Sam Fisher’s Pro-Democracy Newsletter 🐝⚖💛 — Issue #26
Florida, Florida, Floriduh!
The Sunshine State
What can I say about Florida? We have a governor that is an outright racist bigot. Not an exaggeration or hyperbole. This past week he declared he was going to create a special police force to “ensure polling places are safe” for Florida voters. That is code for intimidating Black and Brown voters to ensure our state does not turn blue!
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Wants A New Police Force With The Power To Arrest Voters — Essence — www.essence.com
“My number one concern is that this is going to be used as a tool to harass or intimidate civic engagement organizations,” said voting rights lawyer Jonathan Diaz.
More proof you say? How about DeSantis endorsing and trying to push through a bill to codify white fragility into Florida law? Would that do it for you? I mean ow much more proof is needed to see the level of hate in this man? Does he have to literally kill people?
Ron DeSantis-backed sad white people bill has roots in Florida’s racist past — www.msnbc.com
The Florida Senate Education Committee approved a bill, endorsed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, that targets critical race theory and would effectively codify white fragility into law.
Covid-19 is the perfect murder weapon in the hands of the right person (see TFG and almost 1 million Americans killed by Covid-19). Ron DeathSantis, as he is fondly referred to in our state, has since day one manipulated Covid-19 deaths, infections, and hospitalization numbers. He’s pushed conspiracy theories about the effectiveness of vaccines. He’s also conflated the therapeutics with vaccines. Overall DeathSantis has bamboozled Floridians and the media bobbleheads!
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is cooking the books on our COVID numbers | Columns | Orlando | Orlando Weekly — www.orlandoweekly.com
A little over a year ago, at a White House press conference, President Trump said a really amazing thing about COVID-19. “Think of this,” he…
With our media failing to properly frame the urgency our Democracy is facing under republican rule it is up to us to find a way to defeat the republican plan wherever it exists. In Florida we have several options we can back to defeat DeathSantis and other key republicans.
Florida Governor
Ron is up for reelection. In my humble opinion we need a strong lifelong Democrat to defeat DeathSantis. We need a strong WOMAN! We also need a candidate that has won statewide. That person in my estimation is Commissioner Nikki Fried!
Nikki Fried for Governor — Something New for Florida — nikkifried.com
Nikki Fried is running for governor to break Florida’s corrupt, rigged system and build a state that gives power back to us.
From her website:
“The only Democrat to win statewide in Florida since 2012, Nikki Fried has served as our Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services since 2018. Before taking office, Nikki spent her career as public defender fighting for justice and giving a voice to the voiceless. A longtime advocate for criminal justice reform and marijuana legalization, Nikki saw the devastating impact of injustice within our criminal justice system. As an attorney, she defended homeowners and stood up to the big banks during the foreclosure crisis, helped secure resources for children in the foster care system, and advocated for medical marijuana.
As the only Democrat in Florida’s cabinet, Nikki has been our voice in Tallahassee, standing up for our rights, our safety, and our democracy. She kicked the NRA out of weapons license permitting, legalized hemp for farmers, defended voting rights, and protected our environment. Now, after more than two decades of Republican leadership in Tallahassee, Nikki is running for governor to bring #SomethingNew to Florida and build a state that gives power back to us.”
We all know that the powers that be will be going at her for many reasons. None of which are valid. The goal is to fill our seats with DEMOCRATS! Her challenger is Charlie Crist. He’s a former republican and not representative of change. He’s in fact our state’s very own EW!
Senator
We are fortunate that this midterm we also have Marco Rubio up for reelection. His greatest challenge is from Rep. Val Demings. She fits the mold of the kind of candidate we need not only to challenge and win but to govern; lifelong Democrat, woman, and Black! Need I say more? Her resume speaks for itself. She’s a trailblazer, and has been her whole life.
Val Demings for U.S. Senate | Home — valdemings.com
Congresswoman Val Demings is fighting for real progress, but she needs you on this team. Donate today to defend the Senate majority.
From her website:
“Long before she would become Orlando’s first female Chief of Police, Val Butler Demings learned from her parents about the American Dream. They didn’t have much: two parents and seven children in a small wood-framed house in Jacksonville.
Her mother Elouise Butler worked as a maid; her father James as a janitor, landscaper, and orange picker — as many jobs as it took to get by. “Work hard and play by the rules,” they taught her. “Have faith.” “Treat others as you want to be treated.” “Never tire of doing good.” In America, these were the building blocks of a successful life.
She took her first job at 14 as a dishwasher. Worked hard in school. Became the first in her family to go to college, working at a fast food restaurant to pay her way. She became a social worker, working to protect children in broken homes. Then, dismayed at a system that was leaving too many families behind, she signed up to become a police officer — an officer with a social worker’s heart.
It was a tough path, and tougher still in the 80s for a woman and Black American in a profession that had few of either. But no obstacle had ever deterred the daughter of James and Elouise. She graduated from the police academy with citations for excellence, and quickly earned a reputation as a bold, creative cop willing to take on conventional thinking and the toughest parts of the city.
Chief Demings served 27 years and at every rank level in the department. She commanded the Special Operations division and handled the department’s highest-profile tasks. She coordinated the response of the Airport Division on 9/11. And in 2007, she made history when she was appointed to serve as the city’s first female Chief of Police.
The eyes of the city were on her. The financial crisis was squeezing budgets. But by taking the tough fights head-on, she did more with less, kept officers on the street, and crushed violent crime, reducing it by 40%.
In 2016, Chief Demings was elected by the voters of Florida’s 10th District to serve in Congress. She swiftly gained a reputation as a tireless champion for public safety, civil rights, and the American Dream that had given her a chance to succeed. She gained widespread acclaim for her conduct as a deliberative and justice-focused impeachment manager during the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Val Demings and her husband Jerry Demings (currently serving as Mayor of Orange County) have been blessed with three children and five grandchildren. When she’s not serving her constituents and spending time with her family, she rides her Harley-Davidson Road King Classic.”
Did I tell you she was running for Rubio’s seat? She’s our choice to replace that fool!
In Other News…
Redistricting, or as they call it in red states gerrymandering, is taking hold on Florida. The damage may not be as bad as some other states (NC comes to mind) but make no mistake any redistricting that disenfranchises its citizens is wrong. Keep your eyes out for news on this as we get closer to the midterms.
Lastly, we have another Black woman first in Florida. In a special election to fill the Late Alcee Hastings’ open seat Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick becomes the first woman to represent Florida’s 20th Congressional district and the first ever DEMOCRATIC Haitian-American elected to Congress. Did I mention she’s a Black woman? Congratulations Sis!
Next Week…
We will stay with Florida to go deeper into the candidates mentioned here and for some local races and various critical ballot initiatives like the push for Casinos in weird places. Please stay safe, and thank you for reading!
