

Officially, I attended the event so I could write about it, and my buddy Brian came with me to take accompanying photos. But really we were there for the same reason as the golfers: to get drunk around promiscuous women.

Within minutes of our arrival, two sweet young ladies, J and D, began pulling off our shorts as an invitation for us to jump in the pool. In the water, J and D climbed on us like dogs searching for their footing in deep water. They informed us that they were cocktail waitresses, not strippers. In fact, most of the women we met claimed to be cocktail waitresses. Considering their propensity to get naked and molest strangers, I'd say they missed their calling. When J and D realized that Brian and I didn't pay to play in the tournament, they immediately climbed out of the pool and began tugging on the shorts of the nearest two golfers carrying a liquor bottle.

Within minutes of jumping in the pool, rain began pelting our pool party. Brian and I took cover in a cabana rented by our friend Amanda. J and D followed with the two golfers they lured into the pool after us. Luckily these guys brought liquor and cigarettes, which, along with cash and the occasional drugs, is pretty much all it takes to keep most "cocktail waitresses" satisfied.

"This actually isn't so bad," said the golfer cuddled between J and D. "If only we had ice."

In answer to his prayer, hail bombarded our cabana and smashed the cement around the pool. It was biblical. Apparently voodoo Jesus doesn't approve of charitable events for kids — though his powers weren't enough to stave off the debauchery for long.

I decided to get to know J and D before we were all obliterated for partying in the heart of a thunder storm. J was tan and tattooed down to her soul. Her loose bikini was no match for breast implants that complemented her thick frame. The mascara puddled around her eyes was mostly concealed by huge designer shades that sat crooked. D was a younger version of J with a lighter tan, fewer tattoos, and natural tits. Her Kool-Aid red hair bled into a towel. She didn't want me to write about her hair. I asked what I should write about. D suggested I write about her boobs. I asked what vegetable I could compare them too in order to paint a visual picture.

"Strawberries," she said.

Her answer still confounds me. Her nipples maybe. She described her ass as a watermelon. Juicy, I believe, was the word she was going for. In any case, the fruit similes were appropriate in describing these women: ripe specimens that would soon turn and be replaced by a younger crop.

When the storm blew over, the attendants dispersed to semi-secluded seating areas around the pool. Brian took covert photos of men getting lap dances on benches and in cabanas. Gold wedding bands shined against tanned asses. In one cabana, a lap dance got so vigorous it tipped over the sofa hosting the dance.

A $1,000 bikini contest ensued. A more appropriate name for the competition would have been "a topless ass-shaking and make-out contest." Some of the less attractive cocktail waitresses went onstage in pairs. A threesome of women got on all fours and clapped their asses, which might have been impressive had the skill not been predicated on them possessing an excess of loose fat.

Amanda, Brian and I provided unsolicited commentary.

"I fed that one once," Amanda said of one of the dancers who seemed to be on an extreme diet.

"They have some really meaningful tattoos," Brian said. "That one has a tattoo on her stomach that says 'gorgeous.'"

"It helps remind her clients in case they forget," I said. "So after a private dance, the guy can go back to his buddies and say, 'She was gorgeous.'"

"I like the boobs on the one in the purple bikini," I said. "Or the one who was previously wearing the purple bikini."

"Yeah, but she has a bruise near her nipple," Amanda noted.

She was right. I'm still uncertain how one gets a bruised boob or why bruises on dancers are unsavory. Perhaps it's the same visceral reaction we get when we see bruised fruit.

Amanda did not think these women were a good representation of the strip club sponsoring the event. There were several factors at play there. Sunlight isn't a stripper's natural setting. Flip-flops don't elevate an ass and legs the way six inch pumps do. There was also the question of what motivated this particular batch of women to come to this event. Were they the proverbial strippers with hearts of gold, donating their bodies for some good cause? Or were they simply party girls who enjoyed hanging out with men who showered them in alcohol and money? The type of dancers absent from the event were the professionals who had day jobs and college classes.

Still, there was something liberating about the cocktail waitresses making a splash at the pool that Monday. Many were in their prime, flaunting bodies that had yet to suffer the consequences of age and partying. They were the embodiment of their carpe diem tattoos, sucking up life like cigarettes.

The ladies were escorted off the stage, one-by-one, eliminated from the bikini dance-off — a foreshadowing of what was to come of their stripping careers.

I'm still not sure who won the bikini contest, or the golf tournament for that matter. Amanda had a bottle in her cabana that needed attending. As I drank, I became more self-reflective. I wasn't so different from the cocktail waitresses and golfers I was judging. We had all taken different paths that ended up at the same party. I had simply taken a path with fewer putting greens and smaller paychecks.

At one point Amanda's assistant asked why I was still wearing my swim trunks — making her the second woman to ask the question that day. Perhaps she asked more politely, or maybe the alcohol had simply loosened my drawstring. Either way, my trunks gave way to my red boy-shorts.

A few strippers approached me for photos. A few patted my junk. Our actual cocktail waitress allowed me to hold her in my arms while I did various bun-enhancing exercises. Guys who thought my moves were funny became my new friends. They realized my boy-shorts were just another gimmick to meet women, no different from the money they could dole out for bottle service or lap dances.

I knew eventually I would have to come up with a new gimmick; one day I would have to retire my party boy routine — but not that day. That day I was standing proud, shimmering in sunlight pouring through the cracks in the passing storm while hosting a one-man bikini-brief contest I could not lose.

Follow Alfie on Twitter or Facebook and email him here

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Rick Scott's personal and job approval ratings improve …

Mitch Perry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:42:00 -0400

It's been three long months since there's been a major poll in the Florida 2014 governor's race, so there was great anticipation this morning at Quinnipiac University's new survey, which shows Charlie Crist continuing to lead Rick Scott 47-37 percent if the two were running against each other this week.

However the headlines this morning aren't that Scott continues to trail a man who hasn't even declared his candidacy yet, but about how Scott's approval and personal ratings are the highest in his tenure in office.

Scott's job approval rankings are almost split straight up, with a 43-44 rating, his highest approval rating since he was elected and up 7 points from when the question was last asked three months ago.

And Scott gets a divided 40 - 42 percent favorability rating, but that also is up from a negative 33 - 46 percent favorability rating March 20, and his best score so far.

However, voters still say 50 - 35 percent that Scott does not deserve to be reelected.

And think about this: Scott is working damn hard to get re-elected, while Charlie Crist, Alex Sink and Bill Nelson - all rumored to be potential Democratic candidates - haven't done a thing in terms of challenging Scott, since they're not declared candidates. And Crist and Nelson still lead Scott (the poll did not include Alex Sink).

"It is an indication of how far down Florida Gov. Rick Scott's numbers have been that he can take some solace from a poll that finds him losing by 10 points to his predecessor in the governor's office," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "In addition to cutting the deficit between himself and former Gov. Charlie Crist, Gov. Scott sees his tepid job approval and favorability numbers and his still-negative reelection numbers as notably improved."

As we've reported on extensively on this blog, some Democrats, freaked out that Crist will not be a strong enough candidate next year, have been begging the state's senior Democrat, 70-year-old Bill Nelson, to put his hat in the ring, but those entreaties have been in vain so far.

The poll shows Nelson leading Scott 48 - 38 percent, meaning he has the same advantage over Scott as Crist does at this time.

However, Scott does lead the only declared Democrat in the race, former Senate Minority leader Nan Rich, 42-36 percent.

There are several reasons to attribute Scott's polling gains, but first and foremost has to be on the job front. Florida's unemployment currently is down to 7.2 percent. That's a 3.9 percent drop since December of 2010, a month before Scott took over, the second fastest reduction in the nation.

And Scott has also been using the powers of his office to the max, including moving up and down the state to distribute "Great Floridian" awards to folks heroes like Tim Tebow and Steve Spurrier.

