The Radikal

Gaddafi Murdered by NTC Thugs

2011-10-21T11:08:00.003-04:00

Congratulations Progress!

2011-02-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

Huge congratulations to the hardworking GDI's of the Progress Party. You won 11 seats, maybe/probably more! This iis so huge and you should be feeling like true champions. Also congratulations to Mr. Reynolds - the first Asian Student Body Treasurer .. oh no wait.... that was Dennis Ngin (for that post you actually get directly voted for), Mr. Reynolds got the ages old veep spot where the Machine places members of minority communities to guarantee every vote will be of benefit to their (real) candidate (the SBP).

Also...who can forget Mike Bowen slandering me in a Senate meeting six years ago -- and the Alligator giving him the forum to further his cause of screaming to the heavens that the Voice Party did not represent graduate interests.

TODAY... seeing Progress take 9 of 10 grad seats -- makes me totally ecstatic. You have won an entire voter bloc, but instead of moving to the next one... ensure to represent them (as you would all students) aggressively.

The residents of the IFC/PC houses are forced to vote, they are intimidated, and many are pledges being hazed daily, where voting and handing over a sticker's proof is an easy day. They (the Machine) have been fighting online voting since day 1 --- then there will be intimidation and there will be no proof - voter boards will be done away with and people that vote (that actually want to vote) will cast their ballots w/ some privacy.

In a fair election -- one side does not win all but four races in over a century. This "indepndent" newspaper (apparently) couldn't see. Regimes - where a select few rule over the masses - have been crushed in Egypt, Tunisia, and are now being confronted in Bahrain and elsewhere...but alas ... the little dictators at UF-SG continue winning election after election .... corralling fresh new recruits each term, for a variety of purposes -- one of which includes mass voting for parties they don't know about, candidates they can't count on, and a system they have even less influence over than the GDI's with their 11 seats.

The people whose voices REALLY don't count... are the residents of those house. When I went to Vice President Kate Honey and asked to get involved (as a 2x Ignite House Leader), I was ignored for over three weeks. My applications went nowhere, my calls never returned, and my suggestions never addressed. I was the person that got her elected and delivered dozens of votes, but I wasn't from ATO or Sig Ep, I was from Fiji.

The point is ... congratulations to the Progress Party -- they are the real winners in this election. The Unite Party, the Alligator, and others ... you are responsible for allowing the machine yet again to dominate a democratic institution through strong-arm tactics and downright cheap campaigning. The good ole boy system just keeps on goin.

When shall we start the 4 interviews? GDI calendars don't end with the election --- that's only when the crooks stop working. I'd like to start with Dave if possible -- ending with Justin.

There will be more posts...

2011-02-23T18:52:00.012-05:00

but rest assured that true GDI parties, like worker parties throughout the world, do not begin w/ slating and go on vacation after elections are decided. If anything, every vote that has been earned through your noble efforts on the campaign trail, should re-invogorate you to resist the Machine through conitnued advocacy and legal-but-cripping defiance. Senators -- BRING GUESTS -- leaders and key members of the very organizations that voted you in. Make the others listen, and make them publicly silence voices of dissent.

Filibuster their meetings till they drop from exhaustion, one by one. And believe you me -- they cave real quick. Anytime you see people going for smokes or out to chat w/ their lackeys, call quoroum! File formal amendments and stall every presidential appointment you can, until the full senate has satisfactorily questioned each candidate. This after all is a key responsibility you owe to your constiuents."

The votes and new supporters you've earned over the course of the last two days, will give you even more reach into a campus that ideologically supports you. GDI's cannot look to the Alligator to be the voice of the students, much like liberals can't find a single radio station on the AM Dial. This is why liberals have been working for years on their own radio station in north central florida. In my days, it seemed to be nearly complete (through the CMC & Jack Donovan).

After the travesty of endorsing Unite! and their basis for coming to that conclusion -- GDI's should now include creating their own student paper. Certainly not a publication that sells ad-space and/or spends tons of money on color photos or fancy-font-headings, but a DIY, limited run, e-zine type of publication. It could be weekly, bi-weekly, it could be monthly, or it could come out once a semester. The focus of this paper would be to mirror the efforts we used to have such events like Radical Rush. Don't throw these copies out like it's virtually free to produce them. Talk to the students, talk to them again, and if they ask you (and they will), almost like entrust them w/ an issue. You're not being encourgaed to enter into the newspaper business, you're being asked to further the Movement.

Ask Grapksi to give you some suggestions from time to time; he is the Father of the Modern Independent movement at UF

There are no limits to how hard you can rally popular support against the century-plus FBK/Greek dominance over Student Government. You are doing a great service for the institution by fielding candidates and engaging in the democractic process, but if you can fill the streets with protesters, gather thousands of signatures on petitions, influence the arts and gain the support of creative people, and if you can win over rebels in the houses and slowly but surely Unite! (like the British/Irish trade union, not the System party you are currently facing)-- then what the fuck is 282 worth? What's a few air-conditioned offices with immaculate suits and daily, nauseating pleantries from people that wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire in the real world?

You're GDI's, you're not office bureaucrats. Your only goal in getting to the 3rd floor is to bring it down to the ground floor. You don't want to rule over the student body, you want to co-rule w/ them. Go to Orange & Brew -- or whatever it's called, boohoo, clap your hands, maybe walk over to the Unite crowd and discretely rip one and turn to their most popular candidate and be like "that was just not cool, I mean don't you have any manners? I mean farting in the middle of a group of people? (J/k don't do that...but would be funny).

Student Government is about the students. Slate, run, go to Orange & Blue, win or "lose," but you're a GDI (not an independent, you're a GDI) and you're work never ends.

Alligator Proves It's a System Rag

2011-02-21T00:21:00.002-05:00

"Although we love the underdog mentality and the activist bent the Progress Party espouses itself to, the Editorial Board has decided to endorse the Unite Party in the election. It was a choice between our belief that a party could accomplish all items presented in its platform and the knowledge that they — both the party and the candidates themselves — have a proven record of doing so."

Source

With students and workers taking to the streets, facing off tanks and gunfire for democracy --- you would think The Alligator would actually reward a student SG party that also had an "activist bent," but t his second-rate off-campus rag is incapable of actually putting their money where their mouth is.

What does Unite represent? When's the last time a UF Student Party has had a stance on anything beyond the boundaries of the university? I want the names of every member of the Alligator board. I want those names in the comment section. Let's see who these people are -- and where their loyalties lie.

How can they say they appreciate the activism and then endorse Unite?

It's Good Seeing Progress in 2011

2011-02-18T22:49:00.020-05:00

It was undeniable to many by the famous (or infamous, depending on your political position) 12/11 Meeting that the Independent movmement had reached a point where the last remnants of the Access/Unite project were being forced out. The days of Samuels' theory of blending independents with the mainstream were coming to an end. Independents, once again, wanted to be different. It wasn't about being different in an Iron Fist or Pants (1st term era) kinda way, either - it was a lot deeper than that.

A mainstream independent party (the likes of O&B, Action, Unite, and Access [Fall 2004]) would never dare openly challenge the UF President, aggressively put UPD in check, back migrant workers, SDS, human rights, or the struggles for democracy and dignity of oppressed men and women, worldwide.

I still remember being only one of two senators to vote against UF-SG support of our military operations overseas. My fellow colleague was Sen. Becca Guerra, who would later become an established name with the other side.

I still think in terms of FBK-backed Greeks and Independents when it comes to UF - nothing's changed and nothing will. Some will say they're not of any particular side -- that they're liked by all -- but that's largely a crock of shit. If you're liked by all - drink w/ all, party w/ all, break bread w/all, but it when comes down to slating, tabling, and voting -- all bets are off. Indies with indies and FBK-backed tools with the like. When someone backstabs them (the Maj.) -- they're written off. They get even, we forgive. If you get betrayed, don't take it personally -- take it partisanly. They didn't betray you - they betrayed all the students whose interests you represent. It's a far greater slight than taking it personally. STOP making the Minority the safehaven for Judases and opportunists. If they betray The Movement, they shouldn't be let back in.

Progress was always much more than SG, just like the Voice core of Access took on great things - from a Human Rights Rally to my good friend Peter Gruskin being illegally fired from his position, with hundreds of pages redacted in black, in a conspiracy that may very well have gone up as high as the Dean of Students Office. We weren't your Unite/Action people, we were your Student Alliance '03 and Progress kinda people.

Christian Duque is your Progress kinda Indie, Ken Kerns is prolly closer to the middle, and James Argento is the middle (but secretly pulls liberal towards Kerns). Charlie Grapski is our maker.

Progress has amplified what we tried doing with Voice -- or let's get real -- what I tried doing w/ VP. By Fall 2005, Voice had been registered three terms straight and was the oldest SG party in existence -- but Voice was largely Christian Duque -- I held all the power and nothing was ever done w/o my stamp of approval.

Progress is a real party, with many great members, and everyone has a vested interest - a key role to play. For a brief moment, Access, Spring '04 felt like a revolution. It didn't matter if we won or not, it was icing on the cake... but we were poised to shake the very foundations of an almost century's old regime. I suspect Progress is up to the same no good as we were :)

I labeled four people on this post -- I'd like to release an interview with each person from here up to the election. Whoever would like to go first, please message me at: Christian@StrengthAddicts.com or on FB. If one of the four would like to pass the honor onto someone else -- that's cool too. Usually a blogger would want to interview the presidential candidate only -- but usually the "blogger" is a system tool and the "parties" are fan clubs for "1."

In a real independent party -- everyone plays a role and everyone is integral to victory. :) And no one is expected to break out the knee-pads for a chance at getting on E-board. lol

Updates

2010-12-08T04:24:00.006-05:00

TheRadikal will return in 2011 with a string of SG-related Q&A's - some big names! Also some blasts from the past. The #1 UF-SG blog will be back! Check back a few days before Christmas for a Holiday-season interview!

Also I may finally re-visit the '05 Voice campaign. That was a great time for me because I was finally in the driver's seat, making the final decisions on all matters, and thanks in large part to my decision to run a second tier senator with no party affiliations as our executive candidate, I was the most senior member of the entire party -- being a senator, member of cabinet, member of the Reitz Union Board of Managers, and key ally to the sitting SG President. In the end, the candidate wouldn't walk away empty-handed... he walked away with the chairman's girlfriend and they lived happily ever after. People like that are meant for each other you know? But running my own party was a lot of fun - and that's all I care to say. I think five years is a decent cooling off period, no? lol

Running your own party is where it's at, especially if you have really good ideas (in my day I never had bad ideas, lol) and you can't get the party you're with to listen to you.

I have always wondered what it would have been like had Justin Wooten had his own party. Maybe one day we'll see Justin vying for a major elected positon - and winning ;)

For those currently at UF looking to run a party on principle, make sure to find a front-runner that doesn't know if he's on foot or horseback - these types of candidates are very easy to program and they're quite easy to find :) My goal w/ Voice was to be Andre Samuels -- I always looked up to him -- but he was fortunate b/c he had one heck of a great President to work w//for. I had a dweeb. lol

p.s.
What's going on w/ Alan Martin, Gator Football, and Armando Grundy? I miss pizza at Leonardo's, coffee at Maude's, and _____ @ Cafe Risque.

Updates

2010-05-21T20:25:00.002-04:00

I know TheRadikal has been on life support as of late, but I assure that we will again see UFSG blogging. I am just not sure how practical it is to continue on w/ the newer faces (as it's now almost have a decade since I graduated).

Schneider Resigns!

2010-02-04T11:44:00.004-05:00

It took longer than expected, but Dave Schneider did right by the side of the movement. Justin Wooten and the Progress hardliners should pat themselves on the back right now -- though there's not much left to be happy about. Much like the Fall 2005, the mainstream Indie's once again had their way over the more GDI hardliners (see Impact/Progress 'Marriage').

Like Bruce Haupt, Dave Schneider has now accepted his fate - being cast into the wilderness. A man without a party. Schneider and Wooten may be the Grapski's of the next generation.

The independent movement has been pirated no different than many vessels off the Cape of Good Hope. Ben Cavataro, the senator that called down the fight for Alan Passman, the senator that was MIRACULOUSLY SPARED from Greek/FBK scrutiny over his re-election as Hume Senator, is now the "independent's candidate for student body president."

God save the movement.

Vote FBK/Greek for SBT

2010-02-03T10:32:00.005-05:00

Independents & GDI's -- even those working directly for the Student Alliance Party must split their ballots and make a statement in the upcoming elections. More critical that electing Ben Cavataro, the decisive effort will be at achieving a noticeable discrepancy between the votes for SBP/SBVP & SBT.

There should be no place for racial, ethnic, or religious based zealots in representative student government. It's a mistake on a variety of fundamental moral notes and potentially will lead to the complete alienation of thousands of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students throughout the typical American college campus.

The Student Alliance Party should be uniformly condemned by the Gainesville Left, as well as condemned by the Arab & Muslim communities. Furthermore, the Student Alliance Party should be condemned by all Friends of the Arab & Muslims communities, respectively.

Soon these last remnant-offspring of the '06 turncoats will have graduated and a new era (hopefully more in line with the greats like Argento, Harrell, Grapski) will re-emerge. Traditionally, independents could be democratic or republican (b/c it was really never about that), but in hindsight the best Indies are left-wing and the righties are always highly suspect.

Student Alliance is running a South Florida, Belen-educated, republican, fmr. treasurer & fmr. president of Gators For Israel for the second most powerful post in the entire institution of Student Government.

The Independent Movement Is Dead.

Dear Mr. Antar

2010-01-30T09:59:00.003-05:00

Mr. Antar,

Let me begin by thanking you for your well-written letter. And let me also say that I will gladly interview you in the coming days (please expect my questions within 48hrs).

As far as the substance of my post. Your father should be proud he lived in one of the last Secular, muslim-populated states. Syria, despite Western propaganda, is the only secular Arab state that has not offered or sold its balls to the West (e.g. Jordan, Egypt, and at times even Libya).

This issue has nothing to do with religion. Tel-Aviv is about nationalism, no different than the Pan-Arabism of Nasser. My gripe is not with Islam or Judaism - they are both beautiful religions, based on peace and love, and both largely misunderstood by snotty young know-it-all pseudo intellectuals that base their theories on modern disciplines and try their best to ignore the Koran & Torah, respectively.

