A singer assassinated, the worst mass shooting in US history, and a gator kills a child, in less than a week — all in venues I am intimately familiar with. I am reeling from this. Flying there Saturday.
With the world’s eyes on Orlando,
let me tell you who we really are
By Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell:
As I wandered through the sea of TV trucks on Orange Avenue Tuesday, a strange sensation washed over me: That’s usually me.
I’m usually the one who parachutes into a community with a media badge to interview grieving families and document tales of ravaged lives. After hurricanes and wildfires. In the streets of New York after 9/11.
I’m usually the one wondering: Before the tragedy struck, what was this place really like?
Well, America, allow me to answer that about Orlando.
Let me to tell you who we are.
Yes, we are theme parks.
And yes, we are tacky. We are stucco mermaids and gift shops shaped like giant navel oranges.
But I have to be honest, America: That tackiness isn’t us. It’s you.
After all, we’re not the ones who crave three T-shirts for $5 or water-filled snow globes that say “Florida snowman.”
We are the place you want to come to escape your problems … well, unless you also want nudity and craps tables. Then you go to Vegas.
But far away from the parks — where hanging moss drips from live oaks and regal cypress trees stand guard (until we clear-cut them all to make way for strip malls) — most of us live in a different world.
And there — in walkable hipster neighborhoods and McMansion-filled suburbs — we are so much more.
We are artistic. Shakespeare and Tchaikovsky, Fringe Festival and Film Festival.
We are cutting-edge. With one of the best performing-arts centers in America, one the MLS’s most-popular soccer franchises and an NBA team that, at one point in time, knew what the post-season looked like.
We are foodies, flush with James Beard finalists with culinary hubs like the East End Market, which sits smack dab in the middle of one of those walkable neighborhoods I mentioned.
For all those non-theme-park reasons, the New York Times ranked Orlando as No. 13 last year on its list of “50 Places to Go” … right between Zimbabwe and St. Vincent.
If that all sounds incredibly sophisticated, well it is.
But it’s also misleading.
For here in Orlando, we are also poor.
We have some of the lowest wages of any major metro in America, thanks mainly to tourism attractions and hotel occupations that don’t pay living wages.
We have an economy built on the backs of people who scrub toilets on International Drive and have to take three bus transfers to do it.
For that reason, we are also a community in denial. We have grand dreams, but with wages that weigh us down like an anchor.
So we end up being a community full of dichotomies.
We are the opera and Philharmonic, yet also Lou Pearlman and the Backstreet Boys.
We are Park Avenue and Bithlo Speed World.
We are chateaubriand at the Waldorf Astoria and fried Oreos at the Central Florida Fair.
We are a melting pot.
By now, you know we have a lot of gay friends and neighbors. But if you’ve been left with the impression that they have to hide in nightclubs, you’ve been misled.
This city flies rainbow flags downtown. And more than 100,000 people attend our Pride parades around Lake Eola. One year, I rode on a float — and half the city council was riding on floats around me.
There are no closets here. Orlando is largely an oasis of open-minds and acceptance in a state that makes headlines for intolerance.
Diversity is one of Orlando’s hallmarks.
Yes, we’re “Latin” as you now know from “Latin night” at Pulse. But that’s an oversimplification. We are Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican and Dominican.
We’re Haitian and Asian.
We are South Carolinians and New Yorkers.
We are transplants.
It’s why we have a Vietnamese district on Colonial Drive and Mexican restaurants lining Semoran Boulevard; and why “pizza” means Chicago-style in one strip mall and New York-style in another.
Have I made it clear we have a lot of strip malls? Well, we do … though lately we’ve started gussying them up, adding pay-by-the-swipe wine bars and calling them “town centers.”
Oh, you know what else we are? We’re brave.
We have alligators, mosquitoes, hurricanes, sink holes, tornados, snakes and cockroaches the size of toy poodles.
We have a summer that starts in March, ends at Christmas and involves 280 percent humidity for much of that time.