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Mitch Perry Report: Public isn't into arming Syrian rebels

Mitch Perry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:42:00 -0400

President Obama is really in a pickle in many respects to his presidency. He went on Charlie Rose last night to defend the surveillance tactics that Edward Snowden has revealed to the world. While the country appears to be split on whether they think it's okay, some of his previous supporters are disturbed by the rhetoric he displayed on the subject in 2007, and what he's saying now.

And what to make of the announcement late last week that the U.S., after two years of bloodshed, will begin arming Syrian rebels opposing Bashar al-Assad? Well, the public needs a lot more selling, because 70 percent oppose doing it according to a new Pew Poll.

The poll shows that Americans believe the moral thing to do is stop authoritarian regimes, but they are almost evenly divided on whether we should do anything for the Syrian people.

Moving on, the GOP-led House of Representatives plan on voting for two measures this week, one being the Farm Bill, which will substantially reduce the number of people who receive food stamps.

They'll also be voting on an abortion bill as early as today that would make it illegal to have an abortion after 20 weeks. That bill, of course, is going nowhere, as the U.S. Senate will never pass it. Sort of like a lot of bills in Congress, sadly.

New Yorker journalist George Packer is getting rave reviews for his look at America through a collection of individual portraits in his new book, The Great Unwinding. There's certainly a lot of interest in the book here in the Tampa Bay area, as the region is one of the main characters in story of America over the past three decades, and much of it ain't pretty. Our conversation can be read here.

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Hillsborough County school officials join Congresswoman Castor in decrying House cuts to food stamp program

Mitch Perry — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:35:02 -0400

The Farm Bill that will likely win support from the House this week would cut $20.5 billion from the food stamp program over 10 years, taking almost 2 million recipients off the food stamp rolls, as estimated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Because members of low-income working families with children who benefit from school lunch and breakfast programs would be affected by those cuts, Tampa-area Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor was joined by Hillsborough County School District head MaryEllen Elia at Tampa Bay Elementary in West Tampa to decry the House proposal.

"Food stamps were very important during the economic recession because people lost their jobs and the last thing you want is for a child to go hungry, show up to school with having breakfast and lunch, so SNAP provided that safety net for children all across this community," Castor said Monday morning as kindergarten students entered into the cafeteria behind her for their lunch period.

SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. As CL reported in our current issue, the number of people relying on SNAP to help make ends meet is at a record high, 47 million, with more than 3.3 million in Florida. That's a 70 percent increase since 2008. Under the Supplementary Poverty Measure, the Census Bureau estimates that nearly one in six people in the country are now living in poverty.

But both the Senate and the House editions of the Farm Bill will reduce the number of people eligible for the program. The Senate's bill (passed last week) cuts SNAP by $4 billion, one fifth of that ominous $20 billion figure that the House is contemplating, and Congresswoman Castor said that's alright.

"As the economy improves, more parents are working. They don't have to rely on SNAP and food stamps. We just can't take those extreme steps right now because I think that would put children across this community at risk for not having a nutritious meal."

Children in households that receive SNAP are automatically eligible for free school meals. According to Congressional Budget Office, 210,000 children in families whose eligibility for free school meals is tied to their receipt of SNAP would lose those meals.

School Board Chair MaryEllen Elia told reporters at the news conference that the district has 101 sites open this summer that are open for breakfast and lunch.

"This is a great program," she said, adding that until legislation is passed she won't be able to determine how many students will suffer.

"What we have to do is wait until the decision is made in Congress," Elie added. "And then the calculations on how much our district will be cut from the Student Nutrition Programs will be determined and at that point in time we will have to make some tough choices."

After the House presumably votes in support of their current bill later this week, the question becomes: Can a conference committee between the two branches of Congress come together on a package that can be brought to President Obama?

Last year the vast differences between the Senate and the House's bill meant no Farm Bill was passed, and ultimately a nine-month extension was funded during the 'fiscal cliff' negotiations on New Year's Eve. And what does Congresswoman Castor think of a deal getting passed this summer (funding for the bill expires Sept. 30).

"I think if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue to take the extreme position that would slash families and children from nutrition programs before they're able to get a job, then the likelihood of the Farm Bill passing is not positive," she replied, adding that she's heard an amendment could be added to the House bill that would cut even more from SNAP.

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Rep. Kathy Castor says GOP War on Women is alive and well as House Republicans push more abortion restrictions

Mitch Perry — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:00 -0400

If you thought that Congressional Republicans were going to back away from social issues in the aftermath of last year's disappointing loss at the presidential level, well, you were mistaken.

Scheduled for a vote in the House later this week is a proposal that would ban all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It's sponsored by Arizona Republican Trent Franks, who last week provoked outrage when he argued against an amendment would have exempted victims of rape or incest from the bill’s strict limits.

“Before, when my friends on the left side of the aisle here tried to make rape and incest the subject — because, you know, the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low, but when you make that exception, there’s usually a requirement to report the rape within 48 hours. And in this case that’s impossible because this is in the sixth month of gestation. And that’s what completely negates and vitiates the purpose for such an amendment,” Franks said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing (on Friday the GOP amended it to include an exception for rape and incest).

Tampa-area Democrat Kathy Castor says she strongly opposes the bill.

"This is another example of the extreme position that Congressional Republicans are taking. We thought the war on women is over, but apparently not," Castor told CL Monday morning after she wrapped a press conference regarding the Farm Bill at a West Tampa elementary school.

"What really gets me is that you have these almost all male politicians in Washington, trying to make personal decisions that impact women, their families, their relationships. I trust women to make these decisions, not these older white males in Washington D.C.," Castor said.

11 states across the country have passed laws similar to the House proposal, some tied up in the courts. North Dakota's is the strictest. Their bill prohibits abortions after just six weeks.

Groups supporting abortion rights and opposing them differ on how frequent such abortions take place. But the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention reported in 2000 that just 1.4 percent of abortions involve fetuses older than 20 weeks.

Not everyone in the GOP ranks is happy either about the bill coming up for a vote. Pennsylvania Republican Representative Charlie Dent criticized the House-GOP leadership for allowing the bill to come up for a vote.

“I’ll be very frank: I discouraged our leadership from bringing this to a vote on the floor,” Dent told CQ Roll Call. “Clearly the economy is on everyone’s minds, we’re seeing very stagnant job numbers, confidence in the institution of government is eroding and now we’re going to have a debate on rape and abortion," he said, adding "The stupidity is simply staggering."

"I thought they had learned the lesson through the election," Congresswoman Castor said when asked if she was surprised House Republicans were intent on passing this bill. "I tell you, some of these men in the Congress really think they need to control women's bodies, women's lives, make those decisions for them." She also pointed out that, if and when the bill gets through the House, it will likely go nowhere in the Democratically controlled Senate.

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The rise of adult star, Cindy Starfall

Shawn Alff — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:55:00 -0400

For Cindy Starfall, porn is the poetry of rebellion. It's also an outlet for expressing long repressed, sexual desires. Growing up, Starfall's life was defined by other people's rules. Under such conditions, many people abandon themselves and conform. Others break free and create their own rules.

Starfall came of age in a wealthy household in Vietnam built on her grandfather's success. Instead of a luxury, Starfall saw the estate as a prison. Beyond the physical walls, she was confined by the traditional life she was expected to lead. Her only solace came when sneaking off the compound or masturbating in the bathroom with the shower-head while her nanny stood outside the door. Her break from this life came when her mother tried to set up an arranged marriage. Starfall refused and was kicked out of the house.

At 15, Starfall found herself at an all girls Catholic school in Oregon. This environment offered its own set of rules that Starfall could not abide. Her first sexual experience happened in the school's lunchroom with another girl.

