Florida

You’re a Grand Old Flag – Bonita Springs Florida Weekly

Published

3 days ago

July 4, 2024

You’re a Grand Old Flag – Bonita Springs Florida Weekly

July 4th is here and it’s time to be patriotic, if only for a day. It’s time to celebrate being an American, proud of our country with all of its faults.

Independence Day marks the beginning – the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. It marks the beginning of freedom with all of its benefits and responsibilities, the beginning of a grand journey.

And it’s a day with important symbols, things like the Pledge of Allegiance, the American flag and the National Anthem.

Last week, I attended a meeting that started, as always, with the Pledge of Allegiance: “… to the flag … and to the republic for which it stands…” We tend to just mouth the words; it’s almost a reflex. Something at the beginning of meetings to get out of the way.

The symbol of the flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, is more substantive. It’s celebrated with statues (the flag planting on Iwo Jima) and paintings (Betsy Ross sewing the flag). Although the history is uncertain, we know that a flag design similar to the one used today was approved by the Continental Congress in 1777.

TRECKER

Today the flag is ubiquitous. It flies on homes, in yards, and on public and private buildings. And it’s apolitical. Both parties embrace it. Jasper Johns made a living painting different versions of it. Today the flag finds its way onto coins, stamps, tee shirts, even tattoos.

Then there’s the National Anthem. It, too, is everywhere. It’s sung before convention openings and sporting events, and it’s played whenever athletes win gold medals. I always expect to see a flyover right after “ … and the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” Unlike the flag, the anthem leaves room for interpretation. My wife always cringes when a vocalist jazzes it up.

The pledge, the flag, the anthem. They’re symbols and they’re important. But there’s more to patriotism than that.

Do woke masses on the left care less about their country than traditionalists on the right? I doubt it. Is the soccer team that disses the National Anthem less patriotic than we old-timers who revere the music? Not really. They just have a different vision of the country. Are the political lefties who want bigger government and more spending less patriotic than those on the right who want smaller government and less debt? Not at all. They just see patriotism in a different way. They pay their taxes and supply soldiers to fight just like the rest of us.

As the economists say, patriotism is fungible.

If you want the old-fashioned version, you should hearken back to the early 1900s when music made Americans proud of their heritage. George M. Cohan, the first “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” was an early practitioner. Few remember the names of his wonderful Broadway shows, but many over a certain age remember his music: “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Over There,” “Harrigan,” “Forty-five Minutes from Broadway” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

Memories fade. I don’t remember what I had for breakfast today, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard the Cohan lyrics.

“You’re a grand old flag,
“You’re a high-flying flag
“And forever in peace may you wave.

“You’re the emblem of
“The land I love,
“The home of the free and the brave.

“Ev’ry heart beats true
“’neath the red, white and blue,
“Where there’s never a boast or brag.

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
“Keep your eye on the Grand Old Flag.”

Happy Fourth of July!

Dave Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Florida.

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Florida

Federal judge pauses deadlines in Trump documents case after SCOTUS immunity ruling

Published

3 hours ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Federal judge pauses deadlines in Trump documents case after SCOTUS immunity ruling

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The federal judge presiding over former President Trump’s Florida case has paused several court deadlines to consider presidential immunity.

Trump’s legal team presented a motion Friday seeking “a partial stay of further proceedings” in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith “until President Trump’s motions based on Presidential immunity and the Appointments and Appropriations Clauses are resolved.”

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday agreed to hear arguments, allowing two weeks for both camps to prepare briefs regarding the relevance of the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

TRUMP ASKS FLORIDA COURT TO PAUSE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE AFTER SUPREME COURT IMMUNITY DECISION

Former President Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a campaign rally at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump faces charges from Smith’s investigation into his possession of classified materials.

He pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony counts from Smith’s probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION

Trump was also charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment from the investigation, an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts.

The Alto Lee Adams, Sr. United States Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla., where U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is presiding over the case of former President Trump. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court ruled Monday in the Trump v. United States case that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts while in office but not for unofficial acts.

In a 6-3 decision, the court sent the matter back to a lower court when the justices did not apply the ruling to whether former President Trump is immune from prosecution regarding actions related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

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Walt Nauta, left, an aide to former President Trump, walks with his lawyer, Stanley Woodward, right, as they leave the Alto Lee Adams, Sr. United States Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.