We are evolving, getting beyond our citrus-field roots and theme-park mindset to become a place where people want to live.
And they do want to live here, America. In fact, they leave many of your cities to come join ours. Check out the Census data.
We are faith-filled. And we are generous.
Certainly we have faults. Lots of them. Maddening traffic. Underfunded education. And politicians who frequently require grand juries. I spend the better part of each year documenting all that.
But for the most part, we are diverse. And cultured. And aspiring to be more.
We are lots of things. But what happened in that nightclub on that one morning isn’t one of them.
That is not Orlando.
thank you, scott maxwell, best description of modern day florida yet.
Senate Democrats end marathon filibuster, announce Republicans agree to gun control vote
“We still have to get from here to there, but we did not have that commitment when we started,” Murphy said early Thursday, crediting his filibuster with pressuring leaders to commit to the votes, though he noted there was “no guarantee that those amendments pass.”
GOP favorability is at a new low – 32% according to new Bloomberg poll, 17% below dems. Marquette U poll says 6% more dems will definitely vote in November than pugns. Pugn land is not doing well under the presumptive candidate’s “leadership”.
It is hilarious watching Joe mock trump over the father of Mateen coming to the US . He noted that trump’s mother came to the US and wasn’t born here, and that trump’s wives came to the US and weren’t born here. Of course they are missing Trump’s insane Islam factor, but still, even Joe, no Rhodes scholar, recognizes the problems in trump’s ideas.
Unless a person is ‘part’ of Orlando as are author Maxwell and Craig, then, in my mind, Orlando is a place to avoid as it represents all the unbridled development that has done so much to destroy fragile Florida itself. All of which does nothing to diminish the horror of what happened Sunday morning. Travel home, Craig, to the true Orlando that you love and need right now.
I love visiting Florida… but I don’t think I’d ever want to live there. Too flat… too many malls… and too much heat for my tastes. But I would never judge a place based on what one lone crazed gunman did there. Millions love your home town, Craig. Safe and happy travels.
Yay…. getting a vote to happen on gun control measures is at least something.
two good reads from wapo (that which is by drumpf edict banned reading) opinion page –
Alexandra petri: “How to Cover Donald Trump Fairly: A Style Guide”
and
dana milbank: The right response to Donald Trump? A media blackout. I don’t mean an outright ban of Trump coverage. But an end to the uncritical, free publicity that propelled him to the GOP nomination.
Scott has perfectly described Orlando and Central Florida.. Nice place to live.
interesting and arresting factoid from dana’s op which should be addressed in some way on a f.e.c. campaign report or complaint:
In a report out Monday, Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center found that eight top news outlets gave Trump the equivalent of $55 million of free advertising last year, and about two-thirds of Trump coverage was positive. Taking the news media as a whole, the center said the claim that Trump’s media coverage was worth $2 billion in ads “might well be correct.”
Great piece of descriptive writing by Mr. Maxwell. Of course, I would never see any of it, since living there would require being up to my neck in the pool full time.
We might have to introduce a new term into the political dialogue to be used for the rest of this campaign. “Traitorous Trump.” The man will put politics and himself above his nation.
The man, and anyone who supports him, is supporting treason.
[This post and cartoon by Clay Jones are from his website http://www.claytoonz.com]
Oprah Endorses Hillary Clinton For President
From one trailblazer to another.
Alana Horowitz Satlin
The NY Times is featuring some great ways to say goodbye with reprints of obituaries based on death dates. Yesterday had several wonderful people, but I truly enjoyed Ella Fitzgerald. “I never knew how good our songs were, until I heard Ella sing them.” Ira Gershwin
Donald Trump Responds to Orlando Attack by Exploiting Fear, Not Easing It
By PATRICK HEALY and THOMAS KAPLAN
Back from the eye doc. Nice young man. I hate driving with my eyes dilated. Asked him how long I have had my glaucoma. He says that it’s been many years.
