Tallahassee Democrat
1
www.TALLAHASSEE.com Tallahassee Democrat •Thursday, April 2, 2009/11A Local Conversation Readers’ opinions stated succinctly Zing! wishes for a super contract CONTACT US Mary Ann Lindley, Editorial Page Editor: 599-2178, [email protected] n $31 million for John Calipari, $42 million for Chipper Jones — where’s the outrage? Oh, that’s right, they’re ath- letes not businessmen. n The Detroit Tigers cut Gary Sheffield and he walks away with $14 mil- lion. Wonder if the feds will void that contract and spread the money around to the needy. n $23 million retirement for GMs’ Rick Wagoner? That’s more than Porter Wagoner earned during his entire career! n There must be some confusion about the name “Indian Head Acres”; it is not the Indianapolis Speedway. n Thanks to TPD for working the Magnolia Drive/Park Avenue area recently. Please come back soon for another profitable day. n Why not transfer the sheriff and leave the FHP guys alone? n Can’t wait for the gridlock going to and returning from FSU home games once Gaines Street is no longer an option. n When is this rain going to stop? My chocolate lab will not go outside because he thinks he will melt. n The Wicked Witch of the West isn’t too thrilled, either. Write P .O. Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32301, or e-mail zing@ tallahassee.com. And you can add your comments to Zing! at Tallahassee.com. KEEP TALKING n Go to Tallahassee. com to comment on Bob Gabordi’s blog and keep the conversation going. Featured Blog A bout 9:30 Tuesday night, a message popped into my Facebook inbox telling me when and how my grandfather died. “He was walking along Lan- dis Avenue, and a car hit him. The man in the car was arrested, and he told police that a light from another car blinded his vision momentarily, and he heard a noise, and stopped, and went back and saw your grandfa- ther on the street. He was rushed to the hos- pital, but he had a skull fracture.” The date was Dec. 26, 1930, in Vineland, N.J. He and his 16-year-old bride had a 6-month-old baby boy at home, my father. I’ve learned a lot about my family’s his- tory since writing a blog about the mysterious death of my grandfa- ther. There were sev- eral family versions of his death, and none of us had ever found his grave. The message I got last night was from a Face- book friend. Her moth- er-in-law and I share a distant relative, a great aunt. My friend works for the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society. She was able to find a newspaper story about my grandfather’s death. My friend ended her e-mail with this: “I’m sorry you never got to meet him. :(” I’m sorry, too. We’ve still not found his grave, and we’ll Big news in search for grandfather Bob Gabordi Executive Editor F lorida has a chance to lead, but not today. In 2008, the Florida Legislature directed the Florida Public Service Com- mission (PSC) to develop rules for a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) for passage during the 2009 legislative ses- sion. An RPS is a policy that requires power generated by Florida’s investor-owned utili- ties to include a certain amount of renewable energy resources by a certain date. The PSC has asked that 20 percent of all elec- tric generation be from renew- able energy resources by 2020. This standard allows us to use our abundant sun and robust agricultural industry to create energy. Simply establishing an RPS will make Florida the leader in the Southeast, which is not on the map when it comes to a reliable renewable energy policy. A vibrant renewable energy industry — and a green jobs revolution — are, without excep- tion, already under way in the 29 states that have adopted a mantatory RPS. Meeting energy needs with native renewables instead of conventional fuels from out of state keeps jobs and dollars in state and strengthens Florida’s economy. The Legislature may very well pass up this opportunity in lieu of a policy that replaces the phrase “renewable energy” with “clean energy.” Tuesday, the Sen- ate Communications and Public Utilities Committee passed SB 1154, which does just that. While this bill moves us forward, developing a public benefits fund to be collected from a gas tax and possible federal stimulus dollars, the onerous and glaring portion of the bill is the allow- ing of nuclear to intrude upon renewable energy. While such a proposal may seem inconsequen- tial, it has serious implications for Florida’s green energy future. Instead