"This Guy's Not Right, So Don't Let Him In."
It used to be (I think) that one heard this in the South quite a lot, usually in connection to someone with a skin that wasn't agreeable to those anxious to maintain the Accepted Order of Things. Back then, those who were shut out were known as "niggers" and "kikes."
Fast forward on the Wayback Machine, Sherman, and meet the South's newest pariahs.
The County Commission of Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida voted today to exclude sex offenders (by which I think they mean rapists and child molesters) from city-run hurricane shelters. "They'll have to fend for themselves," remarked a fellow who was part of the meeting - that would be the county's Sheriff, whose remark was greeted with applause by the Commission.
Now, I have a number of things to say about this (aside from expressing great relief that I don't live in Tampa). First, - did I say I'm glad I don't live in Tampa?
Okay, second, I have little patience with sex offenders, and can find a use for them as mulch (I'm told - nevermind where - that blood's great for poinsettias) but not much use for them otherwise. But to lock them out of a possibly lifesaving shelter seems to me to be beyond the pale. One can hear lawyers licking their chops in anticipation of the court challenges to this one.
Of course, Tampa's known for doing stupid things, like saddling their taxpayers with a brand new stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (I shall now observe a moment of silence and thank God I'm an Oakland Raiders fan) or trying to run strip-club owner and Real American Joe Redner out of town.
How are you going to tell if a sex offender is trying to get into a hurricane shelter? Run background checks? Maybe station an officer or two at every door of every shelter? Sure, why not? The police won't have anything else to do while a Category 3 hurricane waltzes across the trailer parks, condos and tract housing developments.
Now, on to other news from the Left Coast of Florida: In Hillsborough County (where Tampa's located, incidentally) County Commissioner Ronda Storms has made good on a promise she made last week to seek a new policy that would ban public libraries from advertising Gay Pride and Lesbian Pride Month.
I always seem to smile more in June, as the days grow hotter and homosexuals come to the Disney attractions, wear red shirts and cause "Christians" to start foaming at the mouth like rabid Rottweilers. Watching the adherents of a religion whose principal mandate is "love your neighbor as yourself" go into complete hoo-hah Nazi overdrive is always a hoot.
Anyway, Ms. Storms managed to get the resolution passed by a 5-1 vote (Commissioner Kathy Castor disagreed). And another vote, 6-1, made sure the resolution would stick like gum to the Commission's shoes by requiring a supermajority to repeal it. Nice way to booby-trap it, Ms. Storms.
The court challenges to all of this blathering Roundhead madness will probably start tomorrow, if they haven't started already.
Fast forward on the Wayback Machine, Sherman, and meet the South's newest pariahs.
The County Commission of Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida voted today to exclude sex offenders (by which I think they mean rapists and child molesters) from city-run hurricane shelters. "They'll have to fend for themselves," remarked a fellow who was part of the meeting - that would be the county's Sheriff, whose remark was greeted with applause by the Commission.
Now, I have a number of things to say about this (aside from expressing great relief that I don't live in Tampa). First, - did I say I'm glad I don't live in Tampa?
Okay, second, I have little patience with sex offenders, and can find a use for them as mulch (I'm told - nevermind where - that blood's great for poinsettias) but not much use for them otherwise. But to lock them out of a possibly lifesaving shelter seems to me to be beyond the pale. One can hear lawyers licking their chops in anticipation of the court challenges to this one.
Of course, Tampa's known for doing stupid things, like saddling their taxpayers with a brand new stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (I shall now observe a moment of silence and thank God I'm an Oakland Raiders fan) or trying to run strip-club owner and Real American Joe Redner out of town.
How are you going to tell if a sex offender is trying to get into a hurricane shelter? Run background checks? Maybe station an officer or two at every door of every shelter? Sure, why not? The police won't have anything else to do while a Category 3 hurricane waltzes across the trailer parks, condos and tract housing developments.
Now, on to other news from the Left Coast of Florida: In Hillsborough County (where Tampa's located, incidentally) County Commissioner Ronda Storms has made good on a promise she made last week to seek a new policy that would ban public libraries from advertising Gay Pride and Lesbian Pride Month.
I always seem to smile more in June, as the days grow hotter and homosexuals come to the Disney attractions, wear red shirts and cause "Christians" to start foaming at the mouth like rabid Rottweilers. Watching the adherents of a religion whose principal mandate is "love your neighbor as yourself" go into complete hoo-hah Nazi overdrive is always a hoot.
Anyway, Ms. Storms managed to get the resolution passed by a 5-1 vote (Commissioner Kathy Castor disagreed). And another vote, 6-1, made sure the resolution would stick like gum to the Commission's shoes by requiring a supermajority to repeal it. Nice way to booby-trap it, Ms. Storms.
The court challenges to all of this blathering Roundhead madness will probably start tomorrow, if they haven't started already.
posted by Walt at 2:35 PM
1 Comments:
Shhhh... I don't want to give the blusterous Ms Storm any more crackpot ideas, but she overlooked the obvious -- barring of gays and lesbians from county storm shelters.
After all, her crowd routinely equates gays with child molesters. One person of her persuasion, George W. Bush, appoints people sharing their philosophy to federal judgeships for life.
Judge Pryor, for example, earned an appointment by comparing homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia. Only three Republicans in the entire US Senate disagreed.
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