Book Review: Tactical Advantage: A Definitive Stufy of Personal Small Arms Tactics

Title: Tactical Advantage: A Definitive Study Of Personal Small-Arms Tactics
Author: Gabriel Suarez
Year: 1998
Type: Non-Fiction
Genre: Police

Review: An easy to read book (w/pics) regarding arms tactics.

Grade: B-

Obama Says Safe Nuclear Power Plants are a Necessary Investment

President Obama today said that safe, new nuclear power plants are a "necessity" as he announced more than $8 billion in federal loan guarantees to build the first nuclear power plant in three decades.

“Investing in nuclear energy remains a necessary step,” the president said today at the IBEW Local Headquarters in Lanham, Maryland, “What I hope is that, with this announcement, we're underscoring both our seriousness in meeting the energy challenge and our willingness to look at this challenge, not as a partisan issue , but as a matter that's far more important than politics because the choices we make will affect not just the next generation but many generations to come.”

Mr. Obama’s announced plans to break ground on two new nuclear reactors at a Southern Company plant in Burke, Georgia – which he said will create thousands of construction jobs in the next year – with 800 permanent, well-paying jobs in years to come.

State: Number of Florida visitors dropped only slightly in 2009

An estimated 80.3 million people visited Florida in 2009, according to preliminary figures, representing a 0.8 percent decline from the year before. It's a sign that visitation has held up "extraordinarily well" in the economic downturn, but Visit Florida said that travelers are spending less.

"The good news is that total visitation was relatively steady and more than 80 million travelers chose Florida as their destination last year," said Will Seccombe, Visit Florida's chief marketing officer. "The challenge is that we have increased competition as a destination and travelers are spending less."

Florida Executes Prisoner

Florida has executed 45-year-old Martin Edward Grossman, who was convicted of killing a state wildlife officer during the 1980s.

Governor Charlie Crist's office said Grossman died at 6:17 p.m. today at Florida State Prison.

He was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Margaret ``Peggy'' Park, a Florida wildlife officer who was shot with her own gun in 1984. Grossman was the 69th person executed in Florida since the death penalty was reinstated here in 1979.

He was the 25th to die by lethal injection, the fifth executed under Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the first in 2010. Park's family traveled from Ohio to witness the execution.

Crist Appoints Art Graham to Vacant Council Seat

Late Friday, Crist appointed former councilman Art Graham to fill the District 13 seat.

Graham held the same seat until he stepped down to run for the late Sen. Jim King's seat in the state senate. John Thrasher won that election. Meserve won the special election to take his place.

Graham's experience is a key reason Crist selected him.

"Art is a knowledgeable entrepreneur and public servant who is well-suited to serve on the Jacksonville City Council," said Crist. "His previous experiences serving the people of Jacksonville will benefit the city, and I am confident he will be a welcome voice on the council."

The 44-year-old was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in 2003. He had previously been a Jacksonville Beach city councilman.

OT Payout Draws Swift Reaction from City of Jacksonville

In the 2009 budget year, the city of Jacksonville paid $31 million in overtime - an increase from the previous year- and city officials are saying that's a problem.

"We would like to cut down on the overtime and we have made a concerted effort to do so," said city councilman Stephen Joost.

Joost chairs the city council's finance committee. "The big area seems to be in corrections," he said.

The councilman, reacting to a First Coast News report Monday on Jacksonville's overtime said the problem needs to be reviewed.

"Last year was a tough year; in some cases we may have cut too many jobs. We replaced 80 positions last year and this year added positions for 44 new corrections officers," said Joost.

The city's Corrections Department and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spent the most in overtime. Other city council members said the problem is spiraling out of control.

"I think it is something we will have to keep our eye on the ball continuously. I know as a small-business owner I cannot afford overtime," said Councilman John Crescimbeni.

Councilman Reginald Brown shared his concern. "I definitely believe we will have to deal with it because it is costing us more money in the long run. We need to tackle the problem right now."

The city has earmarked $22 million for overtime spending in the 2010 budget year, said Poppell.

Mich. Boy, 13, Accused of Point Blank Killing

The murder arrest rate in 2008 was 3.8 arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10 through 17. This was 17 percent more than the 2004 low of 3.3 and three-quarters less than the 1993 peak of 14.4, according the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

In the most comprehensive survey to date, "Children's Exposure to Violence," the U.S. Justice Department suggests that most U.S. children are exposed to violence in their daily lives, with more than 60 percent reporting exposure within the past year.

"These kids have been either abused or seen abuse or they have been exposed to violence somewhere in their life," said psychologist Herbert Nieburg, associate professor of justice and political studies at Mitchell College in New London, Conn. "And some are just angry kids who want to get even."

Floridians protest offshore oil drilling

Thousands of Floridians demonstrated against moves to allow offshore oil drilling on Saturday along the east and west coasts of the state in a protest dubbed "Hands Across the Sand."

Organizer David Rauschkolb said about 80 demonstrations took place at beaches from Pensacola on the northwest coast of Florida to Key West in the south and Jacksonville in the north.

Fla. program diverts troubled kids from court

The $29 million program served about 15,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17 during the 2008-09 fiscal year, with about 6,400 of those spending time in a shelter. Juveniles charged with a crime are not eligible.

About 85 percent of those who spend time at a CINS/FINS shelter - typically two weeks - do not commit a crime within six months of being released, according to the state.

For those with less severe issues who receive nonresidential counseling, usually with their parents, the program's success rate is about 95 percent. There is one caveat - the state only tracks the first six months after the child leaves the program.

Florida TaxWatch, a private, nonpartisan budget watchdog group, says the program saves the state millions by keeping the teens out of the court system and prison.