You are correct in your historical points insofar as Swamp & Gator. But these finer points were not centrally at issue. What is at issue is 'the alternative.' The FBK/Greek Machine has the long tradition of insensitivity towards the Arab & Muslim students through the political administration's its put in office in UF-SG. That having been said, for the "Indies" to now ALSO participate in that option is a slap in the face to every Arab and Muslim student at the University of Florida -- there is now effectively NO ONE in this 'representational form of government' that represents them. If the SBT were to punish Arab groups like Nakba or Friends of Palestine, who will the Arabs & their friends take their grievance to in a Student Alliance administration - Ben Cavatero? Yeah, I'm sure he's quite unbiased -- not b/c he's Jewish (Judaism is NOT, NOT, NOT Zionism), but b/c he surely had his hand in the SBT pick, that's why!

The point, Mr. Antar, is that you should demand that SBT candidate step down to honor your father, your people, and your own individual identity. In this life, we are judged by our actions -- not merely our words or our intentions.

If you are liberated enough to break bread with and work towards mutual electoral victory with a person that's presided over an organization that supports apartheid, worse than apartheid, then you are a more liberated man than I.

Thank you for your letter. May the 4.5 million people of Palestine be restored the pre-1967 borders - per United Nations resoution. May Palestinian children not play at gunpoint, may they have access to clean water, may they be citizen in the land of their birth.

The people that suffer under Zionism, behind the the barbed wire and in fear of the tanks & air raids are not suicide bombers, they are not in PIJ, Hamas, or even Fatah. They are normal, everyday people - displaced people - tired people.

Sincerely,

Mr. Duque

Dear Mr. Duque,

As a long time reader and avid supporter, I take offended by your most recent qcolumn entitled "A Tradition Rich in Insensitivity". I feel that your insight has been misguided and misrepresented toward an unsightful democracy. Was it not the Swamp Party that gave students the necessary funds to go to AIPAC? Was it not the Gator Party who REFUSED to CONDEMN the Radical Islam Movie?

I say these things just to illustrate my point. My name is Tyler Hisham Antar and I am running for a 3rd time with the opposition party with the Student Alliance Party. My father is a dedicated Muslim who grew up in Syria and was forced to fight in the 6 days war. I have always felt proud considering myself an Arab American running for a grad seat with the Student Alliance Party and I wouldn't have it any other way. My experiences towards the deepest darkest places of Lebanon and Dubai have taught me what its really like to be a Muslim Arab. I would love to be interviewed by you about the Student Alliance's view toward Arab-Americans. As always, you are free to re-publish my statement regardless if you interview me or not.....

Sincerely,
Tyler Hisham Antar

A Tradition Rich in Insensitivity

2010-01-28T13:13:00.016-05:00

""Progress is dead. Now they've taken a shit on the corpse."
Justin Wooten

"Due to his outstanding service as Treasurer, Yaniz was elected President of Gators for Israel in 2009."

Quoted from: http://www.ufstudentalliance.com/node/13

Who can forget Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West? Who can forget SG=funded ads making UF students distrustful of their fellow Arab & Muslim studens? Who can forget SG-sponsored trips to AIPAC's National Conference? Who can forget when the Zionist lobby united to oust a progressive, Jewish cabinet director named Peter David Gruskin from office in late 2004?

SG has rich tradition in insenitivity towards members of the University's Muslim & Arab populations, as well as against those few tried & true friends that amount to the greater community.

But UF is the exception - here - the battle-lines are clearly drawn in the sand. Here, the Zionists cannot make this about Judaism vs. Arabs & Muslims, because at UF, some of the most prominent leaders and friends of the downtrodden-upon communities have been courageous Jews unwilling to allow their religion to be hijacked by a group of relgiously-devoid, nationalistically-driven radical zealots.

Zionists know about as much of the Torah or the Talmud, as Republicans in America know about hunger and need in the United States - nothing! Zionists hijacked the Jewish religion and use it for their own nefarious aims: such as deposing a people from the lands and forcing them into bantustans where they're forced to live surrounded by barbwire, patrolled by tanks, attacked by air, denied citizenry, and subjected to sub-human treatment. The Zionists carry these horrors in the name of a religion that before their arrival, was deeply-rooted in peace, co-existence, and love.

Some people in America think 911 when they hear muslim fundamentalism, but perhaps more Americans when hearing the term Zionism, should think King David Hotel and USS Liberty -- just a thought.

Enough of a tangent. I'd like to congratulate the socially-conscious and tactful UF student body community for having a party that's selected the president of Gators for Israel (a group at times even considered fringe by JSU) as its candidate for Student Body Treasurer (hereinafter "SBT").

The SBT at the University of Florida's Student Government is a key, strategic post. First of all, if my memory serves me correctly, this post holds veto powers on all fiscal matters (as well as wields considerable influence on the Senate's Budget & Allocation committees, respectively). The SBT is elected separately from the President/V.P. slot and his/her numbers are usually indicative for [the] future presidential run. The post of SBT is a key post and as eluded to previously - is a strong stepping stone for SBP (extending a potentially unpopular leader's reign to a full two years).

It's absolutely, without question, unconscionable that any party would run the leader of an organization such as GFI for a top representational post of leadership as SBT.

This may be another 2006 - when this blog endorsed the Greek/FBK Ticket. And I'll have no worries doing so again, today. No "independent party" would ever commit such a grave and degrading action against entire ethnic & religious communities at the University of Florida.

Grapski & Indie-Union

2010-01-01T19:57:00.002-05:00

2010 will prove a major year for UF Independents - as it seems the scars have healed - we'll be asking Justin Wooten & Alan Yanuck just to be sure though. If the Indies are united, however, it will be a huge year for the united front.

In other news, I'd really like to discuss Charlie Grapski and continue stress his relevance in Indie politics (now more than ever) in 2010. Grapski, from his work in Alachua, to his trial, conviction, and upcoming appeals should be studied carefully.

I feel awful I had to miss my mentor's wedding, but I had finals - I still feel awful about it and never answwered my close friend Andrew Hoffman's voicemail about when I'd be showing up -- I was seriously depressed over it, sorry bro.

In any event, I know James had a wonderful day and I only hope I can shake his hand one day soon. Congrats to you old friend -- w/o you there would have never been such a successful and true Yellow & Blue.

Happy New Year, everyone!

TheRadikal Eyes Spring '10 Elections

2009-12-30T20:11:00.002-05:00

This is the second longest rut in Radikal History, but I assure everyone that I will cover the upcoming elections (alongside & prolly to the same degree as fellow blogger Ken Kerns). I hope everyone has a Happy (& Safe) New Year!

New Diet Phase 'n Training Heavy!

2009-11-23T00:53:00.010-05:00

Today is Day1 of 10. It's time tweak my body's insulin resistance and hawkishly monitor sugars, protein, and bad fats. I lost about 50lbs since stopping my diet in early October. These next 10 days will set the tone for the next stage of fat loss. I'm at around 290 (up 10lbs. creatine/waxymaize intake) right now and expect to be down to 265/270 by mid-January (still on 10g of creatine and .75-1g/lb protein). At that point I'll look to enter my first show, pull the supplements and lose 10-15lbs of water and walk on stage ripped to the bone at 250/255.

I can tell you right now... that at 250 I'll be amazingly vascular and cut -- but I also know I'll want to keep that crispness and those cuts, but I'll hate being so small. That's where it's going to really get tricky. What will I do?

Treadmill, Stairs, Elyptical... PAIN is PLEASURE

Grapski in Hot Water

2009-11-16T21:21:00.002-05:00

My good friend Charles Grapski was found guilty of 2 out of five charges in court and it's becoming very likely that he will serve hard time in state prison. Grapksi led the independent movement in the 1990's and won a six-figure lawsuit against a secret society that has influenced (to put it mildly) our University's Student Government for decades - no closing in on a century. This secret society still has a huge chunk of reps and senators in Florida's Congress, not to mention the United States House of Representatives.

Whatever your campus politics may be (b/c at UF SG stays w/ us for a lifetime... it's undeniable that Grapski left a huge mark on the scene and influenced countless student leaders to take up positions of leadership, public service, and social justice not only in Gainesville, but abroad. Grapski is a friend to the GDI Movement and we wish him only the best.

Stupid Government Wrong Again

2009-11-11T10:38:00.005-05:00

I wonder if the United States Congress strives to one day see American men with bigger breasts than their wives and more fat that Barney from the Simpsons. Fat lardasses, huffing and puffing after climbing a flight of stairs, croking in the infancy of their 'old age' from an assortment of easily preventable illnesses from diabetes to cardiac arrest.

Anabolic Steroids shouldn't be illegal - that's the biggest crock of shit the gov't has sold you - the American public. With the exception of a little acne, some hair growth, and slightly higher cholesterol levels... AAS have jaw dropping benefits. Everything from birth control to astma inhalers to sexual health products to legal-overpriced "hormone replacement therapy" (try getting your HMO to pay for that...lmao) fall under the umbrella of AAS and bio-identical drugs.

Look at Arnold... Mr. Olympia, top-paid Hollywood movie icon, 2x Governor of California -- Steroid User. He was on the gear in the 60's when he was taking photos with the Blonde Bomber (Dave Draper); he was on the sauce for all 70's Olympia streak; he was juicin for his 1980 "comeback" where allegedly won the contest...; he was saucing for the Conan movies and NOTHING! Sly Stallone was taking a truckload of HGH and everyone went to watch his movie and he's doin just fine at like 130yrs old with shredded abs, flaring quads, peaked out bi's, horseshoe tris, and a chest that's hard, balanced, striated, and cross-striated. The guy looks amazing!

Anyways..why the post? Well as I was doing cardio this morning (3:30AM), I started thinking about how fucked up it is that WADA just banned Androstratrione (the very last pseudo pro-hormone [pseudo b/c it doesn't actually increase test, it inhibits estrogen)]. The stupid politicians are all in the hip pocket of the pharmaceutical companies -- they're the biggest drug peddlers out there and they will charge Americans at 20:1 rates, as compared with their Canadian counterparts. Our government let's these whitecollar hustlers to get away with it.

Low testosterone ain't healthy you stupid mf'ers!!! People in this country stuff their faces with grains (look at what kids are eating is school -- SHIT! CARDBOARD CARBLOADED SHIT!) We have shockingly high rates of gyno in men in this country -- MEN SHOULDN'T HAVE TITS! MEN shouldn't suffer from ED at the high rates they do in this country. Do you know that in 2003 and 2005 the Federal government cracked down on all pro-hormones? Do you know that in 2005 the Federal Government made Ephedrine 10x harder to obtain and actually raided supplement companies? Do you know that RIGHT now, thanks to the bozos at WADA, even anti-ESTROGENS are being removed from the market? You can no longer find the following on bodybuilding.com:
6 OXO
Novedex XT
Methyl 1-D
Formadrol
11 OXO

It's 2003, 2004, and 2005 all over again. I heard LG Sciences has agreed to destroy over $1.3 million in inventory (according to a message board thread on a popular bodybuilding website). You'd think the supplement comapanies have lobbies? You'd think they'd duke it out with the morons on Capitol Hill, but not the case. It's just easier to go back to the labs and hack new molecular chains to create even more complex, less tested, less understood chains for new lines. That's probably one of the biggest issues I have w/ the government. They ban first and ask questions later... they have conducted virtually no clinical studies on AAS and yet they continue to speak with a level of certainty that's not only straightfaced, but damn near sinister.

The few clinical studies (double and triple blind studies) from respectable institutions readily dismiss such absurdities as "roid rage" and AAS related behavioral conditions. For those of you obsessed with test-shrinkage -- realize that the change is temporary (and the most testes will reduce in size is 20%). This 'shrinkage' is reversed with proper off cycle therapy (where the body naturally restores levels in test/E ratios - the idea of PCT is to help the body take back control of its normal processes.

I swear... you run into so much ignorance out there, even within the halls of academica, so many morons out there. Anyways, I've never taken, but the second they're legal, I'm taking a test drive. Though I'm blue to the core (Democrat), I had so much respect for Fmr. Speak Newt Gingrich just came out said it in his Little Red Book of the Republican Revolution - I still have that somewhere at home in Florida. I would have seriously considered voting for that guy on ATTITUDE alone. He openly admitted smoking DOPE and he'd sleep work his ass off all night, wakeup in his office, and go around the Hill with his hair all messed up and his shirt all wrinkled. I loved that guy... that's a workhorse and they fucked him - his own party and his own colleagues -- b/c you can't actually work in D.C. -- it tends to upstage all the bureaucrats filling their pockets with checks and then unloading all sorts of nonsense on the ill-informed (by choice) public.

If there were more Newts and a few more Dennis'es and a couple Ron Pauls in for good measure -- policy might still shift back and forth along party lines, but I wouldn't be posting this thinkpiece right here and you'd all have a hell of a lot more freedom.

Merger Talks: A Look Closer

2009-11-09T00:16:00.004-05:00

Indie Unity is a mutual goal for students and alumni alike. Ater almost a year of division, the Officials and the Progs seem poised to dialogue, but when asked what the most difficult hurdle would be for a merger, some were willing to share - and others - in the hopes of not 'stirring up trouble' opted to keep their comments private (meaning, not for publication).

"The clowning and sophistry that's been used by former O&B leaders has got to make way for effective activism in the name of our interests in Student Government.
Fernando Figueroa
Progress Party Supporter

To be fair, Figueroa's initial response seemed almost to match this blog's to the "t." Fernando, like TheRadikal, represents a large segment of the Indie community that wants a merger, but does not want the the Progs to lose that grassroots edge in global matters and that flare for campus activism.

Who Are The Negotiators?

O&B:
Cavataro, Ossip, Sautin, Morales, and Hargrove

PROGRESS:
Schneider, Mildebrath, Martinez, Wooten, and Garrett.

My dinner is ready. I'll be adding more to this post.

Charles Grapski Prepares for Victory

2009-11-06T22:34:00.013-05:00

After a long, often-questioned and largely written-off political stalemate between progressives and neo-conservatives in the City of Alachua, it seems now everything is coming full circle. Grapski, a staunch critic of Florida Blue Key and UF President Bernie Machen, is all for beating the charges on their merits - or lack thereof.

CHARGES
Trespassing
Resisting Arrest with Violence
(3x) Battery on a Law Enforcement officer

In an informal chat on the website Facebook.com, Grapski and Christian Duque of TheRadikal.com discussed matters dealing with the present legal case, as well as media coverage. Grapski believes that Gainesville Sun editor Jim Osteen refuses to cover him in a positive light, he also believes the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee is a joke - I agree with him.