As an adult, Starfall found herself stuffed into conservative business dresses, working in the bureaucracy of a corporate job. In 2011, she started webcam modeling at night. When her employer confronted her about her side career, Starfall quit the corporate world and began freelance modeling. In March of 2012, after meeting a Hustler executive at a swingers club she frequented, Starfall shot her first hardcore scene.

What was your corporate day job like when you started moonlighting as a webcam model?

My corporate days were a bit boring for an adventurous personality. Every day was the same routine of recording numbers, sales statistics, keeping track of inventory and marketing budgets. It wasn't the worst job in the world, but I don't do well with the same routine every day. I constantly had to watch all of my dirty jokes to make sure they didn't offend anyone since the corporate culture is really conservative.

Did you ever discover how the HR department found out you were webcamming?

According to HR personnel, a complaint letter came in with my webcam pictures on it. It was from my old client. Her son supposedly recognized me and he told his mom that I was a webcam girl which I thought was weird. Well, I guess he was a very honest son. I knew something was wrong the moment I got the call, "Please report to HR office." I felt so bad and rebellious and I kind of liked it.

I kept my freakiness undercover so most people never thought I'd ever become a porn star. People never really know what to expect from me. I like to keep my life exciting and full of surprise.

When asked about your celebrity crushes, you've listed muscular action stars like Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Is it safe to assume you have a fetish for large, imposing, muscular men dripping with testosterone who can toss you around during sex? Do you think this preference is at all linked to a desire to be with the type of alpha males who are leaders and who can physically protect you?

Wow! You're absolutely correct. I do love being with alpha males, not boys! I have a very strong personality and strong sexual desires. I need a big man to handle me in every aspect of life and be my protector. In bed I want him to toss me, spin me around, and make it really rough for me. Because I'm such a slutty freak, I'm pretty much open to anything my man has in mind whether it's handcuffs, outdoor sex or anything else.

You seem to have shot a lot of scenes with large black men like Mandingo and Lexington Steele. Do you think you are paired with these men because your petite 4'11" frame makes their dicks look even larger? Realistically, is there a physical limit to how much of their giant dicks you can take?

Luckily, I do get paired with many legendary large cocks which I love. Without porn, I would never be able to experience such huge cocks. My favorite porn category to watch is "Big Dick" and I was very happy to make those type of porn movies. I always joke on set about how their cocks are way bigger than my face. I'm a curious cat so when other girls fear big black cocks, I see an opportunity to experience something new.

As far as physical limits, I like new challenges such as in New Sensations' "I Love Big Toys #35." I don't have the exact measurement of what would be too large, but I just love feeling my pussy stretch wide open and wrap around that cock.

What swinger websites do you cruise? What do you look for in the profile of a couple you want to hook up with?

I browse a variety of swinger websites including Lifestyle Lounge and AshleyMadison.com to satisfy my married man fetish. With swinger couples I pay attention to their personality, lifestyle, rules. I personally don't have any rules but surprisingly some couples do, such as no kissing. I usually pass on that one because kissing is a huge turn on for me. I usually go for what I want so when I find someone attractive, I often send them a message and arrange a quick lunch to test the chemistry. Then we either call it off or get it on at my place.

You've described your family growing up as very strict and judgmental, particularly in response to your appearance. Do you think part of your motivation for getting into porn was to prove them wrong, to have fans all over the world affirm your beauty?

Yes, growing up I was always known as the odd ball in the family because I'm tanner, shorter and curvier than the rest. I always got looked down on since I often didn't follow the rules and snuck out all the time to hang out with my girlfriends who came from a lower social status than my family does.

I never doubted my beauty because even though my family never accepted it, I always told myself I'm beautiful to get through the day. Yes, part of my motivation for getting into porn was to prove them wrong but not to have fans affirm my beauty. It was my message to let them know that I'm doing just fine being on my own, supporting myself, and having fun with it. Happiness has never been an important part in my family. Everything was about money and status. I might not have as much money as I had when living with my family but I'm truly happy doing whatever I want without having to obey any rules.

You've said that you have a fetish for sleeping with random strangers. What is the most random, or memorable, sexual experience you've had with a stranger?

I do have a big fetish for random strangers. Most random was with a stranger on the freeway in traffic. During traffic sometimes, I get bored so I play with myself with one leg up. This guy in the right lane caught me. I thought he was handsome so I smiled at him. I gave him a signal to get off on the next exit. He followed me to an empty parking lot. We said hi then I started kissing him because I was so horny. We had steamy sex in the backseat. It was a win-win situation for both of us. He got laid and I didn't have to wait in traffic.

As an Asian actress is there more of a demand for you to do bukakke scenes? Will you ever film one?

I have never had a bukakke scene before but I would love to experience it soon. Very nasty and I love feeling like the biggest slut around.

How many times have you played the part of the Asian masseuse who gives an x-rated massage?

My career started with my first scene for Reality King as an Asian masseuse. I absolutely lost count of how many times. MANY! I think it's a big fantasy for most guys. I enjoy fulfilling their fantasies whether it's working in a massage parlor or being a naughty schoolgirl.

Watch Cindy Starfall in x-rated action on her website CindyStarfall.net. Also, Follow her on Twitter, @CindyStarfall, Facebook, Facebook.com/CindyStarfalll, and on Instagram, Instagram.com/CindyStarfall.

Follow Alfie on Twitter or Facebook and email him here

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George Packer on Hillsborough's failed transit tax campaign and other tales of the Bay area

Mitch Perry — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:11:00 -0400

Most authors can only dream of receiving the high-profile roll out that George Packer has enjoyed since last month's publication of his critically acclaimed book, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America. Not only did the book make the NY Times best-seller list and get coverage on NPR and cable news programs, but Packer also made appearances on The Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher, talking about his latest work, which depicts an America in crisis — if not total decline — since the late 1970's.

He certainly aroused attention in the Tampa Bay area after the New York Times' Dwight Garner wrote in a glowing review that Packer made Tampa, who Garner described as one of the five main characters of the book, "seem like hell on earth now."

"I was interested in Tampa as an example of a Sunbelt growth capital," Packer told CL in a phone interview conducted last Friday morning, explaining why he focused on the Bay area as part of his examination of the country (there are four chapters about Tampa).

The Tampa Bay area was at the epicenter of the subprime mortgage and subsequent foreclosure crises, issues that originally brought Packer to Tampa in 2008. The Florida housing market was also the subject of his February 2009 New Yorker piece called "The Ponzi State."

Packer returned to the Tampa Bay area at different intervals over the next few years, and one of his book's chapters is all about Hillsborough County's unsuccessful 2010 vote on a transit tax, which would have helped fund the start of a light-rail system. He profiles Karen Jaroch, the Tea Party activist whose evolution from suburban mom into a political player is described in detail.

"I guess I saw light-rail as the one story happening in Tampa Bay that offered a way out of the dead end that the housing boom and the housing bust had created," Packer said. "The growth model had run its course, it had hit diminishing returns if not exploded in everyone’s face."

Acknowledging that light-rail wouldn't have cured all the problems the region was dealing with, he said it would have been a major step forward. But the 2010 nationwide political climate was hostile to "Big Government," and asking Hillsborough voters to support an increase in their sales taxes was going to be a reach — especially with an invigorated Republican Party led by Tea Party activists.

"I think there were powerful forces against it," Packer said, "including an attachment to the older way of life that is very hard to change. (It) sort of fed into people's suspicions of government, and of urbanization and of more European or Northeastern non-Sunbelt models; although there's light-rail all over the Sunbelt too in Phoenix and Salt Lake City and places like that ... so it just seemed like the one issue that concentrated all the competing ideas and forces at work in the middle of that disaster that hit Tampa Bay a few years ago."

