The case of the chief's disappearing gun

Ye out of town socks may not be aware of the mystery unfolding in this little corner of heaven.

Apparently, our chief of police Val Demings has become not only an icon of responsible gun stewardship but also highlighted the capabilities of local law enforcement.

It seems that way back on 2/27, nearly a month ago, Mrs. Demings had her OPD-issued gun and 138 rounds of ammunition stolen out of her Chevy Tahoe while it was parked right outside her own home.

Why are we just hearing about it now? Evidently, her department along with the sheriff's office (now run by her husband Jerry) thought it would be too much of an embarassment. But, their efforts to keep a lid on things were blown out of the water by an anonymous tip to the media today.

A lot of questions need to be answered. Here are a few:

1. Given the fact that Mr. Demings' vehicle was vandalized THREE times over the last year while parked in front of the same house, (a) why hasn't security been tightened there, and (b) why would you select that location to store guns and ammunition?

2. As there was no evidence of forced entry and the thieves did not attempt to steal other valuables in the vehicle, what is the possibility of this either being an inside job (i.e. someone who had the keys with Demings' permission) OR is it a complete fabrication and Demings has either lost or misplaced the weaponry?

3. Why did it take nearly a month for the public to be made aware of this situation? The Demings and their departments were not the only ones trying to keep it under wraps. Evidently, the chief did inform Mayor Buddy Dyer the day after the gun and ammo went missing. So, why did he keep it quiet, too?

This whole story stinks.

I do have to give the chief some credit, though. She told her internal affairs people to throw the proverbial book at her, which involves taking away a couple of her accumulated vacation days.

Yeah, that'll make up for having a loaded high-power weapon in the hands of a criminal whose prowling the streets of our fair city . . .

Tax and spend mentality out of control in Orlando

Our illustrious mayor Buddy Dyer has rammed through a 15% tax increase in this little corner of heaven.

Ye socks may remember his recent indictment for election fraud.

He's also spending billions on "entertainment venues" that residents won't be able to afford to visit because they'll be too busy struggling to pay his recent tax hike.

And, yet, he can't understand why folks around here don't trust his administration with their tax dollars.

He is running a $31.4 million dollar deficit this year. But, instead of cutting government largesse, he proposes a few token cuts and hikes taxes.

I don't remember everything they taught me in college macroeconomics, but I do recall the illustration that showed how government syphoning money out of the system means there's less for individuals and the private sector.

Buddy Dyer and his minions at City Hall have succeeded today not in balancing a budget but in hurting renters and causing businesses within the city limits to close their doors and (hopefully) move their operations to more business-friendly adjacent communities.

This will not be forgotten in the next election, Buddy. Kudos to commissioners Phil Diamond and Robert Stuart for standing-up against the Dyer machine. Their efforts were futile this time around, but I hope voters will send more voices of reason to join them on the city council very soon.

Disgraceful.

Hillary supporters just won't give up in Orlando

Apparently, they didn't get the memo about the kiss-and-make-nice session up in Unity, New Hampshire today.

"Someone" in this little corner of heaven let it be known in a big way today that they are not happy about the outcome of the primary "process."

Unfortunately, the medium they chose to express their frustration was spray paint, and their canvas consisted of a bunch of city-owned vehicles in the big parking lot at 401 South Orange Avenue.

It was ALMOST comical to read the vandal's words. I think the funniest was "OBOMA SMOKES CRACK," not because of the alleged drug use but because they misspelled the surname of the junior senator from Illinois. And, I will point out that John McCain had his fair share of painted criticism. Only the former first lady received any praise from the vandal(s).

Seriously, though, Mayor Buddy Dyer should really be embarassed by this little episode, especially since it occurred across the street from his office. How can he, or any downtown booster, expect to recapture any of the nightlife mentioned in yesterday's posting if they can't get a handle on all the crime--petty or otherwise--that is going on right under their noses?

Mayor Buddy

A busy day for me in College Park today.

John Parker finally conquered the jungle in front of the house, but only after enlisting the muscle of his son Taylor.

Bruce Mixer and his son came over to haul-off the old avocado green double-wide refrigerator.

Yep, that's right. Avocado. Flashbacks?

In the mean time, I couldn't help but notice all the local news coverage of Buddy Dyer's third swearing-in ceremony as Mayor of Orlando.

What a travesty his time in office has been. And, I guess I need to be paying more attention to this sort of thing since I'm soon to become one of his constituents.

He came to City Hall in the wake of Glenda Hood's departure to served with Jeb Bush's cabinet up in Tallahassee. Remember that?

Since that time, Ol' Buddy has been a one trick pony. It's all about venues, venues, venues with this guy. Oh, and the billions, billions, billions of dollars he wants us to pay to get those venues, venues, venues.

All the while, we've had a murder spree, an explosion of homeless downtown, and a real estate downturn we haven't seen in these parts since the 1920s.

Hey, Buddy, this from a soon-to-be-constituent: Can you maybe use some of those billions on more cops and basic services for residents of Orlando?

Stop with the phone calls, already!

The incessant ringing of the telephone around the chalet this weekend must mean we have a primary election coming up!! It used to be they'd just fill your snail mail box with brochures. Now, they want to call you up and talk to you.