of an RPS that increases the development and production of renewable energy technolo- gies, the term “clean” displaces them with nuclear power. To be perfectly clear, a “Clean” Energy Portfolio Standard is one that is geared toward bolstering nuclear energy production in the place of renewable energy production in Florida. In juxtaposition, Florida’s executive leaders support the development and production of natural, renewable energy resources. Gov. Charlie Crist has stood shoulder to shoulder with Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg- ger of California to push poli- cies to establish Florida as the Southeastern leader in renew- able energy. Agriculture Com- missioner Charlie Bronson was one of the first to sign up for the 25x25 Campaign — a national campaign to have 25 percent of our energy produced from natu- ral renewable resources by the year 2025. Both gentlemen have walked the talk. Gov. Crist and Commissioner Bronson provided leadership by bringing hundreds of renewable energy entrepre- neurs to Florida through the annual Climate Change Summit Don’t lose chance to be a leader in renewables Michael Dobson My View JOHN DARKOW / Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri D uring the 36 days of courtroom drama and street theater after the 2000 presidential election, somebody took a huge aerial photograph of the mob scene between the Capitol and the Florida Supreme Court, showing the giant TV trucks and satellite dishes lining Duval Street. Somebody else Photo- shopped the picture so that the network trucks were labelled “Maybel- line” and “Max Factor” and “Revlon,” e-mailing it around town as a shot of Secretary of State Katherine Harris’ weekly makeup delivery. But the camera really doesn’t lie, unless we make it. This month, there will be a special exhibit in the rotunda of our Supreme Court, marking the 30th anniversary of its decision that permit- ted all that live coverage of Tallahassee’s moment on the world stage. It’s hard to imagine, now, that having cameras in courtrooms was con- troversial. Opening the daily dealings of the judi- ciary to public viewing has been a big success. But there was good reason for skepticism at the time. The press has periodically disgraced itself in big trials, from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping to Dr. Sam Sheppard to O.J. Simp- son. We will piously invoke the First Amend- ment’s guarantee of press freedom, as if it trumps the Sixth Amend- ment’s assurance that the accused will have an impartial jury. Probably not many wrongly convicted inmates sit around their cells, thinking, “Well, I was railroaded by press hysteria, but at least the public’s right to know was protected.” The equipment used to be big and loudly intrusive, not to men- tion the people operat- ing it. In the Lindbergh case, before television, a camera was a single-shot Speed Graphic with flash bulbs that sometimes exploded. Broadcast- ing was a dozen radio guys one-upping each other with breathless accounts of the evidence and shouting questions to witnesses, whether the jury was within earshot or not. About the same time Florida acted, I was on an advisory committee to the Georgia Supreme Court on cameras and, despite my open-every- thing prejudice, it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. By then, photographers could compensate for not using a flash, but a motor-driven Nikon (the preferred 35 mm camera at most newspapers) sounded like an adding machine, whirring and clicking. Now, it’s digital and almost soundless. The Supreme Court has video cameras, fore and aft, that are remotely con- trolled for an impartial online feed. Dugout- level still photography is allowed, without flash. One time, a rather new editor asked me to get some reaction com- ments from justices after a big oral argument. I explained that, unlike the other two branches of government, they don’t do interviews. And that’s important because, even with cameras present, the judges are in control of decorum. There was some fear that attorneys, witnesses and judges might mug for the cameras. That hasn’t happened. There are ambush interviews on the steps and side- walk shots of witnesses walking away, but those were common long before cameras got inside. Judges can protect vic- tims, especially children, or shut off the cameras for a good, common-sense cause. When necessary, a “speedy public trial” can be had with report- ers carrying just pens and notebooks, without