One of Packer's heroes in The Unwinding is Tampa Bay Times reporter Michael Van Sickler, who the author venerated as an exemplar of good old-fashioned, hard-nosed reporting. He also allowed Van Sickler, an Ohio native, to tell his own story about his passion for cities and trying to make a difference through his journalism.

Packer said a theme of The Unwinding is the erosion of key institutions in our country like the government, schools, banks and the press. He said Van Sickler represents an antidote against the "noise" that dominates our media landscape in 2013.

"He (Van Sickler) sort of contrasts to this wide open and kind of chaotic and in someways trivial landscape that Andrew Breitbart comes out of in the book. Against that there's Van Sickler and there's the Times doing what papers have long done and trying to a make it meaningful when the competition is, you know ideological websites and cable news and social media, so his work fit very well with the themes of the book at large."

The last chapter titled "Tampa" is a heartbreaking saga of a family barely making it under tough economic conditions. Packer said the story of Danny and Ronale Hartznell is not at all representative of Tampa, but of the rough conditions for many people now who aren't college educated and don't have a safety net of friends or family to help them.

"They're sort of close to the bottom of the economic latter, but ... they don't drink and do drugs and divorce and abandon their kids the way we feel of people living in extreme poverty are often doing. They're living this very intact, loving cohesive family life. But they have nothing around them to support them. Sort of isolated socially, they don't have family or friends, they don't have education or careers they can fall back on, so they're kind of living in a Wal-Mart economy, literally, Wal-Mart is the center of their world in many ways: it's the source of employment, it's where they shop for everything, it's not a place they love by any means, so I don't know that they're indicative of Tampa Bay, so much as they're indicative of what the working poor have to deal with in America today. They make their own mistakes, plenty of them, but they also have so little help, and there seems to be no community around them to support them."

There are a couple of chapters devoted to Silicon Valley, but I told Packer that I enjoyed his most recent piece in the New Yorker about recent attempts by major players in the Internet capitol to become more involved in the political system. The story outstandingly reflects a lot of the narcissism that some of the best and brightest off Sand Hill Road seem to espouse in their discussions about politics and the political process. The story is also very accurate (according to my friends) in how he depicts the fact that San Francisco is changing right now due to the wealth of 20-somethings working for Google, Twitter and the like who are busting the city's already outrageous housing prices to totally squeeze out the remnants of a middle class.

Packer used his response to my question to connect how lawmakers in Tampa Bay would love to have the problems that are affecting the San Francisco Bay Area.

"One community's problem is another community's dream, and I think it would be a good thing for Tampa Bay for a bunch of software start ups and other companies start coming to downtown Tampa. It would help it become more of a real dynamic urban center so that the growth comes back into the city rather than to the county."

George Packer will be at the Oxford Exchange (420 W. Kennedy Blvd.) in downtown Tampa on Friday at 7 p.m.

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Mitch Perry Report 6.17.13: Time to rethink the contracting out of our national security?

Mitch Perry — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:33:00 -0400

Dick Cheney went on Fox News yesterday, and while he criticized President Obama on some issues (like Benghazi and the situation regarding the IRS excessively scrutinizing right-wing groups), he pretty much gave his consent to what the administration is doing in terms of conducting the war on terrorism.

And why wouldn't he? From what we're learning, not only has President Obama maintained all of the surveillance measures that Bush-Cheney were conducting, but he's gone even further.

Is everyone okay with this? I ask this after reading David Rohde's piece in the Atlantic Wire, where he wrote about how large our "secrecy industrial complex" has grown since 9/11, to the point where more than 4.9 Americans now have government security clearances, while another 1.4 million have "top secret" clearances.

Whether you classify Edward Snowden as a hero or a traitor, the fact that he apparently had so much access to so much classified material while working for Booz Allen Hamilton has to be a bit concerning for everyone, right? Rohde concludes that the post-9/11 inspired culture of secrecy "where terrorists lurk in every corner — is overblown."

Meanwhile Marco Rubio is feeling the heat with his conservative base as he continues his work regarding immigration reform as part of the Gang of 8. Rubio has made contradictory comments in recent weeks about the legislation, prompting ABC's Jonathan Karl to ask him straight up yesterday on This Week if hestill supports such a bill right now.

And I'm here to remind you that it was announced late Friday afternoon that Rick Scott did sign legislation that will expedite the process for prisoners on death row. The Timely Justice Act has a lot of provisions attached to it, but the impetus of it was to cut in half the time that death row inmates wait to face execution in the state (currently it's around 13.7 years. The new legislation would allegedly bring that wait down to 7 years).

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Stuffing the beach bag for a summer full of reading

William McKeen — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:44:00 -0400

Time to load up the beach bag for summer reading. Here’s what I have so far:

Springsteen on Springsteen by Jeff Burger (Chicago Review Press, $27.95). Think you have enough Springsteen books? Think again, Bubba. Until the boss writes an autobiography, this is the next-closest thing: a collection of interviews, speeches and the occasional letter to the editor by Bruce. A highlight: his beautiful speech inducting Bob Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. It’s a superb collection.

That’s Not Funny, That’s Sick by Ellin Stein (W.W. Norton, $27.95). This is a terrific narrative of the comic revolution at the dawn of the 1970s. The book focuses on the epicenter of this comedy, National Lampoon, and its stars, Doug Kenney, Michael O’Donoghue and P.J. O’Rouke. The Lampoon was wickedly funny then and this well-crafted saga ought to help you appreciate the breakthroughs. One complaint: no illustrations. What’s up with that?

Lee Marvin Point Blank by Dwayne Epstein (Schaffner Press, @27.95). It’s time to revisit this movie tough guy, who’s been gone now for a quarter century. Epstein covers Marvin’s early life, his war record, and his steady rise from tough-guy and heavy roles to brutal leading man. Seems that Marvin excelled in every role he attempted, even as a singer in “Paint Your Wagon.”

The Twitter History of the World by Kelvin MacKenzie and Chas Newkey-Burden (John Blake, $9.95). On second thought, don’t take up space in the beach bag with this book. It’s basically a couple of viral jokes and memes you’ve already seen on Facebook and Twitter, only not done as well.

Questions to Which the Answer is “No!” by John Rentoul (Elliott and Thompson, $19.95). At first, we’re hoping this is like those “two-minute mystery” books they used to sell us when we were kids. So we’re envisioning this as a collection of two-minute episodes of “Mythbusters.” Instead, it’s something pulled together from the blog of an English journalist, and, honestly, not that interesting. Toss it out of the bag.

The Best Film You’ve Never Seen by Robert K. Elder (Chicago Review Press, $16.95). Good idea: ask a lot of great young directors about their favorite semi-obscure films. This will be the book that launched a thousand Netflix queues. Nice to see young directors appreciating something strange, such as The Swimmer, and to see that the grave and immaculate Man for All Seasons has informed the work of Kevin Smith.

Full Upright and Locked Position by Mark Gerchick (W.W. Norton, $24.95). Work on your tan locally. You don’t want to read this excellent book on a beach in Rio with the thought of a return-flight hanging over your head. Gerchick looks at every aspect of plane travel, from safety to security to comfort. What he finds ain’t pretty.

Love Him Madly by Judy Huddleston (Chicago Review Press, $16.95). This is a well-written memoir of life as Jim Morrison’s girlfriend during the peak of The Doors’ fame. Huddleston became a writing teacher, published in a variety of literary journals, which makes this a more compelling read than most such memoirs.

A former faculty member at the University of Florida, McKeen now chairs the journalism department at Boston University. He is the author most recently of Mile Marker Zero, Outlaw Journalist and Homegrown in Florida.