Grapski expressed his desire to beat the charges, making mention of plea deals he's rejected that would have made the charges go away, when attached to time served.

"Sun's managing editor Jim O'Steen has told a member of the public on several occasions that they will not write anything on me that is positive. I'm not making that up."

Charles Grapski

I, personally, don't know what Mr. Osteen may or may not have said, but I've let him know of this post and I do hope he'll write back so that I may include his opinion(s). I will say that if it is true, I think that the paper's readership is done a great disservice.

Thinking Outloud

TheRadikal.com wishes Charles Grapski all the best in his legal battle, as well as his attorneys Joe Little and Steve Bernstein. Charlie and I haven't seen eye-to-eye on everything in a long time, but he remains a HUGE historical figure and source of inspiration for the UF Independent Movement. Grapski's case made the world (but maybe more importantly the UF student and alumni communities)aware that a secret society existed, that a secret society ran the school through a 'good ole boy network'; that the Independent movement DID have a purpose and we were about a lot more than simply being 'the other guys', the people not in the top tier houses or the pretty boys with congressional district seats waiting for them upon graduation. Indies and GDI's (both democrats and republicans -- really rather a moot point for SG) owe Grapski a huge part of their history - this is why guys like Thomas Jardon and Justin Wooten (polar opposites in non-SG political matters) both consider Grapski a huge influence insofar as student leadership goes.

Grapski, Kerns, Argento, Duque, Gruskin, Jardon, Haupt, Miorelli, Dictor, Trimboli, Wooten, and ..... are the independent movement. We have a history and a legacy and this site is just a little proof of that.

And the legacy isn't about which guys ran the biggest parties or won the most votes... an example... Robert's Unite pounded Haupt's Pants -- which yes sounds a bit RAUNCHY...but... the point is, in terms of Indie History, Haupt is a federal senator and Roberts is chairman of a local, rural, deep southern Ad-Hoc Mosquito Control Board. No offense to Adam, but his party ran a candidate rejected not once (but twice by the Machine), it ran absorbed a "party" comprised by jocks with the combined iq of a pigskin, and it fathered more turncoats than Gene Simmons of KISS has had one night stands.

Awesome Pic, New FB Friend
I, too, am pushing for a merger...
but I want guys like Fernando & Justin &
Grasshopper to be included at the table.

Trimboli's General Statement

2009-11-04T11:25:00.007-05:00

"We are about winning, because if we don’t win we can’t do what we’ve set out to do.

Everybody has lost sight of this fundamental truth. Egos and personalities have been the sole driving force of the Independent Movement since the end of 2008. (1) Viewing what we do through these two lenses is both self-serving and accomplishes nothing. We cannot claim to speak for those students outside the current system who lack a voice in our Student Government while at the same time centering everything on individual people and personalities rather than on policy and action.

So where do we go from here?

First, all markers need to be abolished; that is to say the abandonment of both party’s names, color schemes, and slogans (2). The single biggest obstacle to the unification of any sorts of groups is overcoming each individual group's cultural markers. In the case of nations those are things such as languages, symbols, religions, education systems, and history (including historical figures). In our case these markers are primarily party names, party colors, and party slogans. The ideologies of the two parties are congruent (3), it can hardly be said where one ends and the other begins. This unification needs to be a merger of equals in the truest of senses and the only way this will be accomplished is to start tabula rasa. The only thing from the past that need be remembered, held onto, cherished and never forgotten is the hard learned lesson that divided we are doomed to failure.

Instead, we need a new set of markers to rally around.We need a brand new party name (4), a new party slogan, a clear and concise party mission statement, a set of core party values, a new color scheme and a battle plan of action created and planned in detail for the Spring 2010 campaign and beyond. All of these things should be created by those dedicated individuals in the new unified party, created for the new unified party and agreed upon by the membership of the newly unified party.

There is thousands of years of historical example about the absolute power of cultural markers. People have traveled the world searching for cups, died for colors on cloth hanging from pole. We are being intentionally ignorant and naive if we feel we're going to break the thousands year old power cultural markers have on men's souls. (5)

These conditions of merger should be irrevocable for a minimum of 2 years. (6) That is to say the former names, specific primary color schemes, and slogans of the former two parties are off limits from January 1, 2010 until December 31, 2011. After that time their strategic value can be assessed.

Victory is not out of reach if we choose to work together as brothers rather than perish apart as fools."

RaDiKaL' Review
First off, let me just say this FOR THE RECORD - Joe Trimboli is SG Royalty and has earned his Indie Wings, Brass Bars, and Major's Clusters over the course of internal party scrapes, bureaucratic wrangling, and media blitzes that have stretched as far as the student leader' imagination will reach. This is like 80's hair metal folks, it's not just the sound coming out of the amps, but it's about the LOOK the musicians got goin on and the attitude with which they play their instruments! The fact Trimboli wrote this - with me at least - carries a fuckin wheelbarrow's worth of cred to begin with. Is your ego chubby now Joe? I'm glad I could stroke it for ya...

Now let's dissect this lovely document.

(1) This sounds like Official' rhetoric for Ben Dictor, but he includes the term 'movement,' instead. This could be the start of a sensible new approach to conceeding some of the brunt - that I imagine will be appreciated by the Prog-hardliners like Wooten, Grasshopper, the Geico double, and others.

(2) This will meet with friction from alumni like Ben Dictor and Sam Miorelli - who both built a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (yes even some tears) into these names and neither will be pleased see their legacies chucked in a 2yr wastebasket. Both Miorelli and Dictor while officially-speaking are detached, remain very much in the loop (by alumni SG standards [e.g. James Argento, Access Spring, Summer 2004]).

(3) This, in my opinion, is going to be a hard sale. Progress has a very dynamic, structured world view (thanks to Dictor, Schneider, and Wooten) w/ considerable overlap into SDS, strong links the Civic Media Center through Joe Richard, and even with smaller sector at least somewhat aware of more fiscally conservative policy with the influence of Josh Simmons early on. O&B is no where near the political maturity of O&B, however, O&B bests Progress in chambers and in representing those left-out students that are at the very core of Independent politics... Bring me your tired, your hungry, your poor...

(4) Trimboli is going out on a limb here... a new name is very fair and should be considered by the opposing side. I think there are some ideas out there... unite the indies and gdi's, put up Renfroe for president, stack up the senate slates, make nice w/ the Fist, moon FBK, have a run off, and win. Who knows... you might even count Paul Drayton as a supporter. Is Ms. Renfroe in FBK? I hope so, be kinda lame if they screw her over like Sam Green.

(5) Ok, seriously... who gave Joe the shroom juice? What the hell is he talking about here? lol

(6) Let's work w/ one semester at a time. That's like going on a first w/ a girl and planning with her what some of the things you'll do when she's your girlfriend. I realize you're hoping to reunite the indies so that you can electorally have a circle jerk around the losing FBK-backed candidate next Spring out in front of the Orange & Brew in front of thousands of spectators, but these things take time. I am confident that if the indies truly unite, whoever is the Greek candidate will leave the Brew without the presidency and with a triple pearl necklace of mardi gras elegance.

(7) Also, let's try to clean up the language in here. I'm trying to keep a respectable blog here.

SG Heavyweights Chime In

2009-11-03T14:35:00.011-05:00

"I think Progress has a great image in the eyes of the Student Body. They've also been endorsed twice and received twice the vote of OB in the fall.

I think, if there is a merger, it should be under Progress

But

I think there are probably some clear ideological differences. Tomorrow's debate on the Zionism Bill should demonstrate that

But I am sort of out of the loop.

Yanuck also voted No on workers rights."

Fmr. Sen. Ben Dictor
SBP Runner-Up (PROGRESS)

Facebook is crap. I had all these great quotes that I'm hoping I can get at some later point. In any event, let me actually give an opinon on the whole matter. Give me that I'm graduated as of almost four years and that I've been away from the ville for almost two years.

For starters I want to re-introduce some key terms from the movement.

Independent - a member of a party that doesn't serve FBK/Greek interests; also known generally as 'Indies'; Indies can be Greek-affiliated. (examples: Ricky Caplin (PIKE), Becca Guerra, Kevin Bacon (Lambda Chi), Thomas Jardon,Adam Roberts (ZBT), Andre Samuels Kappa Alpha Psi), Andrew Hoffman, Alan Yanuck (O&B), etc.

GDI - the G*d Damn Independents - these are the ultra-Indies; usually found in very indealistic, usually dead-end parties (see Student Alliance, Pants, Voice, Progress['09]. These guys/gals are often "on the fringes" and while they usually are kept out of Indie Party exec.'s, they are often consulted and used for everything from intell to recruiting to fundraising to canvassing to endorsements in second round elections. Heavyweights here include: James Argento, Kenneth Kerns, Dan Fitzpatrick, Peter Gruskin (FIJI), Ryan Nelson (UNITE), Frank Bracco (O&B), Travis Marsh (KEG), etc).

Hardline GDI - this is a new classification that's truly warranted. These are your GDI up a few knotches. (see Christian Duque (FIJI), Justin Wooten (Progress), Joe Trimboli (O&B), Sam Miorelli (O&B), Ben Dictor, etc

I want to see a real Independent party that's going to work like Orange & Blue does in chambers - that's not going to cozy up to 'the Machine' through proxies like Eric Conrad, but that's also going to have the sense not to slate turncoat bozos like Eric White turned out being. On the other hand, I want an Indie party that acts like Progress outside of the mundane world of the third floor and has the ability to have a SOCIAL CONSCIENCE - a party that chastizes its members for voting AGAINST migrant worker rights, a party that's in the trenches with student leaders from other universities when it comes to the sweatshop movement, fair trade products on campus, sustainability programs, standing up to Washington and now allowing Universities to churn out cannon fodder for the military (get the recuiters off campus and away from college events --- like they've done in Berkeley!!); I want an Indie party that's going to be out there with the Andrew Meyer's and the families of slain victims of police brutality in Gainesville/Alachua County. People always talk about our carbon print on earth, well I want UF SG's indie party to leave a footprint on the system.

I don't think Dave Schneider is a sell out and I don't think Wooten really does either, but both parties have done great things - in different directions. The ideal party would have O&B's standoffish-partisan qualities legislatively speaking and Progress well-rounded/informed world view and commitment to social causes insofar as off-election/off-season efforts to keep the campaign staff and manpower occupied as opposed to dormant except for essentially four weeks out of the year. The Indie soldiers should be like the men of the U.S. Navy on vessels around the world -- every single day is war, the discipline on a ship is sky-high, the men and women are always ready, it's the being ready part that's the real challenge, war for them (is just icing on the cake).

The System has piss-poor campaign people, most of which are comprised of pledges working against their will for the first phases, followed by a second phase consisting 1st and 2nd year house members house members, followed by a thrid phase consisting of ethnic minorities that have sold out for a few more dollars in the A&S budget, and finished by a fourth phase that includes the top party brass and candidates. Orange & Blue gave that machine a severe fat lip and set of black eyes not too long ago. Reuniting the movement - UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES could be just what the doctor ordered.

I want Justin Wooten at the table. He's a nut - this is true. I'm a nut too - if he's a walnut, I'm a chestnut. But who gives a shit. I want Justin Wooten at the table, I want him to have a say in any talk of a merger. Otherwise, any meeting you have, will have the air of 12/11 -- please don't leave the blue-collar Progress or O&B people out... have the hardliners from both sides at that table Wooten & Yanuck and let them both be content with the outcome...otherwise... if it's just Trimboli & Schneider (for example), both guys represent a huge chunk of the movement and both guys want victory in Spring, but it's repeating the ages old injustice of the moderates shaking while the often exploited and fanatically-loyal hardliners get shafted in the wings.

Let's say Yanuck was a Zionist... let's just say he was, that's fine. Let's say Wooten (like myself or PG) would scream and holler for the '67 borders and for Palestinian rights. Let's say there's merger talks and these are there and fight it out for a while before talking peace between the two parties - SO FUCKIN WHAT?! The indie leaders are so scared to have it out, to fight, to argue, that that very fear is what's going to keep the two sides from reuniting.

There's some issues that need closure. The GMG Emails are bullshit - Progress needs to let go and quit demanding an apology --- was there wrongdoing? sure, SG Happens, at least the lights didn't go out. The 12/11 meeting... O&B needs to admit those were a sham - or stay silent. As far as party names go... have a convention... Progress got more votes, but a NAME shouldn't make or break UNITY. Though I will say.. O&B is a pretty FBK/Greek sounding name, but then again... just like Dems can push for Family Values just like the GOP (Republicans don't OWN family values), so too the Greeks don't own SCHOOL PRIDE, so it's really not fair that the Indies can't be proud Independents and proud Gators, too.

Just some things to think about.

ARMANDO RAMON!!!

FYI: the pastey white dude's name is not "Ramon,"
it's Armando's middlename

Yanuck Responds; Wooten Stands Firm

2009-11-02T01:07:00.013-05:00

Is Alan Yanuck Ditching O&B?

"On O&B turning on me:

I've heard nothing about this, I think its merely a product of our largely college democrat roots coming to head with the fact i'm a staunch republican and took an opposite stand on the resolution.

I'm sure it'll blow over as we get back to Student Government internal work, such as executive appointments, corruption, etcetera.

i totally forgot to address me joining Unite

I've been joking about it, but i thought it was obviously a joke
Sen. Alan Yanuck
Orange & Blue Party

"He literally showed it [messages from Unite's Regalado] to me and talked openly about it in front of Midlebrath, Ossip, Graham, Donte, and I think TJ Boyd.

At a Sushi place after Senate."
Justin Wooten
The Progress Party Hardliner
(Title as of now given him by TheRadikal.com)

For yesterday's post I posted a question based on some allegations I'd been hearing. I contacted Sen. Yanuck today and asked if he could give his take on the matter - mainly b/c it's critical to his reputation, as well as his character to be able to defend himself in this forum with every resource available. He not only refuted the allegations, but delievered a very well written rebuttal. Still, we're not really going for the best written answers, as much as we are with the truth.

Sen. Yanuck is a good guy, Wooten is a good guy. I just want to get the low-down with as little fillers and additives as possible - so that I can then relay it to you guys and my beloved alumni so out of the loop they think Library West is still closed.

