Still, Collier County has ‘a superb system’ for elections Collier County Commissioner Chris Hall at the moment he discussed 9/11. (Image: CCBC) April 24, 2024 by David Silverberg During discussion of his election-disrupting resolution during the Collier County Board of Commissioners meeting yesterday, April 23, Commissioner Chris Hall (R-District 2) said that the election of President Joe Biden in 2020 hit him harder than the terrorist-piloted planes that smashed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. “I’ll never forget how I felt the night of the 2020 election,” said Hall ..read more

Commissioner Chris Hall at today’s Board of Commissioners meeting. (Image: CCBC) April 23, 2024 by David Silverberg Without taking a vote, the Collier County Board of Commissioners today agreed not to advance a resolution calling for major changes to county elections, effectively killing the proposal. The “Resolution for a Legally Valid 2024 General Election” was introduced by Commissioner Chris Hall (R-District 2). It consisted of unsupported allegations of widespread election fraud in Florida in the 2022 election and made 11 demands for changes to election procedures. The bill was drafted by ..read more

Collier County Commissioner Chris Hall, who is planning to introduce a resolution to alter county elections on Tuesday. (Image: CCBC) April 21, 2024 by David Silverberg A resolution demanding election changes in Collier County that is expected to be introduced to the Board of Commissioners this coming Tuesday, April 23, is actually a standard, cookie-cutter template drafted by an organization whose executive director has in the past been warned against voter intimidation, election interference and false representation. Commissioner Chris Hall (R-District 2) is expected to introduce a “Resoluti ..read more

The US Capitol. (Photo: Architect of the Capitol) April 20, 2024 by David Silverberg Passage yesterday of a $95 billion aid package to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific in the US House of Representatives revealed fundamental differences among Southwest Florida’s representatives regarding America’s role in the world. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-26-Fla.), chair of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, had a key role in drafting the legislation and voted for it. He supports active American involvement in world affairs and ..read more

The first poster issued for the movie Civil War. (Art: A24) April 19, 2024 by David Silverberg Back on Dec. 13, the independent, boutique movie studio A24 released a horrific-looking trailer for a movie called Civil War. Its premise was that civil war breaks out in the United States between a president and his forces and an insurrectionist opposition. It was impossible to tell from the trailer whether the person portrayed as the president in the movie was supposed to be Joe Biden or Donald Trump or whether the insurrectionists were fighting to Make America Great Again (MAGA) or to preserve dem ..read more

A demonstration in favor of women’s reproductive rights at the Collier County, Fla., Courthouse on Oct. 2, 2021. (Photo: Author) April 10, 2024 by David Silverberg Imagine, if you will, that it is a few minutes to midnight on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. In Florida’s towns and cities crowds gather in the darkness on courthouse steps and town squares to mark the imminent implementation of the “Heartbeat Protection Act,” the state’s six-week abortion ban. At each gathering, speakers address the crowds, many of the women in Handmaid costumes. As the clock nears midnight, the speaker raises a copy of ..read more

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. (Photo: Author) April 7, 2024 by David Silverberg Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is on a roll. The 53-year old Democratic candidate for the US Senate seat now held by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), 71, had a compelling case to make when she announced her candidacy last August. A former representative from the Miami area, she was a credible candidate but faced a long, difficult path ahead. However, when the Florida state Supreme Court issued its decisions on April 1 to both permit a six-week abortion ban to go into effect on May 1 and at the same time allow a constitutional amendment ..read more

Former President Donald Trump with Rep. Byron Donalds (Photo: Office of Byron Donalds) March 20, 2024 by David Silverberg Last Saturday, March 16, Donald Trump, campaigning in Ohio, said: “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole – that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.” Given Trump’s past encouragement of violence and his past incitement of a mob attack on the US Capitol, the resulting furor might be understandable. However, Make America Great Again (MAGA) Republicans rushed to Trump’s defense, saying that he was only r ..read more

A montage of images from The Purge movies. March 17, 2024 by David Silverberg Tuesday, March 19, Republican voters will have the final opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice in Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary. There’s hardly any point in doing so, though. The Republican nominee is known. All his competitors have dropped out and the Florida Republican Party has already endorsed him. There is no suspense here. Early voting results in Lee and Collier counties are reflecting the inevitability of the outcome and the lack of enthusiasm. As of Sunday, March 17, in Lee County ..read more

President Joe Biden delivers the 2024 State of the Union address. (Image: CSPAN) March 8, 2024 by David Silverberg While President Joseph Biden’s State of the Union address to the nation last night, March 7, touched on the full spectrum of local and international issues facing the country, some items were of particular relevance to Florida—and seemed directly addressed to the state. Seniors and Social Security “Tonight, let’s all agree once again to stand up for seniors!” said Biden. Senior issues Social Security and Medicare are particularly relevant to Florida. With 20 percent (5.5 million ..read more