Some of the campaigns are downright annoying, to the detriment of their candidates/causes:

1. Charlie Crist and his ilk can quit pimping their property tax "reform" plan. It's not going to fly.

2. The McCainiacs shouldn't be so proud of Crist's endorsements, for reasons only briefly alluded to in #1. Also, we remember Mel Martinez working with you and Ted Kennedy in the (thankfully unsuccessful) attempt to grant amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens. So, no surprise he's in your camp, too.

3. Love ya, Rudy. Really. But, FLA is not NYC . . . at least not that part of the peninsula beyond Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

4. Will someone tell John Edwards that I am not, nor will I ever be, a registered Democrat?! This is a closed primary. Registered Republicans can't vote for you on Tuesday.

5. Will someone tell Buddy Dyer I don't live in Orlando any more, so couldn't vote for him even if I wanted to?!

6. How many times do I have to ask all of you to remove my number from your calling list?!

I will be so glad on Tuesday evening when we can finally get a respite . . . but, November is only a few months away, and I imagine they'll be back in gear again real soon.

ARGGHHH!

Downtown Disappointment

A trip to the downtown library was at the top of the agenda today.

Local history writer Joy Wallace Dickinson was supposed to be there to sign copies of her new book, but we never did find her. Someone told us she didn't show up. But, I can hardly blame her.

The atmosphere in the library was just awful. For some reason, they weren't running the air conditioning. Or, at least it felt that way. The air was simply oppressive, and it brought out the myriad of wonderful aromas one tends to find downtown since the illustrious Mayor Buddy drove all the homeless out of Eola Park and into the public buildings.

I thought the trip might be redeemable by a visit to the Friends of the Library shop on the 3rd floor. But, it was just as muggy up there as it was everywhere else. And, the very limited quantity of genealogy-related books STARTED at $40. The periodicals were a bargain at 25-cents, but they only had two copies of the same issue of Orlando Magazine.

So, I left pretty much disgusted with the whole trip.

If not for the digipics captured in the parking garage as we left, the whole morning would have been a waste of time.

Hey, maybe Mayor Buddy could use some of the billions he wants for the vaunted cultural corridor to clean-up the library and adjust the thermostat . . .

Hey, Buddy, here's another "wake-up" call for you.

Recently, a long-time co-worker was in my office expressing his relief that his 22-year-old son had survived an attack by a Taliban sniper in Afghanistan. Though he did have to be temporarily evacuated to Germany for medical treatment, he is back on active duty stateside.

Sadly, I found out today from the same co-worker that his 14-year-old son was seriously wounded after being caught in the crossfire of some gang members in downtown Orlando. Again, the family was blessed, and the boy has been released from the hospital. (Though the bullet still remains lodged in his shoulder and will have to be surgically removed at a later date.)

I couldn't believe it when I heard this news and began considering the impact on this family.

Then, I got mad.

How can it be that Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando can allow the city's crime problem to get so out of hand that our young people are in as much danger going to a convenience store to buy a soda as they are when deployed with the US military to the outskirts of Kabul?!

And, yet, the front page of today's local daily proclaims the mayor's intention to proceed with his plans to spend over a billion dollars (yes, that is billion with a "b") on his pet "cultural corridor" project downtown.

Hey, Buddy, how about spending some of that cash on putting more cops on the steet?!?

In his world, it is more important to use taxpayer dollars to build a new arena for our local NBA franchise.

Hey, Buddy, in case you haven't noticed, the owner of the Magic is a billionaire!

In his world, it is more important to use taxpayer dollars to renovate the archaic Citrus Bowl.

Hey, Buddy, in case you haven't noticed, the University of Central Florida is already putting the final touches on a state-of the art stadium.

In his world, we need to use taxpayer dollars to build a new performing arts center downtown.

Hey, Buddy, if you don't do something about the crime rate downtown, you're never going to get any audiences to attend those performances.

In his world, money will continue to roll into municipal coffers to be spent on fluffy feel-good projects instead of the nuts-and-bolts services that citizens expect to receive in exchange for their tax burdens.

Hey, Buddy, in case you haven't noticed, the state legislature just slashed your future revenue streams.

Time to wake up and smell the coffee, Buddy.

Or, the smoking guns.

Take your pick.

Isn't it still 2007?!

I don't know why so many people are already talking about the 2008 elections, but it seems to be infectious.

How much longer must the City of Orlando endure Mayor Buddy's focus on entertainment venues at the expense of fighting crime?

Will a credible Republican emerge to oppose Ric Keller in the primary? How 'bout Orange County Chairman Rich Crotty?

What's Jeb Bush up to? He's been keeping a low profile since he left office in January, but surely he's not completely done with politics . . .

Is our new governor Charlie Crist really aspiring to become Vice President?!

And, of course, who to support for President?

Each party has its stars. But, in my opinion, none of them shine very brightly when it comes to the practical aspects of the job.

Sure, their faces might look good on the cover of newspapers. And, some of them are even good at dazzling broadcasters with their simplistic one-liners about complicated issues.

But, is that what we should really be looking for in a president?

Not in my opinion.

That's why I'm leaning toward Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas.

I know. Who'd a thought I'd support a former Arkansas governor for President?!

So far, he's my favorite. But, in retrospect, we're not very far along in this process at all, are we?!?

Opinion subject to change.