Here goes...

"One moment, let me get the numbers.Students for Justice in Palestine request $5,795 for their group. Among the activities they wanted to hold were 'Winter end of Semester Social' where essentially, we provide them with 150.00 worth of food for them to serve to their members..

This event would cost a total of 460.00 with publicity. Several events which are happening in the SPRING, when we were giving them a fall budget these events totalled 1,515+755+855+60

As well as an event where we would, full price, send members of SJP to a conference in new hampshire which they could not demonstrate would provide any benefit to the student body as a whole, but merely to the people who went Student Government policy always has, and probably will continue to be, that these kinds of events will not be funded for very good reason, as spending 450$ to send a few students to new hampshire is a very expensive benefit to only a few students when we attempt to provide the greatest possible benefit to everyone on the floor, i made an amendment which would have struck a further 150$ from the budget.

Because they wanted to spend 150$ to put a stage up in Plaza of the Americas on being asked what benefit this would provide, they merely assured me that it would provide benefit. In the end, this amendment was not seconded, and I voted to fund them, despite this minor objection.

I have no idea when I became 'racist against arabs' and find such claims to be completely ridiculous.

We merely told them to ask for funding for their spring events in spring, and that SG should not provide money for socials or for conferences with no return benefit.

To me it seems that this wouldn't have been an issue at all if the group hadn't been inherently political, and i'm not going to overfund any group regardless of its agenda.

The Senate Allocations Committee couldn't have funded even 10 requests of this group's original size.

Its simple, I never do thinks I think are dishonest or wrong and i'm a decent enough debater that I can justify what I do."
- Sen. Alan Yanuck
Orange & Blue Party

p.s.

I'd like to express my deepest gratitude for SBP Jordan Johnson for never getting back to me on my interview requests. I look forward to the upcoming elections.

"Where is Armando Grundy in all this?"

Progress & O/B May Merge...

2009-11-01T01:06:00.005-04:00

over Wooten's dead body!

In what will surely be a developing story, the Progress Party' workhorse has shared shocking takes with TheRadikal.com. He claims that 'all is lost,' coming to grips with his belief that [Dave] Schneider has 'sold out' and is all but certain to lead the way for a merger.

Wooten believes, as do I, that Progress has gone much further than any student government party has in a long, long while - and - to merge with O&B would be a step back politically. Let me clarify MY point.

I believe now, as always, that O&B are the The Officials; I believe Progress are the The Progs; I believe both are 140% Independent, even if it can be argued only one is GDI. However, I believe only Progress has taken the initiative in taking a student political party to the next level in 1960's style & beyond.

I have a TON of faith in Dave Schneider -- so let's start this month out right and let's address the issue of Dave 'selling out', let's hit on Justin's concerns about Alan Yanuck allegedly, royally screwing Arab/Muslim student groups insofar as allocations and the fiscal budget goes, and let's also talk about what benefits could come from the Officials and the Progs working together again.

Let me also put this out there: I have a TON of faith in Joe Trimboli & Frank Bracco - even if these are not the current leaders (now or ever). I believe O/B does have a lot to offer as well, but I know they won't go the places Progress has outside of SG - I also know (to their credit), they won't warm up to The Machine like Progress has.

Also... address what's been gained by Progress warming up to Unite and more. Before I even dignify the notion of a comeback... let's see if the 'ole comment section can still light up like idk ... 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 :)

Oh wait... and last, but not least... Wooten says he would never break away and form a new party from under Progress... but I've been around the game myself and I know that if a merger did take place -- hardliners opposing it (from both sides) would probably not find much love in the new outfit. So... my question is... if the hardliners are in fact left out in the cold - do they disappear from the scene or WHAT?

When the war was over - they told John Rambo to go back to being an ordinary citizen.. anyone that's seen First Blood knows... that didn't work out according to plan.

Public Records Lawsuit Filed Against UF

2009-08-28T20:39:00.001-04:00

For Immediate Release

UF-Student Government sued for Public Records Violations

Summary: A recent UF graduate is suing UF Student Government for failing to make records of meetings public as required by Florida’s Public Record Law. The UF Student Senate oversees a budget of some fourteen million public dollars a year, but Plaintiff Frank Bracco says that his requests for copies of the recordings of Student Senate Meetings have been repeatedly denied or ignored, contrary to Florida Statute 119.07, which allows citizens the right to inspect and copy public records. “The lesson UF Student Government should be teaching is that no public agency is above the law and transparency in public meetings is vital to good government,” says Mr. Bracco. “Instead, they are skirting the law and hiding the ball.”

Full Version:

August 25, 2009 Gainesville, FL – Recent University of Florida graduate Frank Bracco filed a law suit against UF and Student Government for violations of the Public Records Law. Bracco filed the lawsuit today with Florida's Eighth Judicial Circuit.

The lawsuit alleges UF Student Government denied him copies of documents that are part of the public record on three separate record requests. Bracco also claims University failed to properly store public records, resulting in the destruction of records requested on two other occasions.

The right of the public to inspect and copy public records is guaranteed under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, also referred to as the Public Records Law. Documents requested are usually turned over to the public, but Bracco’s lawsuit cites several occasions over the past ten months where he was denied copies. “My experience is not unlike what others have experienced when dealing with the UF, especially Student Government,” said Bracco, “but I want to ensure others have the right to access public documents in order to promote transparency and accountability.”

The records requested all deal with public meetings held by Student Government. Student Government is created by the State Constitution and Statutes and is subject to the Public Records Law. State law allows Student Government to have an operating budget of nearly 14 million dollars, which is collected through Activity and Service fees levied on each student. “The lesson UF Student Government should be teaching is that no public agency is above the law and transparency in public meetings is vital to good government,” says Mr. Bracco. “Instead, they are skirting the law and hiding the ball.”

Current Student Body President Jordan Johnson has pledged to create an open and transparent Student Government, but requests to intervene in Bracco’s requests have been ignored.

Ken Kerns Q&A Part II. of IV.

2009-07-23T11:34:00.006-04:00

TheRadikal: In a post you wrote (which I enjoyed) titled "The Absurd Duque-Grapski Fight" you lashed out at Chris Carmody for a response he had in a series of emails. The former UF Student Senate President suggested that Charlie & I resolve our differences by seeing who could withstand being tased longest. You did briefly discuss why you lashed out, but could you further explain your reaction to Carmody's choice of words?

Ken Kerns: There’s not a whole lot to say about that. Carmody tried using a topical news item (the tasering incident) as a suggestion for how to handle the dispute. But I think it is a horribly disrespectful and completely uncalled for way of expressing one’s displeasure with reading a mass email that didn’t concern them. It wasn’t like this was on a message board read by a handful of people where such comments were understood as being normal – this was a mass reply that perhaps dozens of people unwillingly received. As a former Senate President and a member of Florida Blue Key, you would have expected him to respond in, I don’t know, a more professional manner. Certainly he should have done so in a more adult manner.

The Radikal: Let's go back to 2002 Ignite v. Swamp. Now we all know the margin between Nikki Fried (I) & Chris Carmody (S) was razor-thin, but what I for one fail to understand is why Fried (or you [strategically]) chose Voice Sen. Joel Howell for the weaker Veep slot and not the stronger Treasurer role. My reasoning is that one more Greek would further strengthen Fried chances as President & Veep run as one; for the independents the Treasurer post would have been a huge power-play (and to a much lesser extent, it would have marked the 10yr anniversary of Fmr. SBT Marna Weston [also Voice]). Please explain the strategy.

Ken Kerns: Let me correct an underlying assumption here. I was not that much involved in Ignite’s campaign; Jeremy Kaplan was basically the only significant Independent on the Ignite party exec. Kyle Jones was needed, and picked first, to help Nikki nail down the FBK and fraternity vote that had threatened to join Swamp. And as a two-time senator, SigEp president, Budget Chairman, and a co-sponsor of the BOCC compromise, he was far more obviously qualified than Joel was.

Joel was a last-minute choice, and one that was meant to shore up Nikki’s support among blacks, independents, and engineers – just to be blunt. I say last-minute because Chris Carmody was also trying to recruit Joel’s support, and Joel was not clamoring for a spot on either ticket. Nikki realized the potential hole in her support that Carmody was trying to exploit, particularly with independents and engineers, and did the logical thing by filling her ticket with Jeremy’s choice.

Here’s a factor you didn’t consider – Fried/Howell and Carmody/Roselli are a pairing of a non-Greek and a Greek. A fully Greek ticket of Fried/Jones would have tagged her as the “greek” candidate and caused more independents to flock to Carmody. And yes, an independent on the Treasurer slot would be a sign of power (they did this for FSP in 2000), but the independents were divided in 2002 and it was mostly the older independents who were graduating who were with Nikki and Ignite.

They may have had other strategic concerns in mind when they put him on that ticket, but I think it was more a matter of needing to both lock down support and fill the empty VP spot that put him there. But as I said, I didn’t even really commit in anyway to Ignite until Nikki put Joel on her ticket, I hemmed and hawed over the decision to run again for Senate (I ultimately declined), I still felt torn by seeing friends on both side, and so I was not involved in Exec decisions for Ignite.

In fact, they repeatedly expected loyalty from me, when they offered little in return. Joel was one of the few independents from SUN to be vocally supportive of my efforts in Fall 2001, and yet from Jeremy to Craig Jones on down, many folks just expected me to fall in line with Ignite just because Jeremy was there. It still bothers me how some in that party felt I owed them total loyalty when I got very little in return; and that they questioned my loyalty at every turn – for even such horrible crimes as observing Carmody’s campaign kickoff event (even after I let Ignite know before the Alligator did that it was happening at Gator Nights).

The Radikal: Also in relation to the 2002 election, I've cited your blog 'Ken Speaks' with you stating as follows:

"Neither campaign really talked of changing the system, some people saw little difference between the two sides, and a few of us were really torn by the election. So it really came down to who liked and trusted Nikki or Chris and those who didn’t."

Some six years later, do you feel that in supporting Fried over Carmody that you made the right decision by (1) the students, (2) the [Voice] Party, & (3) last, but not least, Ken Kerns.

Ken Kerns: A lot of the people I wanted to see elected in both parties were, in fact, elected. I think Carmody could have done just as well as Fried, but I preferred Joel definitely for VP and Kyle over Jamie Wicker.

Was it the right decision for me? I was slowly coming to a decision to leave Gainesville (if only subconsciously), and so my minimalist involvement in that campaign reflected my eventual decision (I attended some public events for both parties, but volunteered to table for Ignite, and even wore my Voice Party t-shirt on Election Day).

Truth be told, much of the Voice Party disagreed with Joel, Nick Capezza, and myself, and backed Chris Carmody’s Swamp Party. But that was because we never made a collective decision about it, and because Argento was very thorough in recruiting support for Carmody.

Did I make the right choice for the students? I did what I could to encourage bipartisan cooperation by helping to elect a Senate leadership that came from both political parties. And I know the right choice was made for VP and Treasurer. I like Nikki Fried personally, as much as Chris Carmody, and I know them both well enough to say either one would have done the student body well. I think on balance I made the right choice, even if I wasn’t happy about working against many friends like Jess Johnson and James Argento who were working for the other side. But as I said, my involvement in Spring 2002 was more as an avid observer, not as much of an activist, so I can’t claim too much credit for Ignite’s victory – except in helping to put Joel in a position to run for VP.

////////Special Question///////////

TheRadikal: Do you like games, Ken? I love games. 2002 Hypothetical. Tell us what happens if Voice decides to shop between Ignite & Swamp and find no common ground; the Party decides to field Joel Howell for Student Body President, this isn't a bluff, this isn't a ploy to get a pay-off, this is a real campaign.

Questions

1. Does Nick Capezza jump ship? Yes or no, why?

Ken Kerns: Tough call, but likely not. He helped provide the impetus to get Voice going in the first place, so if we managed to make the decision to run Joel on our own, he’d probably be right there making the decision with us.

2. Does James Argento jump ship? Yes or no, why?
Probably yes. He was very supportive of Chris Carmody since before we backed Carmody for Senate President. I believe he signed on very early on for Chris, so he probably would have been committed to him before we switched. But he might be one that we could swing back depending on the rest of the tickets.

Does Jeremy Kaplan jump ship? Yes or no, why?
Jeremy was not a part of Voice, and was with Ignite long before he thought about reaching out to a Voice Party senator on Ignite’s behalf. Plus, he thoroughly supported Nikki as his last best hope before graduating for a Student Body President to be elected that he could accept. He would not jump ship, but he would be the go-between prior to Voice’s decision in this hypothetical.

Does Joe Argento jump ship? Yes or no, why?
Joe would do what he wants, when he wants. Depending on the circumstances, he might follow his brother’s lead.

Does Tim Stevens jump ship? Yes or no, why?
Tim wasn’t a big player in the party, no offense Tim – he primarily represented our contacts within the family housing community. If he were a Senator at the time we launched the Spring campaign, though, I’d suspect he’d stick with us.

Does Ken Kerns jump ship? Yes or no, why?
Like in the real election, I followed Joel. If Joel was running on our ticket in the Spring, I’d be there for him, much as he was there for us when we needed support in the fall.

Presidential Debate Skills
a. Joel v. Chris =

I think they’d be fairly evenly matched in the debate. Not really any way to expand on that, except to say I don’t see either having much of an edge unless one made a gaffe.

b. Joel v. Nikki =

Joel would be the more charismatic, more “authentic” debater, but Nikki would be more wonkish. Very much a replay of Obama/Clinton on Obama’s best nights.

TheRadikal: In your highly speculative, hypothetical, post-six-years-opinion, what effect would a serious Howell presidential bid had the UF African American caucus of 2002?

Ken Kerns: The “caucus” as it existed after 2002 was not yet fully formed by then. In 2001, there was a split in the community (VISA backing Fusion, BSU backing SUN). But had they gone their separate way in 2002, they could have established themselves as more than just a cog in the FBK machine but as an independent political operator – which I’m convinced that, aside from Access in 2004, they have yet to really do. That has it’s pluses and minuses. But recently – I think in one year it got to the point where people complained that the African American candidates were being slated in seats FBK couldn’t win – it shows the downside of threatening to go independent but very following through convincingly. The African American community (and the Engineers) won the election for Ignite, and I would have hoped FBK wouldn’t forget that sort of thing. But I tend to be more optimistic on that score than others.

