Your thoughts on Iraq

"So, what do you think about the war in Iraq?"

People frequently ask me that question, or a variation of it. It's not an easy one to answer.

I feel that our pre-war intelligence was terribly flawed. I believe that our efforts during the first months of occupation after the initial fighting were badly planned. I think we misunderstood the depth of hatred between the Shiites and the Sunnis. And I don't see any real effort on the part of the Iraqis to develop a workable democratic government that will stem the violence the al Qaida terrorists and others are bent on creating.

I also feel our soldiers have performed valiently and brilliantly in Iraq. They have gone above and beyond. Based on the stories I've heard from soldiers, I believe most Iraqis want a country that is peaceful and prosperous, and that might occur if the terrorists leave. And I believe that if America pulls out of Iraq, it will be a catastrophe even worse than the current situation.

So those are some of my personal views.

Now, what do you think about the war in Iraq? My goal here is to create civil dialogue about the issue that will likely dominate the 2008 presidential election. It's also an issue critical to the lives of thousands of members of the military and their families on the Emerald Coast.

McGuire's 1, Bureaucrats 0!

The state bureaucrats backed off Sunday and said it's OK for McGuire's Pub in Destin to put up its creative bathroom signs again.

In a press conference, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation secretary Holly Benson said a compromise had been reached allowing the signs to go back up.

More to the point, the regulators realized they looked like petty tax-wasting bureaucrats, which in this case is what they are. It turns out that the complaint that started this fiasco in the first place is apparently bogus. The person whose name is on the ccomplaint never actually filed it, and doesn't know who did. I wonder how much tax money was spent hassling McGuire's for nothing.

Oh well, the bathroom signs are back, and that's what matters most. I'm going to tip a cold one tonight in McGuire's honor!

McGuire's sign fiasco

Today we learned that you apparently can file a fabricated complaint to the state about the bathroom signs at a reputable local restaurant, and a state regulator will then order the business to change the signs or face closure.


The fact that the complaint was fabricated in the first place -- the man whose name appears on it says he never filed it -- doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the regulator's feelings about the bathroom signs.


This would be laughable if it hadn't actually occurred to McGuire's Pub in Destin.


The state Department of Business and Professional Regulation's action against McGuire's is ludicrous. They're using our tax dollars to harrass a private business about a regulation that shouldn't exist in the first place, based on a complaint the regulators apparently never verified.


Worse, the DBPR's position is based solely on a regulator's interpretation that a bathroom sign isn't as clear as it needs to be. That strikes as a violation of McGuire's First Amendment rights.

Here's the main number for the DBPR: 850-413-0755. Their e-mail address is Call.Center@dbpr.state.fl.us. Call them or write them today and tell them what you think about their bathroom sign regulation.


Let McGuire's be McGuire's!

Fuming about gas prices!

Just in time for summer, gasoline prices have jumped to more than $3 a gallon across Northwest Florida. The price is even higher in other parts of the country.

I know the price of gasoline is already impacting my household. It's causing me to drive less, and to use my wife's more fuel-efficient car more often.

No doubt, gasoline costs are affecting you, too. Blog to me, and tell me your answers to the following questions:

Will gasoline prices make you re-think your vacation plans?

Will it keep tourists from visiting the Emerald Coast?

Will it increase the costs for your business?

Is it causing you to spend less money on other things?

Is it causing you to drive less?

Write me what you think. And if you want the The Daily News to use your comments in a story later this week about rising gasoline prices, please leave your name and hometown. Thanks.

Let's debate immigration!

It appears that an immigration deal has been struck in Washington, D.C. -- the result of an unlikely alliance between President George W. Bush, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats.



The deal -- which the Senate will debate beginning Monday -- would grant legal status to millions of people who currently are in this country unlawfully. They would be able to obtain a "Z" visa after paying a $5,000 fine and fees, which would put them on track to gain permanent residency in 8-to-13 years. The deal would also increase border security and create a hi-tech employment verification system.



My guess is that lots of people on the Emerald Coast have opinions about this proposal. So, let's share our viewpoints on this blog. I hope people with opinions on all sides of the immigration issue will join in the discussion.



One note: I know this is an emotional issue for many people. That's fine, but please be civil on my blog.

Leave McGuire's Alone!

It's bad enough that Fort Walton Beach officials are harrassing former city councilman Jim Tucker for a few stray chickens on his property.

Now, today's edition of the Northwest Florida Daily News reports that the state has ordered McGuire's Irish Pub in Destin to remove the creative signs on its bathrooms.