impairing the public’s right to know. But while the fear that cameras would cause unseemly court- room antics has proved groundless, so has the hope that they would improve public under- standing of the judiciary. You can probably learn more about the courts from watching “Law and Order” but, if TV and movies are as accurate about the legal system as they are about news- rooms, that’s probably an unreliable source of knowledge. It’s not the courts’ fault. It’s the media’s fault. The courts opened themselves, and the mass media cut and spliced the informa- tion into clips for cable TV shows with titles containing the words “most shocking” or “most amazing.” You can watch trials on Tru-TV (used to be Court TV) dur- ing the day, but most of prime time seems to be filled with tapes of police chases, jailhouse fights and — when they get to court — occasional violent disruptions, with crying victims shouting at defendants or people leaping the rail to punch somebody. “The Florida state courts showed remark- able wisdom, foresight and courage 30 years ago by breaking away from the conventional thinking that had barred cameras from courtrooms across the country for more than four decades,” Chief Justice Peggy Quince said in issuing a proclamation marking the 30th anniversary. Unfortunately, the federal courts are still camera shy. You can’t even bring in a little digi- tal audio recorder. With most state courts operat- ing in the Internet age, it would be nice if their federal overseers could at least get into the late ’70s. n Contact Bill Cotterell at (850) 671-6545 or bcotterell@ tallahassee.com. We (mostly) celebrate 30 years of cameras in court While the fear that cameras would cause unseemly courtroom antics has proved groundless, so has the hope that they would improve public understanding of the judicial branch. Bill Cotterell Capitol Curmudgeon Each day, look for an excerpt from Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ the book chosen for Leon County’s com- munity read. Big Read “Do you ever read any of the books you burn?” He laughed. “That’s against the law!” “Oh. Of course.” Check out the Big Read blog at Tallahassee.com/ BigRead. ABOUT THE AUTHOR n Michael Dobson is president and CEO of the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association, which is based in Tallahassee. Contact him at michael@mail. floridaenergyproducers.com. Please see GABORDI, 14A Please see DOBSON, 14A
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Tallahassee Democrat (April 1, 2009)
Transcript of Tallahassee Democrat
www.TALLAHASSEE.com Tallahassee Democrat •Thursday, April 2, 2009/11A
Local ConversationReaders’ opinions stated succinctly
Zing! wishes for a super contract
CONTACT USMary Ann Lindley, Editorial Page Editor: 599-2178, [email protected]
n $31 million for John Calipari, $42 million for Chipper Jones — where’s the outrage? Oh, that’s right, they’re ath-letes not businessmen.
n The Detroit Tigers cut Gary Sheffield and he walks away with $14 mil-lion. Wonder if the feds will void that contract and spread the money around to the needy.
n $23 million retirement for GMs’ Rick Wagoner? That’s more than Porter Wagoner earned during his entire career!
n There must be some confusion about the name “Indian Head Acres”; it is not the Indianapolis Speedway.
n Thanks to TPD for working the Magnolia Drive/Park Avenue area recently. Please come back soon for another profitable day.
n Why not transfer the sheriff and leave the FHP guys alone?
n Can’t wait for the gridlock going to and returning from FSU home games once Gaines Street is no longer an option.
n When is this rain going to stop? My chocolate lab will not go outside because he thinks he will melt.
n The Wicked Witch of the West isn’t too thrilled, either.
Write P.O. Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32301, or e-mail zing@
tallahassee.com. And you can add your comments to Zing! at
Tallahassee.com.
kEEP TALkiNg
n Go to Tallahassee.com to comment on Bob Gabordi’s blog and keep the conversation going.
Featured Blog
About 9:30 Tuesday night, a message popped into my
Facebook inbox telling me when and how my grandfather died.
“He was walking along Lan-dis Avenue, and a car hit him. The man in the car was arrested, and he told police that a light from another car blinded his vision momentarily, and he heard a noise, and stopped, and went back and saw your grandfa-ther on the street. He was rushed to the hos-pital, but he had a skull fracture.”