The Radikal: If Voice had miraculously made it to a run-off with a mainstream party, which do you think the scratched party would have endorsed:

Ken Kerns: Animosity between Nikki and Chris stemmed back all the way to before the Fall 2001 campaign finished. I could see different scenarios based on the various tickets and coalitions that would have formed as a result of this bizarre twist in history. I’d say Swamp is more likely to support us than Ignite mainly because much of Carmody’s support broke away from FBK as a result of them putting Nikki on their ticket instead of Chris – meaning they had already decided to not support Nikki, and just needed someone else to back. Ignite is harder to read, because its resulting coalition is a hodgepodge of Greek and independent support that was often tied to specific colleges (look at Ignite’s support in Law and Engineering, usually independent bastions, compared to LS, another independent bastion).

The likeliest scenario, however, is that the Greek houses would consolidate behind whichever party survived into the runoff, and the Independents would join Voice – that is, unless deals were made to change that calculus.

Very difficult question, I’d say. Because it’s far more likely for a third-party Voice to get maybe 20% at most, and be forced to choose between Ignite and Swamp.

But what makes this difficult even assuming the miracle of making it to a runoff is trying to figure out how the Ignite and Swamp party coalitions would look alike in the event Voice was a third option with strong Engineering support.

Ken Kerns Q&A Part I. of IV.

2009-07-20T14:08:00.011-04:00

TheRadikal: I hope you find yourself well, I'm enjoying what's left of my vacation. I want you to know that I want this interview to happen, but the blog is going through a phase where I'm trying to draw out some non-SG players to diversify. There's going to be another Q&A covering sit-ins at Penn State which will be showcased for May Day/Labor Day.

Ken Kerns: Thanks, I’m doing well. And I can understand the need to diversify. I myself am trying to find a way to have my blog be more than just what a diarist on Daily Kos could do, especially since I am going to eventually stop the SG blogging.

TheRadikal: Ken, let's go back to the highly contested Adler/Sanchez race. In an excerpt taken from Nick Cappezza's Radikal interview, he states:

"From my perspective, which was on the front lines, absolutely. Votes were not counted that should've been counted and other shenanigans went on."

In your opinion, were there votes that were not counted? If so, what basis would you have to make such a call? Also, could you expound on what "other shenanigans went on?"

Ken Kerns: If you look at the numbers, Adler won by 17 votes, his Treasurer candidate by about 400, and the Senate candidates won by something equivalent to about 53%-47% in the popular vote. Adler clearly was not as popular as his ticket. Do I think some votes didn’t counted, or that they “found” an extra ballot box somewhere to put him over the top? I can’t lie and say I wouldn’t believe it, but I could also believe that Fusion was just popular enough overall to overcome the ticket splitting. But really, Adler won 50.10% of the vote. It wouldn’t take much for that lead to change – that election was basically a tie.

Yes, there are always “shenanigans” at election season. Some people call it “B-team stunts”, like ripping up yard signs, or following people with cameras to catch election violations or just to throw them off their game. And at times, we felt the UF administration played favorites – but that wasn’t ever proven. 2001 wasn’t any different than most election years, however.

TheRadikal:What can you tell us about the Vision Party campaign and working with Gary Slossberg? In what ways did the Voice Party (your incarnation) compare and/or differ from Vision?

Ken Kerns: Vision ran for an extraordinarily long time, from Spring 1997 to Spring 2000. I was only around for its final two elections, when it failed to win any seats. And when I was there, I could see why – very little effort was made to build and sustain coalitions in the fall and spring, and especially at recruiting new activists. In Spring 2000, we were heavily reliant on the qualifications and diversity that our Treasurer candidate brought to the table as BOCC Treasurer and the first openly gay candidate for campus-wide office.

Gary Slossberg was a great person to work with – funny, friendly, and passionate about his beliefs. As the Vision presidential candidate in 1999, for example, he spearheaded an effort to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Of all the political leaders I worked with at UF, he remains my favorite – I can’t quite explain why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that it took a lot to get him mad at you.

Vision was always like that, too – while not a “College Democrats” party, Vision was very much a socially liberal one that was skeptical of FBK and the greek system.

Voice 2001 was a bit different. Our platform was within the Vision tradition of “integrity, democracy, diversity” but our emphasis was on the plight of student organizations, and improving how SG worked. Our biggest fight was over giving more money to student groups – an amendment to the A&S Fee budget that Fusion bitterly opposed in the election but eventually sponsored when it came time to fund the organizational budget. We did not really campaign on social issues as much, although we favored more emphasis on a cleaner environment. With folks like Adam Guilette, a founder of the Liberty Project, on our side, our campaign was more about making SG more responsive, more decentralized.

It’s within the GDI tradition that Vision had cemented, but we had our own policy accents that made it a distinct force.

TheRadikal: Very little was learned in regards to your feud w/ James Argento in his interview back in 2006. In fact James only stated the following:

"At one point in November 2001, we got into a dispute at a BOCC meeting. When I got home, I wrote Ken an angry email. Ken responded. I then responded in kind."

What was your take on the matter? Were there other underlying issues at hand during the feud?

Ken Kerns: James may remember better than I do what our feud back then was specifically about. I recall that we clashed several times largely because our personalities were so different. James, for example, can be more open about what he thinks and can get quite excited about expressing them. I, on the other hand, tend to lose patience for misplaced over-zealousness.

But “feud” is too strong a word here. James and I exchanged a few emails, and that was it. We were friends before and after that incident. We even worked together to help guide John Hooker in his bid for Senate President Pro Tempore in Spring 2002. And we talk periodically on the phone even now.

But James and I emailed each other a lot during that period – we even had an exchange over whether Chris Carmody’s early strategy for the Spring 2002 election was smart or not. James signed onto Carmody’s team early on; I never could quite make it, even though more of my friends and acquaintances in my final year at UF were on his side.

TheRadikal: As treasurer of the BOCC, how would you characterize the SG/BOCC showdown of your day?

"For years BOCC was not the most strict organization in terms of watching its money."
- James Argento
(2006, TR Interview)

As treasurer of the BOCC at the time, this would speak directly to you and your predecessors. Were you offended? Did you agree? How did the organization initially respond?

Ken Kerns: Actually, I think James and I both said the very same thing during our work on the BOCC budget in 2002 – that the past way BOCC did budgets was, well, I’d call it “amateur”. Book-keeping was hard from year to year, especially with frequent shifts in office space and location. I think the system in place now, an outgrowth of a compromise Kyle Jones and I reached on behalf of the Ad-Hoc Committee that met in Summer 2001, the current system has been good for BOCC – as it gives it more consistency in how budgets are written, and allows for easy access to funding histories.

However, the Bill 1066 in Fall 2000 was totally the wrong approach, and I remain proud of my involvement in the filibuster against that legislation. The original bill was formed on the Friday before Labor Day, without informing much less consulting the largest umbrella organization on campus that its funding would no longer be guaranteed and that they would no longer be a part of the A&S Fee Budget but instead forced to compete with everyone else in the Spring student organizational budgets.

Recall that this was after the college councils took a major political risk in getting unofficially involved in the Spring 2000 election by backing the Florida Students Party, which was ultimately unsuccessful. The BOCC believed this to be a politically-motivated attack on their organization, and that they had better fight it or face being potentially zero-funded.

Of course, those concerns were exaggerated by the drama of the moment, and the fact that the Student Body Treasurer (Ana Maria Garcia) and the Budget Chairman (Cary High) were poor salesmen from a public relations point of view. Rather than pointing out that determining a bottom line for BOCC nearly a year before the budget year began could lead to problems the financial professions were concerned about, Garcia and High spent most of the debate complaining about wanting more oversight over how that money is spent (never mind that the Garcia signs off on every single funding request made by every organization throughout the year, and that no one really holds student groups to putting on the events that the budget is justified for).

And so we fought them in Fall 2000 to the best showing of any non-FBK party in a fall election ever. And we fought them down to 17 votes in the spring election, the best in 9 years. And finally, they relented to creating an ad-hoc committee and to fashioning a compromise.

This was how the “Academic Organizational Budget” was created, along with reinstituting the BOCC Finance Committee that would do most of the hard work of crafting an overall budget and examining each and every program being put on. This also pushed all BOCC subsidiaries into using the budget disk format now used by all student groups.

Prior to all of this, record keeping was inconsistent, the budgeting process largely arbitrary (based on the size of the college council and the groups it represents), and the budget number BOCC got from SG was created almost a year before it would be in effect (which meant it would frequently require recissions near the end of the year to move funding around to the councils who needed it from the councils who didn’t).

I’m not saying the whole episode was necessary, or that we couldn’t find ways to make the old BOCC system work. But given that it happened, I think it’s been a net plus for the umbrella organization and the college council system in general.

Democracy for Honduras: Bring Back Zelaya!

2009-07-03T05:37:00.003-04:00

The Honduran Coup: A Beacon for Reaction?
by David Schneider

This is a fantastic article penned by the Progress Party leader and student senator. I'd also like to invite you to check out the page - as we'll be updating more news & commentaries dealing with Latin America (from an Allendist perspective).

SalvadorAllende.org

Coup in Honduras

2009-06-30T03:54:00.008-04:00

This coup has been condemned by the USA, the Organization of American States, and largely by members of the European Union.

Still... a once prominent UF student leader wrote this on her status:
"is so proud of Honduras right now! :-D Yay!" Pretty scary, huh?

Who is the unnamed fmr. Student leader? Not saying.

Michael Jackson Forever

2009-06-26T14:28:00.007-04:00

Please join Christian Duque's
"Michael Jackson Forever"
3,000+ Members Worldwide!
Facebook group. Also, please leave
comments for the King of Pop here.

MJ: The King of Pop

2009-06-26T00:39:00.000-04:00

Goodbye Michael... we love you!

Fear Not

2009-06-18T02:28:00.003-04:00

I know many of you are worried about the future of TheRadikal.com. Let me assure you, that while the site has undergone some changes - there is no end in sight for TR. In fact, the site will resume normal blogging in as soon as a couple of weeks.

SG-Span & More!

2009-06-12T01:22:00.004-04:00

Kudos to Sg-Span.org - I'm watching the video and very happy to see this wonderful offering is finally up. TheRadikal.com is by no means over, just taking a much needed nap.

Officials, Progs, & the Future of the GDI Tradition

2009-05-26T11:40:00.013-04:00

Quite frankly, TheRadikal.com is an Indie-Isolationist blog (who actually talks like that? -- I DO.), in the sense that electoral coalitions like Access, and arguably Impact, could and did serve a viable purpose. However, once elected, I have never been supportive of Indie parties merging with the dominant FBK-backed/Greek party (even to save a Senate win, [e.g. Ben Cavatero, Fall 2008]) for one simple reason: the future of the Independent tradition.

People like Pedro Morales and Mitchel Tannenbaum are both major assets to the Indie movement, but they are both prime examples of people quite simply not getting the jist of what 'the movement' is all about. Unlike the FBK-backed Greek bloc, 'the [independent] movement' does not maintain standing armies quartered in campus housing zones or heavily concentrated in key voting districts (e.g. A, C). The [independent] Movement' doesn't have limitless financial resources or ties to politicians around the state.

But there is a tradition that transcends the standing armies and the fat campaign bank accounts, it's a force that runs through certain kinds of people, it's a form of enlightenment - if you ask me. What possesses a person like Sam Miorelli, Bruce Haupt, Rosemary Clouston, James Argento, Frances Harrell, or Ken Kerns to become workhorses for a futile cause?

The Progs should be doing the walkouts, infiltrating and dividing the Machine from within, they should be the ones seeking to sabotage the Machine and embarass its cadres at every possible turn. The Progs should be doing Iron Fist '05 type campaigns using Avant Garde type media to infuriate the masses and create a backlash against the Student Senate, they should be organizing rallies, demanding Alligator coverage, penning legislation that will fail 80:8, but really putting their ass on the line, acting as if the terms they won were won by some kind of joke, some kind of travesty, using those posts as single-use vehicles to further a slew of bills forcing the Machine to act, forcing it to act on issues they've lied to the students about for 10yrs, (e.g. a 24hr LIBRARY) - shaming the system and it's mouthpieces...saying WE ARE HERE TRYING TO GE THIS TO WORK AND...

SO & SO SAYS THIS

SEN. X VOTED NO AND SAID THIS...

"THEY TABLED OUR BILL"

"RALLY ON TIGERT!"

PRESS CONFERENCE

SENATORS ARE ON HUNGER STRIKE, REFUSE TO LEAVE CHAMBERS

And yet...the very group that sold itself as being revolutionary...with the color red all over the place, talk of Trotsky, and of philosophy and dialectics from here to Gibraltar, is being out-revolutionized (word?) by Centrist-Independents -- that's like Gator trying to teach the Iron Fist how to be fringe - or - like Armando Grundy giving anyone election-campaign advice.

Open Question, Progress Party Senators:

2009-05-25T12:22:00.003-04:00

I want to know what pieces of legislation have been introduced by Progress senators since taking office (whether bills passed or failed). Would also like to know what key votes and/or pro/cons Progress senators have been a part of.

Anyone can post here.

Thank You.

Dead Blog?

2009-05-23T13:35:00.011-04:00

I got O&B's #1 Senator on the site, in a post with 25 comments (see below); I got the much awaited KEN KERNS INTERVIEW coming out in 9 days; I got the insights of the Duque on tap, all day and all night. Dead blog? Yeah RIGHT!

This is THERADIKAL.com

Where Jamal is always PRESIDENT, I'm always in Senate, Pete's shouting on his bullhorn, and you... my faithful lovers & haters are here -- reading all about it (goin' on 4yrs!!!).

Ossip, O&B, and the Independent Movement

2009-05-19T11:19:00.009-04:00

"The walk-out was a last resort we used after the majority Unite/Gator Party voted against a one-week postponement to allow Senators time to actually look through the applications. The first time Senators actually knew about the nominees was when the agenda was published about 12 hours before the meeting. The R&A meeting at which these names were reviewed was at best held with limited notice, and Senators were not emailed its time and location, so no minority members were present. Also, 48 names, the agenda, and some replacement seats were all approved in about an hour or so, raising suspicions about how thorough a job the majority-only committee did in reviewing those applicants.