Yikes !
I hope that you now have the glaucoma under control, Flatus.
Tucker Carlson again demonstrates his stunning ignorance of our system and of the concept of cause and effect.
The NRA lobbied to have the assault weapons ban die, allowing the guy who pledged allegiance to ISIS and killed 49 gay people in a stunning hate crime to buy the previously banned assault-style weapon to carry out his crime. The NRA paid republicans in congress to put the weapon in the hands of the killer.
And due process is not implicated unless he is talking about a law that would preclude a guy who is or is not on a no fly list from purchasing firearms, which law could be challenged in court, thus implicating due process. If he opposes a law that precludes someone on the no fly list from purchasing guns, why is he advocating for a legal position that allows suspected enemies of the US to buy guns? (And I’d like to here the NRA’s position on such a law)
The shooting could have happened in any city. It could have been a Westboro Baptist shooting gays in Kansas City. Or a Pentacostal shooting Mormons in Boise. Or, a racist shooting Blacks in Charleston. Or klansmen & neo-nazis shooting communists in Greensboro. Or, a nothing-in-particular shooting a theater audience Aurora.
Craig, I feel your pain. I remember how sad I was for a long time following the Boston marathon bombing. I live in Massachusetts and have spent much time in Boston, so I felt it personally.
Orlando will always hold a special place in my heart. In 2003 my son, who was living in Kissimmee at the time, was in a serious motorcycle accident. He was air lifted to Orlando Medical Center and they saved his life. I was there for a month during this time and people were very nice/kind/helpful to me. I was in the area again in 2006 for the birth of a grandson, a much happier occasion! He lives in Titusville now. I can’t tolerate the climate in FL because it’s much too humid for me but my son loves it there.
Thank you for sharing your heartfelt thoughts regarding your home town this week. Have a safe trip. I pray that all who are mourning these tragic events will find healing soon.
In the 1950s I recall reading magazine advertisements for all sorts of surplus military weaponry. One that really caught my eye was for 20-mm aircraft guns that could be converted into rifles. Ammunition for a 20-mm gun is large–the projectile (bullet) is almost an inch in diameter and several inches long. Because they wouldn’t be rapid fire like a machine gun, they escaped that prohibition. They had lots of ordinary surplus rifles for sale as well. Unlike the AR-15s, the old-style rifles like the bolt-action Springfields or even the M-1 Garand would make useful hunting rifles.
Where did I see these magazines? Where else but the neighborhood barber shop.
Just checking in again….still amazed that some people dont care about what happened in orlando….and like that pastor that actually said that it was a good thing…bet he is a pedi….
“Where did i see these magazines? where else but the neighborhood barber shop”
Sarge……that seems a logical place for that mag…..dont know if you know that the red and white stripes on the barber shop pole stands for blood and bandages…..barbers were some of the first medics in the battle field…..they treated and bandaged the injured soldiers…..I dont need them anymore…..so i cut my own hair……..one hair is easy to maintain
Trumps remarks about orlando not going over well at the gym……Jace…Hillary just might get close to that 12%……Im betting on at least 9-10….hoping for the 12…..and hoping for a take over of the house and the senate…….would be nice to see her start with both houses as dems…..like Obama…..
Flatus, in the gun safe in my sister’s basement there is a British Enfield 303 carbine that my father bought through one of those magazines. Came in the mail in a box and was packed in grease.
Solar, Hillary’s head-to-head poling average against Trump since the last Super Tuesday contests concluded and Bernie got his ass handed to him is 8%. When the polls that were completed before that so last round of primaries are factored in, her lead is 5.6%. All this is from RealClearPolitics.
Pogo,
I cants take it anymore….ive been a good solar…honest i have………….im going to stop at the first Mexican restaurant and order me a half dozen Carnitas tacos…and wolf em down with a bud……..think they know what a bakers dozen is……later
The has a NY Times has a good write up about violence against LGBT people.
