Tag Archive for "Florida"

Posts Tagged Florida

Experts Say George Zimmerman wasn’t screaming for help

George Zimmerman claims he killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self- defense, though Zimmerman outweighed Martin by over 60 pounds and though his gun outarmed Martin’s pack of skittles. Part of Zimmerman’s dubious defense claim is that he was the one whose screams for help can be heard on the 911 calls made by concerned neighbors. But experts say this is not the case. The Orlando Sentinel’s Jeff Weiner, has the story:

As the Trayvon Martin controversy splinters into a debate about self-defense, a central question remains: Who was heard crying for help on a 911 call in the moments before the teen was shot? A leading expert in the field of forensic voice identification sought to answer that question by analyzing the ...

By Vanessa • 12 years ago

Florida bill would give citizenship to undocumented youth – so long as they enter the military

“If somebody is willing to die for America, then certainly they deserve a chance at life in America.”

No joke, this is what Rep. David Rivera (R-Miami) said when he proposed a bill last week that takes the “DREAM” out of the DREAM Act and replace it as the ARMS (Adjusted Residency for Military Service) Act. The bill would essentially grant legal status to undocumented youth, though not for pursuing their dreams through higher education, but solely under the condition that they enter the military. What’s worse is where Rivera got the idea to push the bill — from the GOP candidates:

“With the presidential debate…and with Romney’s support, that means the two front-running candidates are supportive ...

“If somebody is willing to die for America, then certainly they deserve a chance at life in America.”

No joke, this is what Rep. David Rivera (R-Miami) said when he proposed a bill last week that takes ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Florida governor makes severe cuts to programs for people with disabilities

Last week, Florida Governor Rick Scott made the order of extreme cuts to the budget for programs that assist tens of thousands of folks with developmental disabilities:

Though a range of state services face cuts from this year’s Legislature, the governor invoked his emergency powers to order the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities to immediately roll back payments to group homes and social workers by 15 percent — an amount providers say could put them out of business and threaten their clients’ safety.

“lt’s not like, ‘Gee, does this mean I have to skip a vacation this year?'” said Amy Van Bergen, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida. ...

Last week, Florida Governor Rick Scott made the order of extreme cuts to the budget for programs that assist tens of thousands of folks with developmental disabilities:

Though a range of state services face cuts from ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Florida immigration bill would exempt white immigrants

I almost could not believe my eyes when I read this at Salon:

Florida Republican state legislator William Snyder has proposed a great new immigration law for his state, modeled on that one in Arizona. But this one — which GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott supports, of course — has a special twist: White people are exempt!

The more articulate/acceptable-to-the-mainstream supporters of the Arizona law usually point out that the law forbids police from racial profiling. The proposed Florida bill doesn’t really bother pretending.

That’s right. On page three of the bill (see it here) very similar to Arizona’s anti-immigration bill, an amendment states that if ...

I almost could not believe my eyes when I read this at Salon:

Florida Republican state legislator William Snyder has proposed a great new immigration law for his state, modeled on that one ...