As for the actual events of the walk-out, we decided to leave after realizing that there were only 55 Senators in attendance, 8 of them affiliated with Orange and Blue. As quorum at the present time is 49 due to the spring class seat increase, we quorum-busted and ended the meeting. All we wanted was to postpone the nominations long enough to actually read their applications, and the majority denied us the time we absolutely needed to make an informed decision. As such, we took matters into our own hands and ended the meeting."

Sen. Jonathan Ossip

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo proud of the Orange & Blue Party -

THAT'S WHAT BEING A GDI IS ALL ABOUT!

Ken, you should cover this as well. QUORUM-BUSTING - genius!
With Access we had so much power and still felt limited, these kids, with a minority footing in only one branch of government, a divided footing as it stands, are able to make their presence felt. These are serious posts that should be filled by qualified candidates -- not hastily through midnight appointments.

SalvadorAllende.org & Classes

2009-05-12T01:14:00.002-04:00

I'm currently working on a new website, facebook group, and taking Civil Procedure II. & Con. Law II, so I'm rather swamped. However, TheRadikal.com WILL be publishing the much awaited Ken Kerns interview in the month of June - to be sure! In fact, I'm really going to try and deliver during the early part of the month. So be patient...SG's #1 Blog will be back shortly!

When TheRadikal Speaks, You Listen!

2009-05-07T16:14:00.005-04:00

Today was truly an eventful day. My loans arrived! I had a great lunch with a great friend. I toured the Capitol! Here's to short sentences!

Duque Visits Detroit City Council

2009-05-06T19:09:00.006-04:00

Story coming soon.

Web Reviews by 'el Duque'

2009-04-27T12:30:00.030-04:00

I went a little hard on Sg-Span. However, what's up with these 3-4 month vacations?!! Dead Blog?

We've got blogs that last five or six months and then hit a wall - they run out of material. They want to take this site out and I welcome them, hell, I even send traffic their way! And what? Four turncoats run a blog anonymously, they run out of material, they make claim web saboteurs hacked them, then they go private, then they go inactive, then they announce themselves like the unmasking of Kiss on MTV in 1983, but then unlike KISS who went on to several gold and platinum runs....they FOLD.

Then you have SwampFrontLawn. I mean what can you say about this rag? Pro-System? Toolfest? Propaganda Clearinghouse? I mean reading this was like going to Karl Rove for an objective take on the Bush administration. Never in all my blogging-life had I read such a piece of crap - and I've read plenty of crap on the boards since 2005.

Status: Getting Less Action Than MAX HARDCORE.

It's not all bad after all. I mean you've got guys from way back in the 1990's like Ken Kerns online. Now I'm not saying Ken is older than dirt, in fact, I'm probably older in age, but it's nice to see a voice from the past millennium talkin about SG. Kerns does a good job in seasonally blogging on SG - good election time articles. Ken also sells books, tote bags, and buttons off of his website. I do believe he may also peddle bumper-stickers.

Got Buttons?

Then there's Gator Gossip Girl. Good little blog, seemed to cater to average bozo more than anything, but good effort. If this were the late 80's/early 90's this blog would be totally zine-worthy! That's actually a compliment, a great read for those memorable moments on the can.

I think that more blogs should stray away from SG for breathers; cover something else! Whether than be skanks with guts in inflatable fraternity swimming pools or talkin about how Joe Bennett wants to pack on muscle and get rich per a facebook update so he can nail Lady Gaga - whatever it may be, stray a bit.

Now I'm not advocating you write books and sell tote bags, but get away a bit.

EEE

EEE and Sg-Span seem to be two peas in the same pod, perhaps a casualty of the infighting of December 2008, or perhaps a concomitant creativity-freeze that warped amateur bloggers everywhere.

Duque's Clear Favorite
One Last Gasp for Fresh Air

SG Gatorade

You can tell there's some clear TR influence on this page. A lot of subject diversity at work here. Last post was in mid-March, so I'm hoping there will be more to come. This seems like a fairly well put together site that could easily be around for years to come, should its author(s) so choose.

Reilly Recap: Friday Night Special Post

2009-04-24T16:52:00.024-04:00

What Novel Extracurriculars for UF Student Body President Theta Chi, I.F.C., Florida Blue Key.

Reilly Recap, 10 words or less

"A massive swamp bar tab."
Matt Martz

"A total waste of time.
He was an empty suit."
Sam Miorelli

"HomeZone."
Ben Dictor

[Back in Fall]"When I infiltrated the meeting,
I remember him saying we were kids
who are mothers didn't hug enough.
Justin Wooten

"Impeachments."
Mark McShera

"An unyielding defense against maligning,
insipid, and misguided partisanship.
J. Clayton Brett

Ken Kerns....Sneak Peak

2009-04-20T02:57:00.013-04:00

TheRaDiKaL: What can you tell us about the Vision Party campaign and working with Gary Slossberg? In what ways did the Voice Party (your incarnation) compare and/or differ from Vision?

Ken Kerns: Vision ran for an extraordinarily long time, from Spring 1997 to Spring 2000. I was only around for its final two elections, when it failed to win any seats. And when I was there, I could see why – very little effort was made to build and sustain coalitions in the fall and spring, and especially at recruiting new activists. In Spring 2000, we were heavily reliant on the qualifications and diversity that our Treasurer candidate brought to the table as BOCC Treasurer and the first openly gay candidate for campus-wide office.

Gary Slossberg was a great person to work with – funny, friendly, and passionate about his beliefs. As the Vision presidential candidate in 1999, for example, he spearheaded an effort to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Of all the political leaders I worked with at UF, he remains my favorite – I can’t quite explain why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that it took a lot to get him mad at you.

Vision was always like that, too – while not a “College Democrats” party, Vision was very much a socially liberal one that was skeptical of FBK and the greek system.

Voice 2001 was a bit different. Our platform was within the Vision tradition of “integrity, democracy, diversity” but our emphasis was on the plight of student organizations, and improving how SG worked. Our biggest fight was over giving more money to student groups – an amendment to the A&S Fee budget that Fusion bitterly opposed in the election but eventually sponsored when it came time to fund the organizational budget. We did not really campaign on social issues as much, although we favored more emphasis on a cleaner environment. With folks like Adam Guilette, a founder of the Liberty Project, on our side, our campaign was more about making SG more responsive, more decentralized.

It’s within the GDI tradition that Vision had cemented, but we had our own policy accents that made it a distinct force.

The Full Ken Kerns Q&A...June 1, 2009
NO MORE POSTPONEMENTS! ONLY 41 Days Left!
Argento, Capezza, Kerns: "The Big 3"

....

2009-04-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

Skeet Surrency: 6 Replies to TheRadikal.com

2009-04-18T02:03:00.005-04:00

1) The quote in which I call Machen an ally was both paraphrased and taken out of context by the alligator and yourself. As you probably know, Alligator reporters don't usually walk around with voice recorders - it's pen and pad for them, which almost always means your quotes will wind up paraphrased the next day. A more accurate quotation would have read "It's nice to Machen as an ally on this issue...” Now of course that sentence they chose to quote me on was just one of many I spoke during the interview, and the one immediately prior to that one was important contextually. It went something like "Budget cuts and tuition increases are symptoms of the same problem - Tallahassee refusing to adequately fund education." And the reason Machen is an ally on that particular issue is because he agrees with that statement 100%. We even got the man to agree that FL is in need of an income tax, which was a real surprise considering his conservatism.

It doesn't mean his handling of the situation is exemplary or commendable - I'd say he's done a horrible job advocating on behalf of students, faculty, and staff at UF. And when we confronted him with that sentiment, his reply was unsurprisingly pragmatic: it's easier to get money out of you students through tuition increases than it is to get this state to fund our school. So his role in this funding crisis is really just a symptom of the crisis itself, not the cause of it.

It is also worth nothing that at this time last year, 4 friends and I starved ourselves for 2 weeks trying to get a seat across the table from Machen to discuss our university's investment practices, which he refused to do. To get into all the ups and downs of my interactions with the man over the past 4 years easily fill an essay. Needless to say, I trust the man as far as I can throw him, yet I am not opposed in principle to working with him when it suits our needs.

2) I have friends and and allies in every political party represented in SG right now. I'm willing to work with anyone willing to work with me.

3) "Old" SDS was primarily a group of friends who got into activism together, and who mostly got out of activism at around the same time. The reasons for that are numerous and include, variously: activist burnout, loss of moral due to our defeat in the SRI campaign, school obligations, other activist obligations, people moving away, and a loss of direction or lack of creative ideas on where to go next.

"New" SDS could refer to anyone who joined SDS around the time when the original members were leaving, and represented a new generation of activists. Old SDS members failed to leave the organization with any sense of institutional memory, or with any meaningful training of new members on how to be successful activists. At the same time, the old SDS members who stuck around still held a considerable amount of sway over the organization, but were not coming up with any plans of their own, or were not able or willing to follow through on them. Even so, it was during this time that we won our first significant victory as activists, which was to stop the installation of handscanners at the rec centers on campus. But compared with our previous levels of activity, SDS was largely stagnant during this time.

New members obviously grew restless with this, and when it became clear that the old members were not offering anything in terms of where to go from here, they charted their own course, which included heavy participation in SG elections and a restructuring of the organization. For better or worse, the prospect of restructuring SDS brought back some old members, who were opposed to some of the measures. Tensions ran high for a while, and the end result was that most of the restructuring proposals passed a vote, but some didn't, and this left many new members dissatisfied. Some ended up leaving to form a new group, the International Socialist Organization. Most of those who left have not been back to a meeting since then.

Since then, SDS has returned to levels of activity similar to what we saw when we first started. Our focus is on the anti-budget cut campaign. Specifically we see our role as operating both independently and within the coalition formed around opposing the cuts (Coalition Save our Schools), in order to push the dialogue of this fledgling movement towards a more radical analysis of the situation. The ISO has also been active during this time, tabling, recruiting members, and attending meetings and conventions. Membership crossover between the two organizations exists on some levels, and it is undoubtedly a good thing that a explicitly socialist organization exists on campus. We could be wonderful compliments of one another, if the levels of collaboration between the two organizations would increase. That's obviously the most constructive direction the two groups could go together, and that's what we're working towards.

4) Frank Bracco has always been a friend of mine within SG. Before there was an Orange and Blue or SDS, I was active in getting an SG referendum question passed in the 2006 elections, and Frank helped me navigate the confusing culture and bureaucracy of SG. Since then he has helped in the same capacity in two other SG referendums I helped get onto election ballots.

Sam and I have no relationship to speak of, except that he served as the president of a political party I was marginally involved in. Politically I'm sure we'd disagree on most subjects.

5) SDS has slated members in the Orange and Blue and the Progress Party. Our constitution officially says that "We are not a mouthpiece for any particular party or ideology... (you can find the rest on our facebook group)." If it made tactical sense, I don't think many in SDS would object as a matter of principle in welcoming members of any political party who are willing to work constructively towards the broad goals outlined in our constitution, nor would we forbid our members from joining such parties. That said, we are unabashedly leftist in our analysis, so it would be odd indeed for much crossover to occur between us and, say, the college libertarians. Even then, we have often welcomed libertarians at our meetings, and have collaborated in putting on events with them, College Democrats, and even the College Republicans (most notably, in debating them on the issue of healthcare, where we were the only advocates of a single payer, universal system, but also in the aftermath of the Andrew Meyer protest, where we worked with the College Libertarians to put on a forum on civil liberties)

6) I did not participate in organizing the last radical rush, but it seemed okay to me.

Thank You, "Joe The Plumber!"

2009-04-17T02:11:00.000-04:00

Lansing Tea Party

2009-04-16T09:56:00.016-04:00

Let me start out by saying that I strongly believe in the concept of taxation and large government. How many people are going to openly admit wanting big government in this age of lousy economics and foreclosures left and right, but at least I'm not naive enough to believe that the markets will cure all evils. It's those same markets that packed up and headed over abroad at the prospects of cheap labor and nil government regulation. Surely, right-wing economists could once again point the finger at big government as the main culprit for the big U.S. companies ditching the red, white, and blue - however, we're not talking about a return to feudalism are we? We still want someone to live in the White House right? We still want a federal legislature and judiciary right? We still want some kind of a national government, right? I mean what's the purpose of chanting "U.S.A, U.S.A.," if you're goal is to revert our national government to the days of the Articles of Confederation?

Governments regulate, they tax, and they spend for the general welfare. So...while I strongly disagree with 90% of the arguments posed at yesterday's Lansing Tea Party, I just want to commend the organizers and even most of the supporters that showed up for taking part in their civic duties. It's important that Americans make good use of their constitutional freedoms to speech, press, and association. These were hard-earned freedoms, truly enjoyed by a select few nations in the world today. Most of these concerned conservatives, I'm sure, never miss an election and never pass up a chance to talk politics. I may not agree with them on substance, but I support their activism as if I were speaking of my own.

In closing, I would hope that the protesters and their supporters keep in mind that President Obama has been in office barely three months. Many of the protesters were extremely disappointed and furious with President over the fledgling economy - it's simply not fair. Give the man a chance. If you disagree at the end of six months, a year, a term - fine, but you're guy had the reins for 8yrs, our guy has been in office 3 Months, take that into account too.

Remember What Saved Us From U.S. Depression...it wasn't the bankers and industrialists being let free to go wild...it was FDR's NEW DEAL!

[Skeet] Surrency Comment Fallout

2009-04-15T00:01:00.014-04:00

"It's being taken somewhat out of context. I took it as Skeet saying Machen was an ally on the issue of raising the sales tax."
Mark McShera
Fmr. O&B Party Presidential Candidate

"I mean a bunch of lefties supporting higher taxes doesn't surprise me.
Sam Miorelli
Fmr. Student Senator
Fmr. O&B Party President

It shows that Skeet believes in his goals enough to not act in the manner of a petulant child. He doesn't take the opposite stance of the administration and Machen just for the sake of being in opposition to them. Any good movement should recognize and be able to exploit opportunities within an established power structure that may present themselves.

