Guest Author, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorMay 5, 2015

Testing the First Amendment’s limits has always been an important act in ensuring democratic rule in this country. Today, there are very few limits on free speech; the only justification for censorship is protecting national security or preventing violent or dangerous behavior. As a result, we live in a society where almost any words or […]

Guest AuthorMay 5, 2015

The 2015 Major League Baseball Racial and Gender Report Card recently released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport shows the league had an A on the issue of racial hiring practices, a C/C+ for gender hiring practices and an overall grade of B. Are we playing fair when it comes to sports? Does […]

Guest AuthorMay 3, 2015

Passage of Senate Bill 604, or “Florida’s SOPA” or “SOPA Light” as some are calling the “anti-piracy” legislation pushed by the recording industry, embodies a truth about America’s massive tech industry. When it comes to state politics, America’s largest technology companies are aloof and arrogant. The concept behind CS/SB 604 is so harmful to the […]

Guest AuthorApril 30, 2015

Remember when you blew off high school in April of your senior year because you thought it’d be more fun to travel with the Grateful Dead and sell grilled cheese sandwiches? Or how about that time you skipped finals to spend a week harvesting marijuana seeds because hydroponic pot was the wave of the future? […]

Guest AuthorApril 29, 2015

(Editor’s note: These comments are from a talk by Maggy Hurchalla at the Tropical Audubon Centennial on April 26.) The great thing about being old is that you can tell stories about how things used to be, and, the older you get, the fewer people there are to contradict you. Here at the Doc Thomas […]

Guest AuthorApril 29, 2015

Kevin Ashton’s book How to Fly a Horse, the Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery is a readable collection of anecdotes illustrating to his thesis that creation does not come in a moment of inspiration but is the result of hard work. Ashton’s claim to fame is that he coined the term “the internet […]

Guest AuthorApril 29, 2015

I grew up in a segregated community in Florida and attended supposedly “separate but equal” schools in a small town that had separate water fountains, bathrooms and even beaches, among other restrictions. We were expected to cross the street when a white woman was approaching and never look a white man in the eyes – […]

Guest AuthorApril 29, 2015

Every Legislative Session, unique public policy challenges and issues arise that the Legislature is tasked with resolving. Matters that directly involve the federal government have a tendency to be more difficult to tackle as they typically address large bureaucratic programs. This year, the Legislature is confronted with finding a solution to the health care challenges […]

Guest AuthorApril 28, 2015

Another African-American young adult confronts police, another death results, another riot ensues. Another Ferguson. Cries of police brutality once again seek to justify unmitigated rioting and to justify not allowing riot police to prevent destruction and restore law and order by necessary force. This time, it was Baltimore. It’s becoming business as usual in 21st […]

Guest AuthorApril 28, 2015

Last week I had the honor and the privilege to stand with our president on the 45th annual celebration/recognition of Earth Day. When you are with a U.S. president – any president – it’s hard not to stand in awe and to walk away inspired. While there are so many things to share and so […]

Guest Author

Steven Kurlander: Dissing Muhammad – Pamela Geller and the deadly art of being a hateful skank

Richard Lapchick: Does Major League Baseball look like America?

Joe Clements: Piracy legislation shows tech companies are aloof, arrogant

Catherine Durkin Robinson: How a mentor can help a teenager who is about to make bad choices

Maggy Hurchalla: Keep fighting until Legislature buys land for Everglades restoration

Catherine Martinez: To be creative, learn 'How to Fly a Horse'

Anthony Major: Live, learn – and let live

Bill Galvano: Innovative health care plans generate economic impact

Steven Kurlander: There is no constitutional right to riot

Kristin Jacobs: Heed Obama's hopeful message on climate change