The date was Dec. 26, 1930, in Vineland, N.J. He and his 16-year-old bride had a 6-month-old baby boy at home, my father.
I’ve learned a lot about my family’s his-tory since writing a blog about the mysterious death of my grandfa-ther. There were sev-eral family versions of his death, and none of us had ever found his grave.
The message I got last night was from a Face-book friend. Her moth-er-in-law and I share a distant relative, a great aunt.
My friend works for the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society. She was able to find a newspaper story about my grandfather’s death.
My friend ended her e-mail with this:
“I’m sorry you never got to meet him. :(”
I’m sorry, too.We’ve still not found
his grave, and we’ll
Big news in search for grandfather
Bob gabordiExecutive Editor
Florida has a chance to lead, but not today.
In 2008, the Florida Legislature directed the Florida Public Service Com-mission (PSC) to develop rules for a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) for passage during the 2009 legislative ses-sion. An RPS is a policy that requires power generated by Florida’s investor-owned utili-ties to include a certain amount of renewable energy resources by a certain date. The PSC has asked that 20 percent of all elec-tric generation be from renew-able energy resources by 2020. This standard allows us to use our abundant sun and robust agricultural industry to create energy.
Simply establishing an RPS will make Florida the leader in the Southeast, which is not on the map when it comes to a reliable renewable energy policy. A vibrant renewable energy industry — and a green jobs revolution — are, without excep-tion, already under way in the 29 states that have adopted a
mantatory RPS. Meeting energy needs with native renewables instead of conventional fuels from out of state keeps jobs and dollars in state and strengthens Florida’s economy.
The Legislature may very well pass up this opportunity in lieu of a policy that replaces the phrase “renewable energy” with “clean energy.” Tuesday, the Sen-ate Communications and Public Utilities Committee passed SB 1154, which does just that. While this bill moves us forward, developing a public benefits fund to be collected from a gas tax and possible federal stimulus dollars, the onerous and glaring portion of the bill is the allow-ing of nuclear to intrude upon renewable energy. While such a proposal may seem inconsequen-tial, it has serious implications for Florida’s green energy future. Instead of an RPS that increases
the development and production of renewable energy technolo-gies, the term “clean” displaces them with nuclear power. To be perfectly clear, a “Clean” Energy Portfolio Standard is one that is geared toward bolstering nuclear energy production in the place of renewable energy production in Florida.
In juxtaposition, Florida’s executive leaders support the development and production of natural, renewable energy resources. Gov. Charlie Crist has stood shoulder to shoulder with Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg-ger of California to push poli-cies to establish Florida as the Southeastern leader in renew-able energy. Agriculture Com-missioner Charlie Bronson was one of the first to sign up for the 25x25 Campaign — a national campaign to have 25 percent of our energy produced from natu-ral renewable resources by the year 2025. Both gentlemen have walked the talk. Gov. Crist and Commissioner Bronson provided leadership by bringing hundreds of renewable energy entrepre-neurs to Florida through the annual Climate Change Summit
Don’t lose chance to bea leader in renewables
Michael DobsonMy View
John Darkow / Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri
During the 36 days of courtroom drama and street
theater after the 2000 presidential election, somebody took a huge aerial photograph of the mob scene between the Capitol and the Florida Supreme Court, showing the giant TV trucks and satellite dishes lining Duval Street.
Somebody else Photo-shopped the picture so that the network trucks were labelled “Maybel-line” and “Max Factor” and “Revlon,” e-mailing it around town as a shot of Secretary of State Katherine Harris’ weekly makeup delivery. But the camera really doesn’t lie, unless we make it.
This month, there will be a special exhibit in the rotunda of our Supreme Court, marking the 30th anniversary of its decision that permit-ted all that live coverage of Tallahassee’s moment on the world stage. It’s
hard to imagine, now, that having cameras in courtrooms was con-troversial. Opening the daily dealings of the judi-ciary to public viewing has been a big success.