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Florida

Florida Gators Expectations – Embracing Underdog Role

Published

10 hours ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Florida Gators Expectations – Embracing Underdog Role

For the first time in recent memory, the University of Florida heads into a football season a decided underdog in eight of its twelve games. DraftKings places the over/under on win total for the Gators at a paltry 4.5. Pundits from Bristol, Conn. to Atlanta look ready to play a dirge for a season that hasn’t started yet.

As a result, a palpable sense of worry flows through the fanbase. Cursed with an unbelievably tough schedule, the Gators, in the eyes of many, appear headed for a disastrous 2024 season. Yet, something feels different. No one told the football team that their season ended before it started. Ignore those folks and enjoy the games ahead.

The Schedule

Make no mistake, Florida will play a brutal schedule against some of the SEC’s top teams. During the month of November, Florida plays Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State. Not to mention, Tennessee and Texas A&M show up early in the season.

On paper, all of these teams possess top-tier offenses, defenses, and coaching. Their rosters bubble over with blue-chip prospects and All-Americans. Correspondingly, NFL scouts representing all thirty-two franchises will attend these matchups. In a way, the schedule makers will end up helping the Gators more than anything else.

The Hotseat

As profiled here and everywhere, Billy Napier needs a great showing to keep his job. He knows this, and fully understands the situation at hand. In all honesty, that fact should help the Gators. Napier comprehends the deal. In movie imagery, he will make his last stand in The Swamp.

With pundits already choosing his successor via content, and those coaches looking at Zillow for homes in Alachua County, no play drawn looks unreasonable. With a job to lose, but a $32-million buyout, Napier can coach with a clear mind. The worst the school can do is fire him and pay an eight-figure buyout. No opponent will rattle Napier and his team.

Upside

Florida enters the season with a seasoned quarterback, within a system he thrives. Graham Mertz fits the scheme. Only three of Florida’s opponents will return a starting quarterback. As a result, many will use this season as a way of grasping a system.

Meanwhile, Mertz will head in to games with a feeling that his opponent will not. Moreover, six of Florida’s games occur in The Swamp. With 89,000 people, a majority clad in blue and orange, home-field becomes that much more important.

Opponent Expectations Burden

People continue to underdiscuss what Florida’s opponents will face. Georgia, Ole Miss, Florida State, TAMU, and Tennessee all have playoff expectations. Probability being what they are, a couple of those teams will lose multiple games. Under those circumstances, their fate changes from a certain home game to possibly playing on the road or potential omission from the process altogether.

One of these opposing will exhibit some variation of posterior puckering, making bad decisions, leading to an upset by Florida. Since 1988, only three Gator seasons ended with five or fewer wins. Somehow, somewhere, probably multiple teams will fall. Plus, the karmic nature of college football dictates conference chaos.

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Florida

Florida Senate GOP candidate faces September trial in $48K theft case involving an HOA

Published

17 hours ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Florida Senate GOP candidate faces September trial in $48K theft case involving an HOA

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A candidate for Florida Senate this August is facing charges of grand theft in Orange County involving a homeowner’s association, with a trial scheduled to start in September.

Cheryl Blancett, 63, is facing charges that stem from a years-long investigation into the theft of nearly $48,000 from a homeowners association for a neighborhood in east Orange County. According to the arrest report, the officers for the Sawgrass Estates HOA hired Blancett to manage their subdivision from April 2018 to August 2019.

The investigators accuse Blancett of intermingling the HOA funds with her personal funds, using money for personal expenses and purchases that were not approved HOA expenses.

They believe Blancett ended up taking $47,22.34 from the HOA. She has pleaded not guilty.

[RESULTS 2024: Want to vote in Florida? Here’s how to register and make sure you are eligible]

Blancett is running to be the Republican candidate in the Florida Senate District 13 race, representing parts of Orange and Lake counties. She is on the ballot as “CJ” Blancett.

She faces businessman Bowen Kou and outgoing Florida House Rep. Keith Truenow in the Republican primary on Aug. 20. Kou is currently suing the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee for libel over a political mailer that questions whether he and his donors have any ties to the Chinese government (Kou is an American citizen). The mailer was sent out on Truenow’s behalf and cites his approval.

The winner of the Aug. 20 primary will face Democrat Stephanie Dukes in November.

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