Machen can be an ally today on one issue and an arch nemesis tomorrow on another. The world is not black and white and this is how mature and well adjusted individuals conduct themselves. There is no benefit to being shrill for the sake of being shrill. Screaming out, "It's Opposite day!" is the stuff of elementary school yards and high school spirit weeks, it is in now way a manner in which leaders need conduct themselves.
Joseph Trimboli
O&B Party Chairman

"I think the Alligator quoted Skeet out of context. I believe that Skeet would only be refering to Bernie as an ally when it came to the educational sales-tax (since Bernie has publicly supported it) It is well known that Skeet disagrees with Bernie on nearly every issue except this and the Alligator is well known for misquotes."
Frank Bracco
Fmr. O&B Party S.B.V.P. Candidate

"Skeet is a loser that is graduating, and only cares about this stuff because he is a media whore. All his activism is focused around how much he can get his name in the paper."
Justin Wooten
Progress Party Organizer

I don't know what was said or how deserved it was, but I'm skeptical of calling a guy that honestly thinks he deserves a bonus big enough to prevent several faculty being laid off an 'ally of the students,' but hey, if he really is, then he's a great ally to have."
Joe Bennett
Fmr. Student Senator

"Justin Wooten made a very apt analogy by comparing the study-in at Tigert Hall to the London protest referenced in Zizek's seminal essay, "Resistance is Surrender". My fear is that if the student opposition movement to the budget cuts gets too close with administration, it will compromise its autonomy and message.
Dave Schneider
Student Senator, Progress Party Leader

Officials, Progs DIVIDED On Skeet

People have been hammering me as of late for implying that Skeet Surrency is an Official, yet it's interesting how factional-lines distinguish between support and skepticism.

In a post-election [SG]-world, it would seem that the divisions that broke the back of the Indie movement would be all but healed. One would think that 'the movement' is on the money again, waiting to give the machine a bloody nose in Fall! But not the case just yet.

Unlike SG as a whole, SDS is supposed to represent a certain fringe, a certain sector willing to take the fight one step further than the mainstream kids. It's quite unnerving that SDS, a group Skeet Surrency has largely associated with and which is credited with the protest in question, is now considered a Pro-Machen support group. It's not only sad for SDS, it's sad for the entire Independent movement.

SDS Leader Calls Machen "An Ally."

2009-04-11T10:41:00.003-04:00

Read The Alligator Article!

I think dialogue is great, don't get me wrong, but when a key leader of a revolutionary student movement calls the head of the University of Florida's administration 'an ally', then you have to wonder what SDS is exactly all about.

Joe Bennett Speaks!

2009-03-27T22:53:00.008-04:00

TheRadikal: Please tell us when you arrived at UF and what were some of the first organizations/causes you got involved with?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: I arrived at UF in the fall of 2005 and I didn’t really care about SG. I’d been in SG in high school and figured it was a bunch of dorks playing house and adding resume lines. I joined the gator swim club freshman year and then the UF Rugby team fall 2006. I never really got involved with any causes throughout my college career. I did some work with mentally handicapped kids for community service, but I wouldn't describe that as anything close to championing a cause. I directed most of my passions into UF Rugby; building it from a scrub club into a nationally ranked force to be reckoned with. I tore my ACL spring of 2008, taking me out of the game and leaving me with enough free time to find another cause. Queue entrance of Student Government.

The Radikal: How did you first learn about student government and what motivated you to join the Orange & Blue Party and run for public office?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: I got involved in SG through my association with one Mr. Samuel Miorelli, whom I attended high school with and lived with freshman and sophomore year. He told me over the summer that the Senate seat for my college (public health and health professions) was open. I wasn't taking classes at the time, so I had to wait until Fall to apply. I applied as an Independent, and with some pointers from Sam made it through the interview unscathed. My plan was simple: I'd stay Independent in the Senate and vote according to my conscience (that thing everyone talks about doing but never does). I realized very quickly that the Orange and Blue party was essentially a coalition of people that already did that, combined by the common goal of bringing down the corrupt Gator party. I joined right after I got my R&E seat.

TheRadikal: Did the candidates and/or the party change from the days on the campaign trail to the historic Fall victory, and if so, how?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: I wasn't really involved with the historic Fall victory. Like I said, I joined the Senate as a replacement Senator and was not initially involved with Orange and Blue until later on.

I can offer some commentary on how things changed, however. I think what made Fall 2008 so successful was the wonderful circumstance where everyone was united to champion the same goal. Everyone was able to ignore their differences because the Gator party was a foe worth uniting against. The division that caused the formation of Progress and Orange and Blue as separate parties came as the result of personality clashes. Essentially we had two groups of people that didn’t like one another, and so even though they had the same goal of usurping the Gator party, they weren’t willing to work together to make it happen.

The Radikal: How would you describe a typical Tuesday night Senate meeting?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: The typical Senate meeting… makes you lose at least some of your faith in humanity. JJ was almost as bad of a chair as Kelly Dale. The leadership of the Gator party regularly took action ranging from pointless to ludicrous. That anyone is willing to follow them at all is laughable. For some reason people do… I have no idea why.

Orange and Blue would fight the good fight, but far too regularly goes into a conflict expecting to lose. Far too often people complained for the sake of complaining. The chorus of nasal “NAAAAY”s from the back corner did nothing but foster a defeatist attitude. The idea of isolating the party to a single, back corner in a four corner room is in itself defeatist. We needed to work much harder at being the voice of reason and providing an example for others to follow. Far too often we just bitched; no one respects that.

The Radikal: How would you describe typical office hours, a senator's modern day relationship with Glenda & Sandy, and a typical senator's relationship with his/her Senate President?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: I didn’t really do many office hours; I tabled for my constituency requirements because it took half as long to get done. The time I spent in the office was either for Rules and Ethics or working with John Ossip on something or other. JJ was a terrible Senate President, one of the least genuine people I have ever interacted with, and almost as poor of a chair as Kelly Dale. Glenda is a nice lady, but I wonder why she stays around. Everyone in Senate speaks well of her, but few and far between are the Senators that treat her like a human being.

The Radikal: What are some of your proudest moments w/ O&B in Senate? Low points?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: My proudest moments in Senate were defeating the bills removing minority protections and gaining the support of some Gator senators. There was a small victory every time we succeeded in getting a Gator party senator to vote their conscience. It’s truly terrifying how mindlessly people will vote for things that are blatantly morally reprehensible, and so seeing someone break free from brainwashing or resist being strong-armed was inspirational. Ben Dictor gets most of the credit for getting a lot of these Senators on our side, but I’d like to think I had something to do with it as well.

Getting bylaws written for the Orange and Blue party and having elections for new officers was somewhat of a personal victory, although the main aim in doing that was to prevent the party splitting. History can tell you how well that one worked out…
That leads into my lowest point; the split between Orange and Blue and Progress. Political death. We essentially said, “Here Unite, have the election, we didn’t want it anyway.”

Another huge source of exasperation for me was Rules and Ethics. From the committee’s ridiculous refusal to subpoena Riley for the Green Means Go emails to the Senate’s repeated refusal to kick out Taxter. I still can’t believe he kept his seat. Pretty much the only time the guy came to Senate was to plead not to be kicked out. He didn’t even show up to his hearing with Rules and Ethics to defend himself.

I’m going to have to stop here in the interest of time, but rest assured I have witnessed more ridiculous occurrences during my time in Senate than I care to recall.

The Radikal: We all know you left Student Government, but no one really knows why. Could you please tell us, in your own words, why you stepped away from SG? Is the move permanent?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: I must admit I’m at a bit of a loss as to why anyone would find it a mystery why I stepped away from SG. I’m graduating this May, so I wasn’t planning on running for reelection. Everyone I’ve spoken to was aware of this. I had moral qualms about running for an office that I knew ahead of time I would have to vacate within a few months. At the time I resigned, I had only a few Senate meetings left until my term was over. The opportunity arose for me to enroll in a first responder class as a precursor to Emergency Medical Technician training (it was only offered Tuesday nights 6 to 10 PM). I would have had to delay my plans by at least a semester in order to stay in Senate for three more meetings. With nothing pressing on the table, I decided to go the First Responder route. I’ll get the chance to actually save lives instead of just talking about doing it (paraphrased from Alan Yanuck).

As for my withdrawal itself, I’m still around for anyone that wants my help. The only call I received from anyone in SG during the elections was from Sam Miorelli, who needed a candidate to slate with Orange and Blue for my college. I found him one within 20 minutes. That said, I’m not a Senator anymore, so I am taking a step back. SG is draining, and I have to decide how best to direct my energies. During my time as a Senator, I would regularly spend entire days working on nothing but SG issues. I just can’t afford to keep doing that.

During the elections, I kept to myself mainly because I never decided who I wanted to support. On a case by case basis, the Progress party had more candidates I supported, but fundamentally I was opposed to the formation of a second party to begin with. I’d been saying since well before the election that any division would be our downfall. I tried hard to stop it; I wish I’d tried harder. To beat the force that is the United Swampy Gator Party, we have to be working as a unit.

The Radikal: If O&B and Progress were to join forces, would you consider returning to SG to work with Eric Conrad & Joe Trimboli?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: I will work with anyone that wants to improve SG. I’ve known Joe Trimboli since high school and have gotten on well with Eric Conrad since I first met him. I’m not sure why you chose those two people specifically, but yeah I’ll be around Gainesville until fall 2010 and I’m willing to help out.

The Radikal: Per my promise, there will be no questions regarding contentious matters as of 11/2008-03/2009, however, some of these issues have been marked in word association.

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: Not sure what issues you’re referring to, but sounds good.

Ben Dictor: Charismatic. The Progress party was basically formed around Ben as a presidential candidate. A lot of the victories we had in the Senate during fall and early spring were due to his gaining of rapport with opposition senators.

Grasshopper: Experienced. No one’s been around longer than this guy. He makes damn good pizza rolls too.

Elizabeth Stinson: Angry. I have no idea if she is even sure what her own goals are. She shouts a lot and talks big but I’ve never really seen her do anything constructive.

Stacey Gray: Promising. One of the nicest people I’ve met. It will be a sad day for the student body if she ends up as jaded as the rest of the people in SG.

Joe Trimboli: Veteran. He’s been around SG for ages. I disagree with him on some issues and he knows that, but we get along well. That said, he works for an insurance company. You can never really trust an insurance salesman.

GMGo Emails: Pain in the ass. They basically highlight everything wrong with SG. In themselves they show how corrupt SG leadership was and is. The refusal of R&E to investigate them shows even more clearly how much Gator sucks. They were almost assuredly obtained illegally, also a problem. That said, they exposed corruption, and for that they were invaluable.

Mark McShera: Likeable. He was easy to rally around; reference his spontaneous appointment to the R&A committee. He got too hot headed at times, but he’s a good guy. I wish he’d stepped down to allow Ben to run for SG President, but then I also wish Ben had done the same thing for Mark.

Kyle Huey: Behind the scenes. Never saw much of him but apparently he does a lot.

12/11 Meeting/Scandal: I’m not great with dates, but I’m going to assume this is referring to the Orange and Blue open meeting where we called out the supposed cabal. Since then people have said the word “cabal” is too strong. Whatever. I don’t care what word you use; a large portion of the party was being lied to by our leadership and I called them out on it. I was personally the one that called them out on it, but for some reason in the weeks that followed a number of people chose to hold it against Ben Dictor, who actually had very little to do with it. That did not help the healing process.

By this point our party was tearing apart at the seams. A lot of people were pissed at one another; pretty much every person with good reason. We were headed for splitsville, and this was my last ditch effort to get our issues out into the open and keep everyone on the same page. It was a shitty situation, but we made the best of it. We got bylaws passed and new officers elected. I could go down the list and tell you the mistakes made by each person involved, but the bottom line is that we didn’t do what we needed to do to stay together. Divided we got conquered.

O&B 2009: Good luck. They’ve taken a big hit and they need to figure out where to go from here. My vote is to have O&B and Progress get back together.

Progress 2009: Best wishes. I’m happy for the grad seat wins, but I don’t like how people are viewing them. Winning eight seats means Unite got all the rest. It was a big step back from the success of the previous Fall. As far as I’m concerned, as long as Unite or Gator or whatever they call themselves are winning, everyone is losing. I hope they have more success in the future.

Keg 2009: Retarded. Leading up to the election we were concerned that Gator would form several parties to diffuse the anti-Greek vote. They didn’t go that route, so some genius decided to do it for them. Whoever’s idea it was to form this party should kick themselves in the balls/ovaries.

Unite 2009: U suck. Every time I see someone with that stupid U on a shirt or sticker I lose some respect for them. That U does not stand for Unite in my brain.

Frank Bracco: Overzealous. He’s got good ideas but has zero ability to build rapport with people that don’t already agree with him.

Charles Grapski: Activist. I don’t know anything about what the guy stands for, but I can’t help but admire anyone willing to sacrifice so much for what they believe. Whether he’s insane or just determined I don’t know.

Thomas Jardon: I don’t really know him well enough to comment.

Matt Martz: --- [Fmr. Sen. Bennett wrote in to state he in fact has not met Mr. Martz and to offer his apologies for the mix-up.

The Radikal: Any parting words?

Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett: SG’s main problem is that it’s populated by people that realize things are corrupt, but are unwilling to take a stand against it. They join Gator/Unite because they think they can make change from the inside. Pretty soon they find they value their resume lines too much to rock the boat. As always, it’s the sheep, not the wolves, that are the real problem. Dumbasses like JJ and Fager pose no threat at all until you add 60 Senators ready to blindly vote at their command.

Friday Is Joe Bennett Night!

2009-03-27T17:51:00.002-04:00

The Q&A will be published at around 10pm tonight :)

Updates

2009-03-25T21:33:00.008-04:00

I'll be speaking with Fmr. Progress Party Presidential candidate, Sen. Benjamin Dictor this weekend for an update on where the Progress Party is headed, continued negotiations with O&B, and SG-strategies. Dictor, whether remaining at UF or not (like Bruce Haupt), has made a lasting contribution to the modern day independent movement.

I'm also awaiting the Q&A from Fmr. Sen. Joe Bennett and working on some loose ends for the months of April & May, as well as hopefully getting more involvement from Joe Trimboli & Eric Conrad on the State of the Parties.

I'm also hoping to be able to have a Jordan Johnson Q&A up at some point during his administration - I consider this a top priority for the blog and would be ever-so-gracious to anyone that could help make this happen.

GDI v. Mainstream Indie

2009-03-15T23:18:00.005-04:00

Mainstream Indies

GDI's

There's three types of Independents...yes more subcultures...but these three types have been around a lot longer than yours truly or this blog. The first type (which is a Greek-friendly version, e.g. "Swamp," "Impact") was not present in this election. The next garden variety is the Mainstream (or Moderate) Independent (ala Progress '05, Action, or Hernandez-UNITE!), which in this case would be the Orange & Blue Party. The smallest type - and contrary to this year's upset, the worst performing faction - are the GDI's (see Student Alliance '03, Keg '04, Voice '05, and arguably, ARGUABLY Keg '09.