The state contracts with the nonprofit, Tallahassee-based Florida Network of Youth and Family Services to run the program. It subcontracts with 31 public and private community organizations and 28 shelters for counseling and residential services.

Key Vote: Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act

Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act

- Vote Passed (233-187, 14 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would raise the federal debt limit to $13.029 trillion and enact pay-as-you-go budget enforcement rules aimed at cutting the government's deficit. It now goes to the president for his signature.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw voted NO......send e-mail

or see bio

Key Vote: Confirm Labor Solicitor

M. Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor

- Vote Confirmed (60-37, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed Patricia Smith to be the Labor Department's solicitor, despite concerns that she gave contradictory statements during her confirmation hearing.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES......send e-mail

or see bio

Sen. George LeMieux voted NO......send e-mail

or see bio

Key Vote: Castle Nugent National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2010

Castle Nugent National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2010

- Vote Passed (240-175, 18 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would establish the Castle Nugent national historic site in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and authorize the Interior Department to purchase land for the site with appropriated funds. It now goes to the Senate.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw voted Not Voting......send e-mail

or see bio

Key Vote: Confirming Bernanke

Confirmation of Ben S. Bernanke to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

- Vote Confirmed (70-30)

The Senate confirmed Ben Bernanke for a second four year term as the Fed Chairman.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES......send e-mail

or see bio

Sen. George LeMieux voted NO......send e-mail

or see bio

Key Vote: Raise the debt ceiling

Debt Limit Extension

- Vote Agreed to (60-39, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this resolution that would raise the federal debt limit to $13.029 trillion. It now goes to the House for approval.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES......send e-mail

or see bio

Sen. George LeMieux voted NO......send e-mail

or see bio

Watchdog: Florida Politicos Better, But Still Fly On Your Dime

Fewer politicians are flying on your dime in Florida. Charges for flights on state planes have dropped 63 percent over two years.

In 2007, nearly $1.1 million was spent, compared to $407,420 in 2009.

Governor Charlie Crist, who is running for U.S. Senate, spent almost twice as much time on the planes his first year in office than his third.

Flights charged to the senate were down 99 percent last year compared to 2007.

Crist Touts State's Adoption Record

In 2009, there were a record 3,777 adoptions statewide, breaking the previous record set the year before.

At the same time, Florida's foster care system is responsible for a third fewer children than just two years ago, totaling 19,797 as of July.

"Across Florida, communities are getting involved in raising awareness about adoption and helping children in foster care find their forever families," said Gov. Charlie Crist. "We must continue to maintain Florida's successful adoption track-record so that wonderful foster children in state care can find permanent and loving adoptive families."

In May, 2008, Crist launched "Explore Adoption," a statewide initiative to find families for Florida's kids.

Jacksonville Symposium: Dropout Rate High Amongst Black Males

The research shows dropouts from the class of 2008 represented a $1.2 billion-dollar loss to Northeast Florida's economy over the course of their lifetime.

Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist clash on who should be counted in Census

U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio backtracked Thursday from his statement that the U.S. Census should count only ``legal American citizens,'' temporarily shifting his surging campaign into damage control.

Rubio still favors excluding illegal immigrants from the formulas that dole out $400 billion in federal aid and seats in Congress. His position puts him at odds with his campaign opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, and many other elected officials who say leaving out illegal immigrants would keep the state from getting its fair share.

``It would be pretty damaging to Florida,'' Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said at a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday promoting a thorough count. ``The reality is, whether you like it or not, there are undocumented, illegal people in the state. Pretending they're not there, not counting them, doesn't make them go away.''

Mayor, Council President Launch Budget Talks

Hoping to teach Jacksonville taxpayers more about how the city's billion dollar spending plan is crafted, Mayor John Peyton and City Council President Richard Clark have scheduled a series of town hall style budget workshops and launched a new website aimed at lifting the veil of uncertainty from the city budget.

"We need this conversation, we need this platform for early discussions," Peyton said at the launch of MyJaxBudget.com.

The Mayor predicts a $40-60 million budget shortfall when he presents a billion dollar spending plan to City Council in mid-July.

In addition to the website, educating taxpayers on how the city collects revenue and where that money goes, Peyton and Clark have scheduled a series of budget workshops, an attempt to help taxpayers understand city departments, functions and current budget priorities.

"From these workshops, we will publish reports on what the conclusions were from the individual workshop tables," Peyton said, when asked how these community meetings will help him shape a budget. "They will provide a ranking of what functions they think are critical and which ones are not. I think it gives us good input."

A total of six budget workshops are scheduled, each limited to just 88 participants.

Gov: Fla. to be reimbursed for Haiti victim costs

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Monday the federal government has agreed to reimburse the state for treating victims of Haiti's earthquake.

The governor also said he never requested emergency medical evacuations be halted, only that the state receive help in responding to them. The flights were suspended for several days last week but restarted Sunday after the White House said it was told hospitals in Florida and elsewhere have enough space for the victims. One such flight was expected to arrive in Florida Monday night.

"Florida never said we wanted to stop taking Haitians. All we said was that we would appreciate help continuing to help our friends from the island," the governor said. "And that's exactly what has happened."

The governor said he did not know what triggered the suspension of military medical evacuation flights.

Crist told reporters, aid volunteers and staff at Miami International Airport Monday that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told him the department has designated the state for National Medical Disaster System assistance. That will cover the estimated $25 million the state expects to spend on the repatriation and medical care of Haitian-Americans and other earthquake victims in critical condition.

Hansell said so far more than 20,000 U.S. citizens have been repatriated, with nearly all landing in Florida.