But there was good reason for skepticism at the time. The press has periodically disgraced itself in big trials, from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping to Dr. Sam Sheppard to O.J. Simp-son. We will piously invoke the First Amend-ment’s guarantee of press freedom, as if it trumps the Sixth Amend-ment’s assurance that the accused will have an impartial jury.
Probably not many wrongly convicted inmates sit around their cells, thinking, “Well, I was railroaded by press hysteria, but at least the public’s right to know was protected.”
The equipment used to be big and loudly intrusive, not to men-tion the people operat-ing it. In the Lindbergh case, before television, a camera was a single-shot Speed Graphic with flash bulbs that sometimes
exploded. Broadcast-ing was a dozen radio guys one-upping each other with breathless accounts of the evidence and shouting questions to witnesses, whether the jury was within earshot or not.
About the same time Florida acted, I was on an advisory committee to the Georgia Supreme Court on cameras and, despite my open-every-thing prejudice, it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. By then, photographers could compensate for not using a flash, but a motor-driven Nikon (the preferred 35 mm camera at most newspapers) sounded like an adding machine, whirring and clicking.
Now, it’s digital and almost soundless. The Supreme Court has video cameras, fore and aft,
that are remotely con-trolled for an impartial online feed. Dugout-level still photography is allowed, without flash.
One time, a rather new editor asked me to get some reaction com-ments from justices after a big oral argument. I explained that, unlike the other two branches of government, they don’t do interviews. And that’s important because, even with cameras present, the judges are in control of decorum.
There was some fear that attorneys, witnesses and judges might mug for the cameras. That hasn’t happened. There are ambush interviews on the steps and side-walk shots of witnesses walking away, but those were common long before cameras got inside.
Judges can protect vic-
tims, especially children, or shut off the cameras for a good, common-sense cause. When necessary, a “speedy public trial” can be had with report-ers carrying just pens and notebooks, without impairing the public’s right to know.
But while the fear that cameras would cause unseemly court-room antics has proved groundless, so has the hope that they would improve public under-standing of the judiciary. You can probably learn more about the courts from watching “Law and Order” but, if TV and movies are as accurate about the legal system as they are about news-rooms, that’s probably an unreliable source of knowledge.
It’s not the courts’ fault. It’s the media’s fault. The courts opened themselves, and the mass media cut and spliced the informa-tion into clips for cable TV shows with titles containing the words “most shocking” or “most amazing.” You can watch trials on Tru-TV (used
to be Court TV) dur-ing the day, but most of prime time seems to be filled with tapes of police chases, jailhouse fights and — when they get to court — occasional violent disruptions, with crying victims shouting at defendants or people leaping the rail to punch somebody.
“The Florida state courts showed remark-able wisdom, foresight and courage 30 years ago by breaking away from the conventional thinking that had barred cameras from courtrooms across the country for more than four decades,” Chief Justice Peggy Quince said in issuing a proclamation marking the 30th anniversary.
Unfortunately, the federal courts are still camera shy. You can’t even bring in a little digi-tal audio recorder. With most state courts operat-ing in the Internet age, it would be nice if their federal overseers could at least get into the late ’70s.
n Contact Bill Cotterell at (850) 671-6545 or bcotterell@
tallahassee.com.
We (mostly) celebrate 30 years of cameras in courtWhile the fear that cameras would cause unseemly courtroom antics has proved
groundless, so has the hope that they would improve public understanding of the judicial
branch.
Bill CotterellCapitol Curmudgeon
Each day, look for an excerpt from Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ the book chosen for Leon County’s com-munity read.
Big Read
“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?” He laughed. “That’s against the law!” “Oh. Of course.”
Check out the Big Read blog at Tallahassee.com/BigRead.
ABOUT THE AUTHORn Michael Dobson is president
and CEO of the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association, which is based in Tallahassee. Contact him at [email protected].
Please see gABORDi, 14APlease see DOBSON, 14A
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