A father complained to the state after a college-age man walked into the women's bathroom while his 15-year-old daughter was in there. The man apparently misread the sign on the door. The father said his daughter was embarrassed and left crying over the incident.

As a result the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has threatened McGuire's with closure for "Lack of signage properly designating bathrooms."

I've personally seen the signs on McGuire's bathroom doors up close, and they are a little confusing the first time you see them. But to order their removal is a ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money. Gimmee a break!

I don't doubt that the father's word that his daughter was embarrassed by the incident. But if the man and his family don't like the bathroom signs at McGuire's, wouldn't a better solution be to simply not go into the pub anymore?

Let's get rid of the state bathroom sign police brigade immediately. Petitions to fight back are on the pub's doors. Let McGuire's be McGuire's!

DeFuniak Springs' true patriotism

I've always admired small towns, and I especially admire DeFuniak Springs this week as its residents collectively paid respect to Tim Padgett, the homewtown soldier killed last week in Afghanistan.

On Monday, Padgett's body was returned to DeFuniak Springs. Residents lined the street from the airport to show their appreciation of Padgett's ultimate sacrifice. Today, many of them will do the same for Padgett's funeral and burial.

I'm sure the town's response means a great deal to Padgett's family. DeFuniak Springs also is an example for every community in Northwest Florida, large or small. When a soldier dies on our behalf, it's a loss we all should acknowledge.

Hughes drops Republican link

I spoke at the Okaloosa County Democrats meeting Monday night. More about that in my column this Sunday, May 20.

However, I did pick up an interesting news tidbit that's worth sharing.

Like all county officials, Republican Okaloosa County Tax Collector Chris Hughes has a taxpayer-financed Web site. The Web site is part informational, and part promotion of Chris Hughes. For example, on the main page of the site, in large type, is a link to Hughes' biography.

Until Monday, if viewers clicked to Hughes' biography, they also were offered a link to the Republican National Committee.

Toni Craig, executive director of the Okaloosa County Democrats, found that link to be odd, given that all taxpayers are picking up the tab for Hughes' office and Web site. She mentioned her concern to an attorney who does work for Hughes' office, and the attorney mentioned it to Hughes. On Monday, Hughes removed the Republican link from his biography.

"To be honest with you, I didn't even know it was there," Hughes told me this morning. Asked who put it up, Hughes said he didn't know, but conceded, "It probably was put up by someone in here (the tax collector's office). As soon as I found out I removed it."

And there you have it.

Al Sharpton and Romney

Just lately, more than a couple folks have asked me to comment about the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Sharpton has been in the news even more than usual in recent weeks.

First, he led the charge against Radio/TV personality Don Imus after Imus made his insensitive, sexist and racist comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus lost his job over the comments.

More recently, in a debate with an atheist, Sharpton more or less stated that people who believe in God will defeat Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney's bid to become president.

Romney has fought back, accusing Sharpton of a bigoted comment. Sharpton in turn has accused Romney of misconstruing his comment in an effort to breath life into his flagging campaign.

Here's exactly what Sharpton said: "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."

Here's what I think. I think Sharpton is an opportunist who looks for ways to appear morally superior and to incite debate about race issues. He probably costs the Democrats more votes than he gets them.

But I defend Sharpton's comment about Mormons was intentionally bigoted. And I defend his right to stir things up, in the same way that I defend everyone's right to free speech, and in the same way that I defend Romney's right to practice any religion he chooses.

That's what I think. What do you think?

Free Jim Tucker's chickens!

If anyone ever needs a handy example of unnecessary government intrusion, they should clip and save the story in today's Northwest Florida Daily News about former city councilman Jim Tucker's chickens.

The city's Code Enforcement Board is after Tucker to get rid of three chickens roaming on his property that are apparently in violation of a city code.

"I don't want to be imposed on by government." Tucker told reporter Wendy Victora. "I want government to help me in times of need."

Here's an idea: Why don't we get rid of the Code Enforcement Board? At the least, why don't we get rid of petty city ordinances? Or, let's at least stop wasting taxpayer's money investigating and enforcing this sort of silliness. Tucker's not raising a hundred head of cattle; it's three chickens for cripe's sake!

Tucker's chickens should remain free! Is anyone with me on this?

Parsing Bush's Poll Numbers

Gallup released its latest poll on President George W. Bush this week.