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Dick Cheney trashes Barack Obama for all types of things on Fox News Sunday

Mitch Perry — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:25:00 -0400

Every so often Dick Cheney pops up out of semi-retirement to do a Fox News Sunday bit with Chris Wallace, and say what you will about the 72-year-old former Vice-President, but he always gives good TV.

With so much in the news about political surveillance that began under the George W. Bush administration after the events of 9/11, it's natural to hear from officials with that presidency who can talk about some of the spying going on that the passage of the Patriot Act allowed the commander in chief to do. That's why former CIA head General Michael Hayden has been omnipresent of late. Former President Bush himself has (admirably ) refrained from talking about Obama, but many think (especially in the first term) Vice President Cheney was one of the Machiavellian masters controlling how we carried out the war on terror.

On Fox, Cheney was asked about several subjects, beginning with Edward Snowden's revelations in The Guardian and the Washington Post.

Cheney says he disagrees with Rand Paul and others who claim that the NSA is "having to vacuum up information on every law-abiding American in the country" in order to search for information on possible terrorist attacks.

Cheney: Acording to the Supreme Court, those are business records of the telephone company. You don't go into that box of numbers, if you will, to look for connections unless you break up some place a suspicious number. You capture Khalid Sheik Mohamed in Karachi, or bin Laden in Abbottabad and Pakistan. You look at their cell phones, you look at their rolodex in effect and see what numbers had connections back into the United States. And by preserving that database you are able to come back, check and see if they have been talking to somebody inside.

Now, as everybody has been associated with the program said if we had this before 9/11, when there were two terrorists in San Diego, two hijackers able to use that program, that capability against the target we might have been able to prevent 9/11. So, we're not — the allegation is out there that somehow we've got all this personal information on Aunt Fanny or Chris Wallace or whoever it might be and reported through it. Not true, that's not the way it works. It's been explained by Mike Hayden who was involved in setting it up. By Keith Alexander who is a superb guy, both of them are now running the program that we have collected a lot of numbers, but they are business records and the phone companies, they have been determined by the Supreme Court not to be private individual records, the way they are oftentimes described by critics.

The former VP is relatively content with not letting Americans know more about how they're being surveilled, saying that if they don't trust their representative in Congress they can vote them out - though of course that rarely happens, with most incumbents in the House at least usually being re-elected, often without serious competition.

And what if they don't always tell the truth? The Center for Public integrity came out in early 2008 and reported that the Bush Administration made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Top intelligence officials said on Saturday that information taken from two data-collection programs run by the National Security Agency thwarted potential terrorist plots in the U.S. and more than 20 other countries — and that gathered data is destroyed every five years. They also said that less than 300 phone numbers were checked against the database of millions of U.S. phone records gathered daily by the NSA in one of the programs.

Cheney said he understood why Obama administration officials were publishing that sensitive information, but said it hurts the U.S. by providing information to our enemies.

Regarding President Obama's speech last month that the war on terrorism was winding down, Cheney said Obama had little credibility on that issue, or, come to think of it, many other issues these days.

"In terms of credibility, I don't think he has credibility. I think one of the biggest problems we have is, we have got an important point where the president of the United States ought to be able to stand up and say, this is a righteous program, it is a good program, it is saving American lives, and I support it. And the problem is the guy has failed to be forthright and honest and credible on things like Benghazi and the IRS. So he's got no credibility."

On Susan Rice being named as the new National Security Adviser, Cheney was dismissive, saying she too lacks credibility in the aftermath of the Benghazi story. "I just question whether or not somebody whose judgment was so flawed that they took what was apparently very bad information and peddled it as aggressively as she did," he said.

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Rubio on immigration: "95-96 percent of the bill is in perfect shape"

Mitch Perry — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:06:00 -0400

On ABC's This Week, guest host Jonathan Karl asked Marco Rubio a direct question: Does he in fact support his own comprehensive immigration bill now being debated in the U.S. Senate?

The Florida Senator affirmed he did.

"Well, obviously, I think it's an excellent starting point, and I think 95, 96 percent of the bill is in perfect shape and ready to go. But there are elements that need to be improved. This is how the legislative process is supposed to work. You offer an idea, you get public input and the input of your other colleagues. From these criticisms or observations come out new ideas about how to make it better, and of course you can't ignore that. Those things need to be addressed."

Regarding the major hang up for conservative Republicans - the fear that the border security provisions will lack teeth and the influx of undocumented immigrants will continue, Rubio said he is aware of those concerns, and think they're valid.

When asked by Karl if he will vote for the bill as it stands right now on border security, Rubio played coy.

"I don't want to get involved in these hypotheticals and ultimatums about what-" before Karl interrupted him, saying that in fact was a very real possibility. Rubio said it wasn't.

"The bottom line, a bill that does not have increased border security - which everyone now I think has conceded needs to happen - I think the debate now is about what that border security provision looks like, and if we do that, we'll have strong bipartisan support. If we fail, we're going to keep trying because at the end of the day the only way we're going to pass an immigration reform law, out of the House and the Senate so that the president can sign it, is that it has real border security measures in it."

As has been extensively reported on this blog and elsewhere, Rubio has attempting the delicate balancing act of trying to push through a major piece of legislation that a good part of his political base wants no part of. That's what has led to his making critical comments about the legislation, sounding as tough as Jeff Sessions or Lamar Smith when it comes to making sure the bill has serious border security measures in place before he can support it.

But he's apparently lost the battle to placate that conservative base. Last week RedState.org's Eric Ericson wrote a blistering blog post entitled, "Rubio Either a Fool or Playing the GOP for one." Ericson wrote:

I am just shocked, knowing what we now know, that Senator Rubio would continue to support this legislation and that other conservative Senators would too.

Rubio said he recognized the "division" inside the GOP and said he respected everyone's views on it, but he wanted people to understand that the issue is a "major problem" that needs to be addressed. "And the only way I know how to fix problems, is to get involved and try to fix it."

But Jonathan Karl came back at Rubio and asked if if fact Ericson was right, and he was being "played" by Democrats like New York's Chuck Schumer?

Rubio said he didn't know what that meant. After Karl gave him a breakdown, Rubio said he really doesn't focus much on public polls - but by the way, he said, all the polls show strong support for immigration reform.

And he's right about that. A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling last week showed that 72 percent of Floridians say they strongly support or somewhat support bipartisan immigration reform legislation being debated in Washington. But after a Rubio's chief-of-staff re-tweeted those poll results the other day, a conservative blogger blasted him for doing so, showing that the conservative heat on him ain't going away anytime soon.

Karl did not ask Rubio to elaborate on why he would bail from the bill if an amendment is added that allows gay Americans to petition for same-sex spouses living abroad to secure a green card. Last week Rubio said if that amendment was added to the legislation, "I'm done."

Meanwhile on NBC's Meet The Press, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham repeated his previous statement that he thinks 70 Senators will ultimately vote to support an immigration bill.

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Rick Scott signs "Timely Justice Act" into law

Mitch Perry — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:53:19 -0400

Against the wishes of anti-death penalty advocacy groups, Governor Rick Scott has signed into law the Timely Justice Act, a complex piece of legislation regarding death penalty procedures in the state. It's most prominent feature is aimed at speeding up the process for prisoners on death row to meet their maker.

Critics, such as Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, warn that with the highest number of death row prisoners exonerated (at 24) in the country, Florida is the last state that should be speeding up the pace of executions, which the legislation would do by limiting appeals and mandating prompt death warrants.

“No one knows how many more innocent people are awaiting execution on Florida’s Death Row. A new law that speeds up executions by limiting appeals will almost certainly lead to the execution of innocent men and women,” said Mark Elliott, Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. “It is unconscionable to hurry up executions and further restrict access to evidence of innocence.”

