Tuesday, November 14, 2006


Joe Little to Defend Charlie (Again)
Following The Grapski Case

I found this on youtube.com and I think it's a great resource for many of you that are interested in learning more about what's going on with our good friend Charlie Grapski. Charlie has been charged with felony-wiretapping but according to earlier information, the State offered to drop all charges in exchange for Charlie to drop charges against Alachua City Manager Clovis Watson. Charlie chose to stand his ground and will face charges. Whatever you may think of Charlie, he is clearly GDI #1.



Cingular Bill

After an interesting flurry of posts, emails, and comments I'm happy to say that some accountability has been had. While I'm one quick to criticize the Independent Florida Alligator, I openly admit they are my #1 resource in following Student Government. Because the paper (under various editors from Mike Gimignani to Stepanie Garry & others) have chosen to stop printing my letters and never once published a single op-ed, The Radikal came into being. In a very real-way, TR is almost like an Op-Ed machine of sorts. This having been said, I argue based on the information available to the average student because as an independent it's my goal to bring the average student into the elite of SG, that was always my dream and it was the vision (even if not ultimately carried out) of the Access Party of Spring/Summer 2004.

The Cingular Bill should not be cast aside. Sen. Brett offered me a 2-3 page response and I am actively awaiting that reply. I am not satisfied with the response(s) given to me by Sen. Gavin Baker. Sen. Loh wrote a bill on behalf of student interests and cited student facebook groups, groups where members appear with full names, photos, class years, and majors. There is no better way to gauge student-interest than Facebook. Sen. Baker's clipboard idea is ridiculous and probaby just a way to steal Sen. Loh's spotlight. Someone should walk up to his clipboard, pick it up, walk over to the trash can, and toss it.

The only major problem I've heard from most senators is the writing-quality of the bill, but only a few have cited problems with the actual intent of the bill. As printed in the Alligator, Sen. Brett stressed that [if] Cingular was a nuissance to some students, it was not a nuissance to Student Government. In comments left on this blog, Sen. Baker asserted that SG used Cingular to operate its blackberry units and in my opinion, suggested that disrupting Cingular services could in fact disrupt SG.

The article in the Alligator makes Loh's bill seem irrelevant to SG, Baker's comments seem to make Cingular very relevant, and Brett's delay over providing me with a formal (& extensive) explanation email, suggests to me, that there is something here.

Let me stress this, let me write in stone. My efforts here today are not aimed at getting a bill passed or shunning members of senate. My efforts are aimed at true Senate-Reform. If and when student senators actually start monitoring facebook and other legitimate avenues of student participation (legitimate as in real, not as in symbolic like SBP John Boyles latest spam'esque survey), then bill-writing will take on a new, almost new-frontier'esque dynamic. When senate bills become more relevant to real student interests, then Public Debate will be extensive, public opinion will change, and even the Alligator may find itself forced to embrace the new SG.

As it stands right now, it's very difficult to refute Dan Burroughs' column in the face of the actions taken against the Cingular Bill last week and bills like it in the future. Please don't forget whom you're representing in those chambers.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Word is Becca Guerra and Bruce Haupt went up for tapping and scored very well. What will you think of an FBK that boasts Guerra, Haupt, Moritz, Ngin, Sowell and Samuels as members? Are they all "homos" as you so eloquently put it on your blog a few weeks ago? Maybe you should go up Christian. I hear if Hoffman tries again he'll have a real chance.

Anonymous said...

I vote for Fei Long (Peace Be With Him)

Christian Duque said...

When I said if you 'join FBK you're a homo,' I was obviously joking. However, this is a complex issue you've presented me with.

When I rushed DU briefly in 2003, there was a guy there that I thought was the coolest thing since sliced bread (Pedro Allende), little did I know that later down the road we'd be on opposing fronts. There are literally dozens of great people I know in FBK and of all ages. I care about them and respect them.

However, what I do not generally appreciate, are people that 'made it' in the Independent movement and at the end of the day used those hard-fought-victories in the name of the Average student as leverage to join an organization that is about everything except empowering the AVERAGE student.

Sad news, but hey, life goes on.

Anonymous said...

NEW FBK Officers! Andy Comiter is the president and Suezette Maylor is vice-president.

Anonymous said...

Yes I heard that Becca and Bruce went up. Although I prefer that they not get in, oh well... I'll just vote against them during tapping and see how things go from there. Is Dennis FBK?

Anonymous said...

How does scoring work? I understand MAJORS, MAJOR-MINORS, and MINORS but is there a numerical point value assigned to those three things? Is there a points cut-off to be placed on recommended list?

Anonymous said...

If they really want to get in, they need to lobby for themselves. Tapping is a tough process. If they score high enough, then they have a better chance. But the question remains, have they burned bridges with members based on their campaigns, or have they earned respect?

Anonymous said...

It's been quite awhile. What does the tapping process consist of nowadays for anyone still involved in the FBK process?

Anonymous said...

FBK announces that they are taking applications (resumes) for membership. People usually trk to the FBK office to pick up the sample resume for the year. In the past they have used Nikki Fried's and most recently Joyce Medina's resumes. You must follow the model given exactly and turn it back in to Sharon, the office secretary with your application fee ($40). You sign up for an interview, where they ask you questions about the leadership positions you've held if they need further clarification to score you.
Then there is the pre-tapping social, where you mingle with active members in hopes that they remember you during the selection meeting.

Anonymous said...

Who are the other people who scored well for tapping?