Bush's approval rating stands at 34%. This is no surprise; Bush's job approval rating has essentially flat-lined at around 35% in 2007, and it appears doubtful that he'll enjoy any improvement in the near future. The unpopular war in Iraq -- which shows little sign of improvement -- is the main reason behind his dismal numbers. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

I suspect Bush remains very popular here in Northwest Florida, where the majority of voters register as Republicans. In that regard, our area reflects his national approval rating among Republicans, which stands at 75%.

But nationally, the Republicans have to be sweating over their prospects in 2008. Not surprisingly, only 8% of Democrats approve of Bush's performance. Of greater concern, though, is that 31% of Independents approve of Bush. And his approval rating is at 40 percent or lower in every region of the country. Those are very short coattails indeed.

That means that a large number Republican congressmen and senators in parts of the country with viable two-party systems are very nervous about their futures. And that will make it increasingly difficult for the president to keep those folks on board as it regards support for the war in Iraq.

Or at least that's how I see it. What's everyone else think?

My complaint about FCATs

I don't normally write about personal experience on this blog. However, I thought it worthwhile to share my family's recent experience with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, also known as FCAT.

First, my lead paragraph: We have a third-grader, Dillon, at Florosa Elementary in Okaloosa County, and I'm happy to report that he passed the FCAT. Dillon's success is largely a result of three things: Dillon has a fantastic teacher named Rosia Cahn; my wife, Mary, has worked religiously with Dillon on his homework; and Dillon has personally worked hard to improve his reading skills.

But the FCAT left us with some negative feelings. I think the state of Florida places far too much emphasis on the FCAT results. This causes schools and teachers to "teach to the test" if only for their own survival. The FCATs also cause an unnecessarily high level of anxiety for parents and children. If a third-grader has bad FCAT test day, it could too greatly impact their academic future, their self-esteem, and the rest of their life. That seems to be to be more pressure than a nine-year-old child needs.

I'm not opposed to standards. But I'm also for balance, and I think FCAT has caused the education system to focus too much on the results of one test.

What do others think about FCAT?

Who won the debates?

Well, the first Democratic and Republican presidential debates are over.

Yawn.

I think most people would agree that there's no effective way to hold a debate that includes 10 candidates at once. Nobody has enough time to make any point stick, or to make clear a position on any issue. The whole thing turns into forgettable sound bytes and hand gestures. Here are the only trends I took away from the first debates:

-- Every Democrat wants voters to know that they're against the war in Iraq.
-- Every Republican wants voters to think they're the next coming of Ronald Reagan.

Still, I suppose every debate has a winner and a loser. Who do you think won the first debates? Guiliani? McCain? Clinton? Obama? Or one of the others?

There's 19 months of politickin' and posturin' to go before the next president is actually elected. The only thing I'm relatively certain of is that a Democrat won't win in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa or Walton counties.

Nationally, though, I would have to give the edge to the Democrats -- unless a Republican comes forward with a legitimate plan to extricate get the U.S. out of Iraq while avoiding a complete humanitarian catastrophe there.

The 46th's unclear future

As Daily News readers know, this newspaper has aggressively covered the 46th Test Wing's future at Eglin Air Force Base. It's a hugely important issue for this community, as thousands of jobs are connected to the 46th.

It was hoped that a just-released RAND report would clarify the 46th's future. The Daily News has so far obtained only a couple pages of the 200-plus page report, but it appears that the report does little to assure this area that the 46th is staying put. We continue to seek the full report. Apparently, two other Air Force reports are also now in the works. Dates for their release haven't been set yet.

When we know more, our readers will know more. Meanwhile, if anyone has any story ideas to suggest related to the 46th Test Wing, you can call me at 863-1111, ext. 400. Or, call reporter Mladen Rudman at the same number, ext. 443.

We fiddle, Iraq burns

Pitiful.

That's how best to describe the political theater that played out in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

The Democrats sent an Iraq funding bill to President George W. Bush with a timeline for a pullout of U.S. troops from the country, knowing full well that Bush would veto it.

Bush did just that, calling the bill "a prescription for chaos and confusion and we must not impose it on our troops."

Now, after weeks of this charade, Bush and the Democrats will try to reach some sort of compromise. What a waste of precious time.

The Democrats should never have sent this bill in the first place. At the same time, Bush must recognize that his policy in Iraq has already been a prescription for chaos and confusion.

At what point will America hold the Iraqi government people accountable for the self-inflicted slaughter that's occurring there and costing American lives in the process? Let's hope it's soon.