As CL reported in a recent cover story (entitled "Faster, Governor, Kill!, Kill!"), Florida has become an outlier of sorts regarding the death penalty legislation in recent years. While six states in the past six years have ended the practice, the state has some laws in the books (such as having a jury vote by a simple majority to recommend a death sentence) that go further to the right than anywhere in the country.

According to bill sponsor Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach), the legislation will speed up the time after a death row conviction nearly in half, from the current average of over 13 years to approximately seven years.

However, the legislation also contains provisions that critics of how the state currently handles death row cases have applauded, such as establishing a North Florida office of the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel (CCRC), which is responsible for legal representation in post-conviction proceedings for those sentenced to death. (There currently are CCRC offices for Middle and South Florida.) The bill would also revise the experience requirements for attorneys working for the CCRC, and direct the courts to furnish to the Florida Bar findings that an attorney provided deficient representation.

But it is the provision speeding up death row cases that has dominated the reporting on this story, and the most recently exonerated death row prisoner, Seth Penalver, has been prominent in decrying the legislation. Penalver was released after 18 years in prison and on Death Row just before Christmas last year after he was re-tried in Broward County in the death of three people back in 1994.

“If executions are sped up, then we will be killing innocent people like me.” said Penalver in a press release this afternoon. “Evidence of my innocence was withheld and hidden for almost eighteen years after my conviction. Executing innocent people is murder by all, not justice for all."

(Update: Governor Scott's office has released a press release that "Sets the record straight").

MYTH: HB 7083 “speeds up” and “fast tracks” executions.

The bill does nothing to speed up the execution process. The bill makes technical amendments to current law and provides clarity and transparency to legal proceedings.

MYTH: The bill shortens the duration of the appeals process.

The bill does not address the time frame of appeals, but rather affirms appellate, and post conviction remedies, before the clemency process begins. Bottom line, before a death warrant is signed, the legislation mandates that an inmate must still go through a long and thorough review process.

It preserves and affirms the inmate’s existing rights to 1) a direct appeal, 2) a state post-conviction hearing; 3) a post-conviction appeal; 4) a federal habeas-corpus proceeding, and; 5) a federal habeas corpus appeal.

MYTH: The bill would have resulted in the execution of inmates that would have been exonerated.

Not a single one of the 24 “exonerated” inmates identified by the Death Penalty Information Center would have been certified as eligible for a death warrant under the requirements of HB 7083, because none of them had exhausted their legal remedies.

MYTH: The bill will lead to more executions and takes away protections from inmates.

Nothing in this bill alters the current protections afforded by the courts or the clemency process and adds protections to inmates by removing ineffective counsel.

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WTSP's Noah Pransky wins major broadcast journalism award

Mitch Perry — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:08:00 -0400

Move over Mike Deeson, there's another reporter garnering acclaim for his investigative reporting at Channel 10 News.

That would be WTSP television reporter Noah Pransky, who on Wednesday learned that he and photographer Paul Thorson were awarded the 2013 Edward R. Murrow Award for Large Market Television/Sports Reporting. They won the award for their story "Soccer Safety Ignored," which investigated how hundreds of soccer goalposts throughout the Tampa Bay area were not properly anchored to the ground. Such sloppy and lazy groundskeeping led to the deaths of 37 kids since 1979, including one in Polk County who was featured in the report.

"The award is a tremendous honor," Pransky said in a press release. "We take a lot of pride in serving as the public's watchdog, and in this case, looking out for children's safety."

The Channel 10 reporter may earn more hardware next year for his series of recent reports, which revealed that a number of cities and counties in the Sunshine State have exploited shortened yellow times at red light cameras.

Watch Noah's report on WTSP from May 15:

The 10 News Investigators discovered the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) quietly changed the state's policy on yellow intervals in 2011, reducing the minimum below federal recommendations. The rule change was followed by engineers, both from FDOT and local municipalities, collaborating to shorten the length of yellow lights at key intersections, specifically those with red light cameras (RLCs).

While yellow light times were reduced by mere fractions of a second, research indicates a half-second reduction in the interval can double the number of RLC citations — and the revenue they create. The 10 News investigation stemmed from a December discovery of a dangerously short yellow light in Hernando County. After the story aired, the county promised to re-time all of its intersections, and the 10 News Investigators promised to dig into yellow light timing all across Tampa Bay.

Red light cameras generated more than $100 million in revenue last year in approximately 70 Florida communities, with 52.5 percent of the revenue going to the state. The rest is divided by cities, counties, and the camera companies. In 2013, the cameras are on pace to generate $120 million.

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Beer gear for the daddy

Sean Nordquist — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:34:00 -0400

So it's that time of year again. Time to find the "perfect" gift for dad. In this case, "dad" might be your actual father, or he might be the father of your children, a brother, brother in law, grandfather, or someone who is really just a "dad kinda guy" in your life. His role is important; dad is a bedrock.

Does dad really want another tie? More grilling equipment? Another "Best Dad" trucker hat? As a father myself, I can answer unequivocally: no. So now you are flummoxed; what do I get for Dad? Well, if he is not into craft beer or homebrewing, I am afraid all I can do is recommend duct-tape wallets or gift cards from Cabellas or Home Depot.

But if the dad in your life is a beer man, and I mean a real beer man, I have several can't-miss suggestions for your man of quality.

Beer Swag: Every beer lover also loves beer swag. T-shirts, keychains, hats ... you name it. Many breweries now offer their logo merchandise online, but it is always great to visit your local establishments and peruse the selection. Wouldn't he just love a Pliny the Elder T-shirt from Russian River Brewing (russianriverbrewing.com) or a Castro-style hat from Cigar City Brewing (cigarcitybrewing.com)? Of course he would.

Beer Gear: Just like swag, but beer-functional! Branded cozies, bottle openers, and so on abound. For dad who likes a cold one in the shower (yes, you read that right!), how about the Shakoolie (shakoolie.com)? It's a standard neoprene koozie, but with a Velcro patch and an accompanying "launch pad" that you can stick to the wall — out of the water stream — but still within reach. It is also perfect for boats, workshops, or around the grill or pool.

Beer Books: With the growing popularity of craft beer, it makes sense that there would be a flood of new books on the subject. Brewers, business owners, foodies and others have put out numerous titles in the past few years. Is your dad an Arrogant Bastard? Then he will love The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, with Randy Clemens. It's a fun but informative look at the origins and growth of Stone Brewing, complete with recipes, insights, and gorgeous pictures. For the traveling dads, there is a slew of area-specific beer lover's guides. But for the true adventurer, pick up Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey by Brian Yaeger. Ride shotgun with Yaeger as he drives around the United States uncovering and exploring some of the great craft beer spots in the country.

Homebrewing: If dad loves beer, he might just love making his own. It is fun, easy and opens him up to a whole new world. The homebrewing community is full of interesting and supportive people, and just think of the great beer he can make right there at home! Startup kits are reasonably priced and readily available at your local homebrew shop or online. Already a homebrewer? Maybe dad would like to expand his operation. Or maybe some personalized homebrew labels to impress his friends. The folks at GrogTag.com offer a wide range of customizable labels that can bring that personal flair to dad's brews.

Beer: When all else fails, buy dad a beer. Or several. With so many choices out there, you can't go wrong with a sampler pack of beers from your local craft beer shop, a gift card to a local brewery, or a special tasting session at his favorite craft beer bar.

Remember, for all dad does for you through the year, he's earned it.

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Get out your LGBT weekend planner

Tiffany Razzano — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:00:00 -0400

If you're looking to make weekend plans, there are plenty of LGBT events in the Tampa Bay area.

Friday, June 14

Metro Wellness and Community Centers, will hold the reception for its Community Pride Art Show at its St. Pete Metro Center, 3251 3rd Ave. N., 6 — 9 p.m. LGBT artists from the Tampa Bay area will display their artwork, ranging from paintings to sculpture and photography, throughout June.