13 year old owns Trump with one joke…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnBkIstNk4I
Renee,
Thats a great utube….she made me smile….thanks
I guess Kasich is in the “Dump Trump Now” category of Republican.
since alexander hamilton is so in fashion right now, perhaps we’ll be hearing more of his views re gun rights from the pro-gun crowd. for instance this from wiki discussing history behind 2nd amdmt:
One aspect of the gun control debate is the conflict between gun control laws and the right to rebel against unjust governments. Blackstone in his Commentaries alluded to this right to rebel as the natural right of resistance and self preservation, to be used only as a last resort, exercisable when “the sanctions of society and laws are found insufficient to restrain the violence of oppression”. Some believe that the framers of the Bill of Rights sought to balance not just political power, but also military power, between the people, the states and the nation, as Alexander Hamilton explained in 1788:
from transcript of what elizabeth warren said during filibuster:
We can act to make the next shooting less likely. We can act to reduce the likelihood that a disturbed individual, a criminal, or a terrorist is again able to kill dozens, again, with a gun. And if we fail to act, the next time someone uses a gun to kill one of us, a gun that we could have kept out of the hands of a terrorist, then the members of this Congress will have blood on our hands.
But the truth is, this is not just about Congress – it is about all of us. We all have choices. WE have choices about how we are going to treat our neighbors and our fellow citizens. Choices about what we do when someone is targeted at a coffee shop because of their background or their looks or their race. Choices about how we react when a friend or a co-worker – a son or a daughter – tells us the truth about who they love. Choices about how we treat our neighbors and fellow citizens who don’t look or talk or pray like we do.
It is a scary world out there. We all know that. Terrorism mutates into new and more dangerous forms. Terrorists have easy assault, easy access to assault weapons that put us all at risk. And hate—plain, old-fashioned, naked, ugly hate—still lurks in dark corners.
It is a scary world, but America is strongest when we work together. And all of us will decide whether we come together or splinter apart.
We can keep weapons out of those who would do us harm. We can make it harder for terrorism to take root in this country. We can drive the forces of hate out of our nation. We can build a stronger, more united America.
And we can begin right here in the United States Senate. We can begin right now.”
XT, errrr XR…….i agree, make anything that has to do with weapons etc…..taxed….like all of that idea….
politico:
An anti-Trump opposition book published online and purportedly stolen from the servers of the Democratic National Committee reveals a strategy for painting Trump, above all else, as a man with “no core” who is a “loyal only to himself” and a “liar.”
The document was posted by Gawker and The Smoking Gun on Wednesday afternoon, roughly a day after news first broke that Russian hackers had stolen information from the DNC, including the committee’s compilation of research on Trump. A person involved with the DNC’s investigation of the recent hacking of its servers said that investigators were still examining a number of documents leaked online to determine their authenticity.
“Our experts are confident in their assessment that the Russian government hackers were the actors responsible for the breach detected in April and May, and we believe that this release and the claims around it may be a part of a disinformation campaign by the Russians,” said a senior DNC official in a statement Wednesday night.
so does this mean putie is just trying to help out his bff with a little heads up info? don’t they know what everybody else already knows about the drumpf?
Even if the no fly no buy provision were in effect the Orlando murderer would have gotten his gun.
An assault weapon ban is much better
Ted Cruz is a maroooooooooooooooooon
I used to read a lot of vampire, werewolf, mummy……….no not mommy…..mummy books when i wanted to get my mind of things…..loved qween of the dammed…by……started to watch a series called bitten, on first season 7th episode…..im hooked on it………
I have been so impressed with the responses of Orlando citizens, police, and local officials!
