Pam Bondi for Florida Attorney General

Both major candidates in the race to become Florida's next attorney general have demonstrated their prosecutorial skills.

Each of them have contributed to making our state a safer place by putting criminals behind bars.

But, Dan Gelber has vowed to pull Florida out of the ongoing lawsuit to thwart ObamaCare. He supports the government takeover of our nation's healthcare system.

Pam Bondi, on the other hand, has promised to keep up the fight on behalf of the majority of people in this state--indeed, the majority across the nation--who recoil at the costs to personal liberty.

Our attorney general is not simply the state's "top cop," he (or she!) must also be willing to stand up to federal infringements on state sovereignty.

On that basis, I strongly endorse Pam Bondi for Florida Attorney General.

When crazy strikes too close to home . . . and work

Friday is always the best day of the work week. But, this particular Friday held particular promise in this little corner of heaven. Mostly because the weather was cooperating with astonishingly low humidity and mild temperatures.

But, then all hell broke loose at lunchtime in this office building at 1000 Legion Place on the northern edge of downtown.

I'm not going to regurgitate all the facts surrounding this senseless act of violence. If you want all those details, check out www.orlandosentinel.com.

What I will say here is that this particular bit of madness hit WAY too close for comfort.

I mean you see stuff reported in the news like Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, etc., but you never expect it to happen in your back yard.

And, I'm not speaking entirely figuratively when I say that.

The building in question is pretty much across the street from where yours truly sampled the apple pannini featured in a post earlier this week.

It's also less than two miles from my humble abode, just the other side of Lake Ivanhoe really.

Then, when the SWAT team finally apprehended the nutcase responsible for this nightmare of a Friday, it turns out it was at his mom's apartment . . . just two miles away . . . a straight shot down Curry Ford Road from ye olde workplace.

Frightening.

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 . . .

Another "Man from Hope"

As it was repeated ad nauseum back in the 90's, ye socks are surely aware that we have a former president from the lovely little hamlet of Hope, Arkansas.

More recently, folks outside of that little corner of heaven were made aware that it was also the hometown of the man who should be the Republican presidential nominee Mike Huckabee.

Now, we are learning of another "Man from Hope," though he doesn't appear to have what it takes to make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

We refer to the "gentleman" pictured here, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Jim Gunter.

He was relieved to learn this week that his sister Janet Gibson is dropping all criminal charges against him stemming from an incident at a family reunion back on September 2nd of last year.

Apparently, the judge had loaned his sister a bunch of genealogy material and asked for her to return it at the reunion.

When she told him she wasn't done looking thru it, the judge went ballistic and backhanded her.

Now, wasn't that nice?

Seriously, though, don't come between this guy and his genealogy. If this is how he treats close family members, imagine what he'd do to the man on the street!

More of our Florida heritage up in smoke

I was sickened to learn of the destruction of the historic "Woodlea House" up in Tavares this weekend.

Apparently, two transient jackasses decided to set it on fire because they thought it was haunted.

Captain Melton Haynes (1827-1883) returned from serving in the Civil War to settle in the area, and built "Woodlea House" in 1871.

The City of Tavares had the historic structure moved in 2005 to save it from demolition, and locals were raising funds to have it properly restored before the tragic events of Sunday night.

The one piece of good news in this otherwise depressing tale is Police Chief Stoney Lubins succeeded in nabbing the culprits. But, that's only small consolation when such an important piece of our regional history has been lost.

Don't mess with the Jenkses!

That's the lesson Cash America Pawn Shop in Apopka learned today.

Last Thursday, while they were attending an orientation at Apopka High School, some piece of human debris decided to steal a bike I had loaned them.

They immediately went to the pawn shop in question, described the bike, and asked the staff if someone had brought anything matching the description within the last hour.

That's when things STARTED to get nasty.

The idiot behind the counter was completely uncooperative, dismissing them with a recommendation to go file a report with Apopka Police Department.

Well, they did that.

And, lo and behold, APD found the bike in Cash America Pawn Shop's inventory.

But, when the Jenkses went up there for the second time to claim the stolen property, the bozos working there insisted they pay the $35 in cash that they had foolishly given to the aforementioned piece of human debris.

Since when do you have to pay somebody for dealing in stolen goods?!

Now $35 is not a great deal of money in the grand scheme of things. But, as Aaron Tippin would point out, you have to stand for something.

So, the Jenkses called Central Florida's News Channel 13. Got a reporter with a camera to interview them at my house and take a look at the police report, the pawn shop receipt, etc.

Then, the reporter went over to the pawn shop and put a camera in their face.

Long story just a little bit longer: the Jenkses got a phone call this evening. Miraculously, Cash America Pawn Shop in Apopka has finally seen the error of their ways. They're going to give them a full refund.

But, if they really want to mend their ways, perhaps they could just stop giving money to obvious thieves . . . not to mention trying to take advantage of the victims of crime.

I love it when people get what they deserve. Good or bad!

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.