Sawmill Resort, Dade City, kicks off its Adult Film Weekend on Friday, June 14. It runs through Sunday, June 16. Enjoy pool parties, porn stars, adult giveaways, dancing and more.

Saturday, June 15

Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, 408 E. Cayuga Ave., presents “Starry, Starry Night,” its annual drag show benefit, from 7:30 — 9:30 p.m. Scheduled to perform are Felicity Lane, Stephanie Shippae, Esme Russell, Twila Starr, Macaviti and Melanie Minyon. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Price includes hors d’oeuvres and one beverage.

If you’re on the other side of the bridge earlier that day, from 12 — 4 p.m., Gay St. Pete House, 4505 5th Ave. N., is throwing its P3! Pride Pool Party. Enjoy a poolside party, relax in the hot tub or sauna, and work on your tan. Food and beverages included and DJ Bill Kody will provide the music. Suggested $20 donation benefits St Pete Pride.

The Honey Pot, 1507 E. 7th Ave., Tampa, hosts Boats N’ Hoes, a semi-nude nautical adventure. Doors open at 10 p.m. with complimentary admission and $1 drinks until 11 p.m. Cost is $5 after 11 p.m. $4 glasses of any wine all night.

G Bar, 1401 E. 7th Ave., Tampa, encourages you to leave your underwear on the dance floor at its Going Commando event. There will be a $100 cash prize for the hottest commando package. That night G Bar is also celebrating the movie release of “The Bling Ring.” Win soundtracks, movie passes and more. Drinks are just $1 from 9 p.m. — 11 p.m. DJ Bruce Devery will be spinning in the main room and VJ Charles Machado will be in the video lounge.

Liquid Tampa, 1502 E. 7th Ave. N., Tampa, presents One Night in Bangcock, 9 p.m. — 3 a.m., headlined by special guest Manila Luzon from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season three. Tickets are $5 for general admission or $10 for a VIP private meet and greet with Luzon. Purchase tickets online here.

Sunday, June 16

Georgie’s Alibi, 3100 3rd Ave. N., kicks off Stud Sunday, its new weekly leather/Levi night, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.

If leather isn’t your thing, head over to The Broken Tusk, 4685 28th St. N., for Bitchy Bingo. Hosted by the snarky Meagan Trowers, bingo will be followed up by music from DJ Pearl. Cost is $13 to play all six games. Prizes include bar tabs, duckies and condoms. Bingo starts at 7 p.m.

Monday, June 17

Suncoast AIDS Theatre Project celebrates its 11th anniversary with “Prelude to Pride: Blown By the Wind,” a night of alternative theatre, at American Stage Theatre, 163 3rd St. N., St. Petersburg. This original adaptation by T. Scott Wooten is a hilarious and naughty take of the time-honored classic “Gone with the Wind.” Tickets are “pay-what-you-can.” Suggested donation is $10 to $20. Cash bar will be available. Doors open at 7 p.m.; curtain time is 7:30 p.m. A second performance will take place Monday, June 24. All proceeds will benefit the People with AIDS programs at Metropolitan Charities of Pinellas.

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Mitch Perry Report 6.14.13: Post-Newtown America, six months later

Mitch Perry — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:00:00 -0400

it was a Friday morning exactly six months ago today when Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. — a searing moment in the history of this country when it comes to gun violence.

Since that time, another 5,000 people in America have died from gun shootings, but legislation to combat the use of guns has been minimal, with some states (Colorado, Maryland) tightening access to guns, and others (Arkansas and Mississippi) easing restrictions.

Everyone knows that gun control has gone nowhere in Washington D.C., where a Senate vote in April to expand background checks got a majority of votes, but not the 60 required (on virtually every vote now) to pass legislation on Capitol Hill.

Two weeks ago, the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America held a news conference in Tampa. Many if not most of the members of that group have never been involved in political advocacy, and they insist they're not going to back down. Can they make a difference where others have not?

The group Mayors Against Illegal Guns will begin a 25-mile bus tour starting today to keep the focus on gun regulations

Some say that Rick Kriseman's campaign for mayor in St.Petersburg has been a bit too sleepy. So yesterday he stepped up and held a news conference at City Hall, where he gave his prescriptions on what should happen if the Lens design goes down to defeat at the end of this summer (and he's elected mayor).

Marco Rubio predicted yesterday that President Obama himself will cancel his signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act. That ain't happening, but there does appear to be a method behind the GOP's madness to continue calling for 'ObamaCare' to disappear.

And in our special Food Issue, please read my story on the discrepancies with the Farm Bill and how a major food bank in Tampa services those dealing with food insecurity.

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St. Petersburg City Council signs LGBT Pride Month proclamation, but Mayor Foster doesn't

David Warner — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:34:00 -0400

All eight St. Petersburg City Council members signed a proclamation today citing June as LGBT Pride Month in the city, the first time the entire Council has done so, said St. Pete Pride Executive Director Eric Skains.
St. Petersburg's mayor, Bill Foster, did not sign the proclamation. According to Skains, Councilwoman Leslie Curran asked, "Is there a line so the mayor can go ahead and sign this, too?" — and "there was just silence."
Skains and Pinellas Stonewall Democrats president Susan McGrath have been trying for months to get a response from the mayor's office about a proclamation, but without success. Today, however, following the Council's action, Foster approached Skains and McGrath and asked for a meeting next week. He told them he was still unable to sign the proclamation because St. Pete Pride is too "adult-themed," but he's willing to talk about doing something "more generic," said Skains.
Although St. Petersburg is home to the biggest pride celebration in Florida, Tampa beat it to the punch proclamation-wise. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn issued a proclamation declaring June to be LGBT Pride Month in the City of Tampa at the beginning of the month.
Read St. Pete Pride's press release after the jump.

All 8 St Pete City Council Members Sign LGBT Pride Month Proclamation
St Petersburg, FL, Thursday, June 13, 2013 — Mid-way through LGBT Pride Month, St Pete Pride is pleased to announce all eight members of St Petersburg City Council, which include Charlie Gerdes, Jim Kennedy, Bill Dudley, Leslie Curran, Steve Kornell, Karl Nurse, Wengay Newton, and Jeff Danner, have signed the LGBT Pride Month Proclamation for St Petersburg.

Council Member Jeff Danner, [in] whose district the annual St Pete Pride events are primarily held, read aloud the proclamation which stated: “the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is inclusive of our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, nieces and nephews who contribute to making St Petersburg a beautiful place to live, work and play.” He concluded the proclamation by stating, “we the Members of St Petersburg City Council do hereby proclaim the month of June, 2013 LGBT Pride Month in St Petersburg and urge all citizens to join in eliminating discrimination in all forms, and to celebrate the diversity of our community.”

This is the first proclamation signed by all eight members of the St Petersburg City Council in St Pete Pride’s eleven year history.

Eric Skains, Executive Director of St Pete Pride, addressed City Council by stating: “On behalf of St Pete Pride staff and board members, we are extremely excited to receive this proclamation today. Only those of us within St Pete would have imaged the largest Pride in Florida would have happened in just ten short years; an event that brings to the city an economic impact of over $10 million. And although we often focus on the single event, Pride represents so many things to so many people — a right to be and sense of belonging. If it weren’t for the shaming and discrimination towards the gay community that led to the Stonewall Riots, there would have been no need for a day to stand up to be seen.”

St Pete Pride will kick off St Pete Pride Carnivale, a five day celebration of the LGBT community, with events in downtown St Petersburg and the Grand Central District June 26 through 30. In total, St Pete Pride Carnivale has an estimated economic impact of $10.7 million to the City of St Petersburg and Pinellas County, of which $5.4 million is in direct visitor expenditures, according to a study done by Research Data Services of Tampa.