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Immediately after getting enough votes to seize the nomination, when everyone thought the racist-dog whistling was over and deadbeat donald would mellow out, or even walk back his filthy utterances, he didn’t. Instead, as the republican standard bearer he became even more vile, and vile more frequently. ripper leaders and the majority of downticket candidates hate the deadbeat, because he is dashing their hopes to keep power and win re-election. Home Depot and GE will not be opening their wallets for the candidate that can taint the corporate image. Well-to-do professionals are repulsed by trump’s crass and crude demeanor. The take is going to be way down, unless trump can self-fund, which I think is baloney. The deadbeat will have to spend money for ads in previously red-leaning states. Besides trump’s funding, the down ticket rippers will see smaller and fewer donations.
50plus% of repubs voted against the big shot in the primaries and caucuses. These people elected 38% of the pugugly convention delegates. I expect that many of these non-trump delegates will boo when the deadbeat’s name is mentioned. I also expect a walk-out when his nomination is officially announced.
I’m surprised that little has been made of the fact that the great majority of the victims were Hispanic. Almost all the commentators talk about the event as homophobic violence, but there was also a popular ‘white’ gay bar in the neighborhood. What triggered the perp’s decision to target the Hispanic gays rather than the Anglos ? I am disturbed by the media silence on this matter.
XR,
I am also surprised that little has been made of those facts….on spanish news channels it is.
Funny how society teaches us false facts. While I know that Race is an illusion…..that we are all just one and the same, I am very saddened about my hispanic brothers…..I was going to mention this before….but was afraid that it would all come out wrong….
A very simple fact, that isnow very complicated due to the invention of Race….where Greed and Religion once again is at fault imo…..thanks for that post my friend…later
Notice that the deadbeat don doesn’t style himself as the friend of these Hispanic victims, just of these gay victims.
The leadership of the AFL-CIO voted on Thursday to endorse Hillary Clinton for president, according to a spokesman for the union federation.
“Hillary Clinton is a proven leader who shares our values,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement after the vote. “Throughout the campaign, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to the issues that matter to working people, and our members have taken notice. The activism of working people has already been a major force in this election and is now poised to elect Hillary Clinton and move America forward.”
The endorsement from the more than 12 million member organization is a boon for Clinton, who after clinching the Democratic nomination for president will face Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump in November.
According to the AFL-CIO, the endorsement means the organization will “put in motion its ground campaign to elect Hillary Clinton and union endorsed candidates across the country.”
vanity fair:
Exclusive: Is Donald Trump’s Endgame the Launch of Trump News?
The candidate is considering starting his own cable empire.
[….]
Trump is indeed considering creating his own media business, built on the audience that has supported him thus far in his bid to become the next president of the United States. According to several people briefed on the discussions, the presumptive Republican nominee is examining the opportunity presented by the “audience” currently supporting him. He has also discussed the possibility of launching a “mini-media conglomerate” outside of his existing TV-production business, Trump Productions LLC.
[….]
Indeed, the specter of a Trump-focused platform, no matter how unappetizing, is not entirely illogical. Republican candidates have historically used the protracted national election cycle to indirectly land gigs on Fox News or Sirius XM. Election cycles have become veritable job interviews for the likes of Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and others. But Trump has successfully circumnavigated traditional media outlets more than any candidate in history. He has picked fights with Fox News and won. His campaign has barred reporters from the Huffington Post, Gawker, Buzzfeed, and the New Hampshire Union Leader from events. Earlier this month, a Politico reporter was denied access to an event in California. After The Washington Post reported on Trump’s suggestion that President Obama was somehow complicit in the Orlando terrorist attack, his campaign revoked the news organization’s press credentials.
XR
The feds were ahead of you on taxing certain guns. National Firearms Act of 1934 lays it out. Thank Capone et al.
Trump at least he’s not Cruz
Someone needs to tell Bernie you can’t cash loser tickets at the winner’s window (Joe Alioto)
How about when Trump loses he will say it was all a plot to get Hillary elected
Clinton Is Actively Vetting Elizabeth Warren As Potential Running Mate
Allegra Kirkland
NEW THREAD
An Unlikely Savior Emerges to Help Endangered Republicans: George W. Bush
By MAGGIE HABERMAN and JONATHAN MARTIN