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Marco Rubio now says President Obama will have "no choice" but to suspend ObamaCare

Mitch Perry — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:48:00 -0400

The GOP-led House of Representatives obviously still believes it's in their political interests to oppose President Obama's health care reform plan, even though it's now less than six months away from fully being implemented. With their eyes on the 2014 midterms and "Obamacare" still struggling in the polls, the House Republicans don't care that they're being mocked by media types for voting last month - for the 37th time - to repeal Obama's signature domestic achievement.

Though we don't hear too often what specifically the Republicans would do to provide healthcare to the millions currently uninsured, it's still good politics with the hard core conservative base, which is why it shouldn't be surprising in a way that Marco Rubio said with a straight face this morning on Fox News that he can envision Obama suspending the plan, in an interview with the cable networks' Bill Hammer.

For those of you who don't want to watch the video, here's the transcript:

Senator Marco Rubio: “Well on ObamaCare, I think he needs to walk away from that and basically suspend its implementation. It is going to be a disaster. So I’m telling you right now there are people watching this program, maybe even people that supported ObamaCare, but when they get their premiums in January and they see how much that has increased, or when they get moved from full time to part time, they’re not going to be happy and the president is going to have some questions to answer.”

FOX News’ Bill Hemmer: “You just said he should suspend the key piece of legislation passed under his administration, ObamaCare. Do you see that happening?”

Rubio: “Yeah, absolutely. I think it should be repealed. I don’t think he’s going to have a choice to be honest with you. I think it’s going to be debilitating to our economy. Look, at some point here over the next weeks and months people are going to start meeting with their accountants and going over what they’re going to have to pay and do next year, and they’re going to make decisions based on that. They’re going to drop coverage, they’re going to move, they’re going to lay people off, they’re not going to hire people. They’re going to move people to part time, and peoples’ premiums are going to go up. I’m telling you people next year in January when they get their new insurance, it is going to be more expensive for millions and millions of Americans because of ObamaCare. So, I think they’re going to be in a world of hurt when that happens, but worse than that our country and our economy is going to be in a world of hurt because of that.”

Although Democrats and some members of the media have mocked the GOP for their stubborn behavior on what is now the law of the land, the fact is the law is as unpopular now as it ever has been since becoming law three years. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey from last week showed that 49 percent of those polled oppose the law, and 37 percent support it.

Going inside the poll, the two biggest groups to support the bill are A) Democrats and B) the uninsured.
By a 35 percent-to-11 percent margin, Democrats say they'll be better off under the health care law. But Republicans say they'll be worse off, 67 percent to 4 percent.

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Rick Kriseman reiterates his opposition to the Lens

Mitch Perry — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:20:00 -0400

Although the candidates running for office in St. Petersburg insist there are a plethora of neighborhood issues that haven't received much attention in the nascent campaign, the Pier remains a priority topic going into the Aug. 27 primary election.

This morning in front of City Hall, mayoral candidate Rick Kriseman reaffirmed his opposition to the Lens, as well as presented his own plan for what should happen if the Michael Maltzan plan goes down to defeat later this summer.

"The first step is easy," Kriseman told reporters. "We should reopen the pier to pedestrian traffic while the inverted pyramid structure is closed. Residents and visitors should be able to utilize the surrounding area for sightseeing, fitness, or fishing until construction on the next pier begins."

The Pier officially closed on Friday, May 31. Demolition is scheduled to begin this fall.

But all bets are off if the Lens goes down to defeat on Aug. 27, as activists opposed to the design successfully gathered enough signatures to place a referendum on the ballot that will ask St. Pete citizens if they want to maintain current plans.

Kriseman said if the Lens loses, Mayor Foster and the City Council should wait until after the November election — when Kriseman hopes he's the next mayor — to decide what to do with The Pier.

Kriseman said that if elected — but before he officially takes over in January of 2014 — he would appoint a group of community leaders with "proven track records" to lead an expedited process that builds on the work done by the original task force, but adds another round of citizens input, via town hall meetings and social media. He wants recommendations from that task force to be submitted by April of 2014, with the new designs sent to council by September of 2014.

And if it's up to Kriseman, there won't be any Los Angeles-based architects (like Maltzan) designing the new Pier. He said he will "explore the possibility" of limiting the competition to local or Florida-based firms "who have a better understanding of St. Petersburg, its history and its people."

The controversy over what to do with the Pier has been the most covered story in St. Petersburg throughout the past year and has become a major issue in Bill Foster's bid for re-election. In addition to Kriseman, former City Council woman Kathleen Ford has also entered the race, and according to some polls, is leading the three- way contest with a bulk of her support no doubt residing on her strong opposition to the Lens. The Aug. 27 primary will knock out one candidate from the race.

Last month, Kriseman — a former City Council member who served in the state Legislature for six years — told CL that he thought it was a mistake by Mayor Bill Foster to close down the Pier at the end of May.

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Mayors Against Illegal Guns announce tour to revive gun control debate

Terrence Smith — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:03:00 -0400

Mayors Against Illegal Guns announced Tuesday the launch of a 100 day bus tour expected to cover 25 states.

The “No More Names: The National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence” tour begins in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, the six month anniversary of the Sandy Hook mass shooting. The Mancin-Toomey bill that failed to elude a Senate filibuster this past April is a major factor in the effort. That bill would have make a background check a prerequisite to commercially purchasing a gun. During the tour, the mayors plan to thank Senators who have been supportive to their cause and also call on those who voted against Mancin-Toomey to take a second look.

“The single biggest thing you can do to reduce gun violence in our country that would do no damage to the Second Amendment is to make sure that those sales in this country are subject to a background check,” said Mark Glaze, the Executive Director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “The Mancin-Toomey bill that the Senate voted on would have done that and we remain committed to passing a bill to accomplish those goals and save lives.”

“We know that background checks or laws make a difference,” said John Feinblatt, Chief Policy Advisor to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is co-chair of the group. “When you compare the 14 or so states that have standing background checks to cover private sales and compare them to the states that have not, we find that there are 38% fewer domestic violence murders with guns in states that closed the background check loopholes. There are 39% fewer law enforcement officers killed with guns in those states that closed those loopholes, 49% fewer suicides with guns in the states that closed those loopholes and 17% fewer aggravated assaults with guns, including attempted murder, in states that closed those loopholes.”

The group cited major public support as a reason to continue pushing for legislation.

“This was legislation that more than 90% of Americans supported,” said John Feinblatt, Chief Policy Advisor to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is co-chair of the coalition. “It was supported overwhelmingly by gun owners, supported by the majority of NRA members and when Senators vote down a bill with such overwhelming support among the public, there is going to be outrage and we've seen that outrage persist since April 17th. I think Americans feel Congress did not represent them on April 17th. Many members of congress placed a higher hierarchy on the safety of their seats over the safety of Americans. We know that many voters, whether they be survivors or whether they be law enforcement officials or mayors or domestic violence advocates or moms or grandparents, want their voice to be heard. They want to educate the public about gun violence and they want to hold Congress accountable.”

The group also cited the need to reinvigorate the conversation of gun legislation and create a constant presence, as opposed to having the discussion confined to the weeks following a tragedy. “It's a chance to make sure that this issue doesn’t fade,” said Feinblatt. “It's a chance to give a voice to the overwhelming percent of Americans who feel that Congress let them down, who feel that congress sided with special interests rather than the American public.”

The announcement coincided with Vice President Joe Biden's announcement of a White House event focused on Gun Control on June 18. While the group said they haven't spoken with Biden or President Obama regarding the event, they welcome them to assist during the tour.

There was no mention of a Florida stop. Sen. Bill Nelson voted for Mancin-Toomey, while Sen. Marco Rubio opposed it.

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