In the featured videos, you see Mainstream GDI's using the same influences as their elder-GDI counterparts and while funny, the O&B version seems forced, whereas as the Pants version is very spontaneous, laid back, and naturally "WHATEVER!"

You decide for yourself. Put your film critic's hat on and comment!

Early Decision

2009-03-12T10:03:00.000-04:00

I've decided to lift Kerns' ban and declare an end to the cyber conflict between us. This decision was inspired by a brief facebook exchange with Ken yesterday.

A New Term: "The Officer Corps"

2009-03-09T01:29:00.000-04:00

TR Terms - A Review

Officials - the hardline-moderate wing of the O&B Party pre-2009. This faction, was loosely led by outgoing Party President Sam Miorelli and retained control of the party, during a brief mutiny led by the 'the Progs' culminating with the 12/11 Scandal.

'Progs' - disenfranchised minority wing of the O&B Party pre-2009, led by Benjamin Dictor. The faction sought a primary, but withdrew during the 12/11 Scandal.

'Prags' - smaller ideological tendency, found in both factions. Leading figures in this movement included Mark McShera and Joe Bennett (who is no longer involved with SG).

"The Officer Corps" - label for mid-level party leadership in O&B, Progress during 2009 Negotiations Period - (beginning with rumored talks between Eric Conrad & Joe Trimboli.

"The OC's", as postulated by this blog, will likely man the last holdout pockets of resistance to an O&B/Progress reconciliation, should such a move be either premature or backward in substance.

12/11 - Progs believe cling to this date as marking a deceptive Executive Order by O&B Party President Donte Hargrove, whereas Officials believe that Progs had ample notice of the meeting time(s) and that this is a mere smoke screen.

"I don’t see the December 11th meeting as a cause for the now-Progress Party members leaving Orange & Blue but rather a manifestation of the actual root causes. I chose to not attend the meeting because I was uncomfortable with the idea that we would hold a critical discussion without a significant portion of the party being present. As it was, quorum was called with only 13 members present. There simply wasn’t enough time for many senators to adjust their schedule, especially given the proximity of the date to finals.

I don’t want anyone to be crying over spilt milk, though. In the words of Lady Macbeth, 'What’s done is done.'"

Sen. Dave Schneider (Progress)
3/09/2009

GMG Emails - Officials called the Progs bluff on this one. Progs failed to deliver the goods, though, 'the Officials' believe this turned the PR tide against them.

Toto - a rumored multiple personality of Justin Wooten. Many anon posts claimed Wooten engaged this double in lively conversations on bus-stops all throughout campus. These tales amounted to nothing but off-color humor. Toto also supposedly beat up Wooten at a Turlington restroom.

SG News! Served Up Fresh Since 2005!

2009-03-05T22:56:00.005-05:00

Opposition Leader's Wallet Stolen!

"I was at a concert last night, the girltalk show at the venue, and i realized about halfway through that my wallet was gone."

Sen. Dave Schneider (Progress) spoke to TheRadikal, stating that the larceny began within thirty minutes of the theft and that he raced to cancel credit cards - SMART MOVE! Schneider was an integral part of the Spring 2009 student body elections, where the longshot Progress Party defeated its larger, more solidifed indie rival nine seats to nothing.

"Progress Won't Survive Summer A."

Fmr. O&B Party President Sam Miorelli is convinced the rogue O&B faction that became the Progress Party has its days in the UF-Senate numbered. The Officialist-Indie leader (recognized by this blog as one of the Great SG leaders of the 2000-2010 decade) had this to say:

"I just don't think that putting all of your political eggs in the GSC basket with Ryan OMara and Grasshopper is a sustainable electoral strategy...

I don't think they'll survive past Summer A."

In response to Miorelli's comments, current Progress Party President Joshua Simmons lashed back, stating:

"Ignorance and volume often make for a lethal combination, and Sam has plenty of both.

Since his conception of "surviving as a Senate party" seems to be calling for dilatory roll-call votes, standing to pose irrelevant, inflammatory, and often insulting questions, and generally just being as obstructionist as possible, then yes, we probably won't "survive as a Senate party."

However, I can guarantee that the Progress caucus will do far more policy-making in this one summer than Sam Miorelli has ever done in his entire SG career.

Dictor and I aren't planning for the next election - we're going to be here for the next few months helping do what we set out to, and then we're leaving Gainesville. For the first time in a number of semesters, independents are going to focus on policy, and not on politics."

Joe Bennett Agrees To Tell-All Q&A!

The next big name to grace the Q&A Roster will be a name that was largely absent from the recent student body elections. This will be Joe's time to explain why he left SG! This is a must-read for anyone interested in the current crop of Indie leaders and for those curious as to what internal party strife means to the guys on the front lines!

Matt Martz Shares 'His Side'

O&B Activist, Matt Martz gave TheRadikal.com an exclusive on the comings-and-goings of current scandal rocking the pillars of UF student leadership. The following was provided directly from the man some insiders called 'O&B Spymaster'.

"I really dont know the name to be honest [when asked by yours truly for the identity of an unknown sorority member/speaker at tonight Senate meeting], a friend of mine was handing out I-voted-stickers outside of a KA social at Xs because we saw them walk by Salty Dog while we were drinking

Two or three frat guys start harassing her so i come up to get them to go inside the club (we were handing them out at the door) anyway after awhile of me trying to get them inside and them yelling at me that i was unethical one of the KA guys makes some comment about how much more he gets laid than me, and to look around at the girls walking in so i tell him that at least i dont have to pay to get laid (referring to frat dues)anywho, like 5 minutes later in the conversation they threaten to call the cops if we dont leave saying that they will tell them that I pushed his girlfriend and sexually harassed her and that his frat brothers would all back him up.

I told him to fuck himself and to call the cops, he didnt, and all of sudden a few days later after it became apparent that the charges against me for stealing I-Voted-Stickers werent going to hold up, an elections complaint comes up essentially they are ramping up the pressure, they tried a false police report on the election wednesday and once that fell through they are pushing this sorority girl to lie to get me in trouble with Student judicial affairs

The better part was apparently before Stephen lawson, the elections commission chair announced the results he went off topic to say that I in no way should be trusted; I dont have the exact wording because I wasnt there but yeah, twice in one meeting I was called out its just JJ and Dan Siegel ramping up their retalitory actions for me requesting then printing i voted stickers they know they are fucked as soon as i get my legal brief in order, they broke a shit ton of laws."

I have a little trouble believing all this. In fact, when a few brave FIJI M-E-N escorted Access Presidential candidate Jamal Sowell through Fraternity Row, there wasn't a nicer group than those diversity-loving KA's. I still remember, fondly, a young KA man, wearing a KA cap on no less, walking by me as I tried to hand him an Access flyer and speak with him about Sowell, stating, "I won't vote for that colored." I remember how I lovingly followed him from Turlington to the Hub bus-stop, courteously reminding him of what a lovely sentiment he'd just shared with me. So I must say, Mr. Martz you had me going, until you mentioned that glorious fraternity. I cannot believe they would make such a sordid tale. Bless those boys! Bless them.

Bracco/Wooten Feud Continues
Indie leaders from both factions need to figure out a way to get Wooten & Bracco speaking again. It will surely take a village - let's try Hawthorne - I mean what else do they have goin on anyways?

That's all folks.

Bracco, Wooten Feud Heats Up

2009-03-01T20:47:00.025-05:00

Orange & Blue Leader Frank Bracco has been fingered by top Progress Lt. Justin Wooten in a scandal rocking the Independent movement. Wooten claims he has first hand knowledge that the former O&B Vice Presidential candidate has been telling fellow party-members that Wooten is an FBI Agent, allegations that, if true, will put a major damper on hopes of a key-Summer-pactbetween the two warring Indie factions.

"We need a united front for [Fall]," expresses a key indie leader on the ground at UF. Wooten, who is widely rumored heir-apparent to the Progress-presidency, a post currently held by Joshua Simmons, is the #1 go-to person O&B should be looking to win over.

Bracco, on the other hand, is a senior member of the independent movement, having made his bones with the heroic Pants Party of Bruce Haupt and following that up with a successful tenure at the helm of a key SG Agency, not to mention consisten ground & organizational work several indie parties.

Many people have had their fingers crossed since the results were announced - hoping for unity and reconciliation. On the other hand, many hardliners (from both parties, I'm afraid to say) still have some fight left in 'em. It could be Bracco/Wooten or it could be Heinz or Hunts Ketchup, but some hardliners seem poised to carry on the tensions - even though the elections are a thing of the past.

Question is...will this feud provide a forum for the upcoming battles? You Decide!

"What Do The Insiders Say?"

"It's utter nonsense. SDS people made it up and Bracco just parroted it. If Wooten has beef he should take it to SDS.

Chairman Joe Trimboli
Orange & Blue Party

"I think it's a bit overblown, although Bracco has been extremely obnoxious as of late and Wooten's not one to tolerate a lot of rowdy and unwarranted behavior.

Like, Bracco was yelling and screaming about this poster we made and put up at our table in turlington w/ our exec and lil wayne+obama and he was really trying to raise hell, saying we were misrepresenting ourselves and falsely implying that these two figures endorsed us.

And Wooten flat out told him to shut the fuck up, or something in that ballpark which may have sparked the fbi comment as backlash.

But like, even after o&b pulled their complaints against progress (a ridiculously shallow gesture), Frank still filed a couple against us for the lil wayne poster."
Sen. Dave Schneider
Rumored Progress Party 2010 SBP Candidate

"I think Wooten isn't a student at UF and seriously question how much free time he has on his hands that he's so "involved" in SG politics."
Sam Miorelli
Fmr.O&B Party President

"Wooten wins in the 5th round by TKO. Sam is trying to be relevant. Wooten is a really good guy, committed to the party and the cause."

Sen. Benjamin Dictor (Progress)
2nd Place Finisher, UF-SG Fmr. SBP Candidate

Congratulations to Unite, Progress, & O&B.

2009-02-26T22:50:00.002-05:00

The Original photo has been deleted. I received an email from Harrison Diamond Photo Editor of The Independent Florida Alligator, stating:

"I already had to come down hard on the Unite party after they stole the image you used in the congratulations post on their campaign website after being formally warned not to use the images from our site on any campaignmaterials. I have nothing against you, your blog, or anything like that,but it is important that I am consistent in matters of protecting ourintellectual property."

I saved the photo from Jordan Johnson's facebook profile, thinking it looked very classy. Mr. Diamond pointed to six other photos on my blog since October that were taken from the Alligator.

I have asked Mr. Harrison to please provide me with all dates in question so that I may remove them and issue proper credit. Over the past four years I have been the subject of articles, as well as had letters and a column printed in the Alligator. I've enjoyed the readership of Alligator writers and, arguably, its editors. Over the course of the past four years, I've cited the Alligator and/or shared photos without any incident - whatsoever. However, Mr. Diamond makes very valid points in that these photos are intellectual property and requests must be made, be it from a political party, a blog, or anyone else for that matter.

I hope that no one's feelings are rubbed the wrong way by this post, but I believe a valuable lesson has been learned here today and I wanted to go above and beyond Mr. Diamond's request because I feel it's the right thing to do.

Final Election Thoughts

2009-02-26T00:05:00.004-05:00

The Progress Party (first endorsed by TheRadikal.com and later by the Independent Florida Alligator) must live on. While Orange & Blue remains a viable independent party, the real GDI's are in the Progress Party. Unaware of any election results, I believe the only person that can be to Progress what Sam Miorelli was to Orange & Blue - or what James Argento was to Access -- or what Ken Kerns was to Voice - is Justin Wooten.

This incarnation of Progress means something. SG can finally move in a honorable direction, educating the students about worldly affairs, organizing grassroots campaigns for true sustainability (not just dropping a plastic recycle bin outside some random classroom in Turlington. History shows us that the students are the ones that pushed for civil rights, suffrage, gay rights, the students helped end wars, but here at UF, the students are relegated to bullshit roles in a government that's carefully monitored by the UF Administration and infected with legacies and good ole boy systems.

Whatever the results may be, the only party that was truly about real, in-your-face change: was Progress and this party should not 'marry' O&B or sail off into oblivion. Progress should be alive and well in 2009, with Dave Schneider as its presidential candidate in 2010.

In the coming weeks I hope to look into the Keg Party and study how O&B chose to milk the name of a heroic party, we'll also look at the threatened ***complaint*** [correction] from Elizabeth Stinson against our dear Ben Dictor. Once again, major kudos to Mark McShera for a kickass, LIVE Q&A. This blog may have endorsed Progress, but the Dictor Q&A, much like the Bracco one, was a snoozer. Then again the interviews took place at different times...Ben was trying to gain support and by the time we got to Mark the lines in the sand had not been drawn, but were actively being held, defended, w/e.

Jordan Johnson was smart to extend a hand to Wooten- he's the future of the Independent movement. It's not Ben Cavatero in 2010, it's not Donte Hargrove, it's not TH allegedly redbaiting... interesting.

Well anyways the law library is closing soon. I heard Brandon White didn't campaign much - heard this from both Indie factions...that's mildly pathetic.

So anyways, best of luck to Ben, Mark, Justin, Joe, the Geico spokesman, Liz, Dave, Joe Bennett (don't pull an Eric Gordon....come back to SG), Sam, Crazy-But-Cool MT, Alleged Redbaiter TH, Alan, Gary, Stacey, Grasshopper, Bracco (stop [allegedly] calling Justin an FBI Agent), and everyone else.

Charlie Grapski, glad you're out, thanks for letting me know, you to Michael. I brought Progress to your side, when no one knew who you were, but doin that for ya since 2005, but no sweat. Try to stay out of jail, will always support you in one way or another, but stay out of trouble - if you can, lol.

Best of luck to Mark and Ben, seriously. Jordan Johnson, good luck to you too. Keg...jump off a cliff.

TheRadikal.com's Official Election Predictions

2009-02-21T18:14:00.004-05:00

First and foremost, let me speak to the issue of credibility. Aside from my Alum' readership, every single regular contributor and friend of the blog hails allegiance to one of the two major Indie factions. There are minor factions as well - be very sure of this. However, these minor factions have succumbed to the ramifications of internal party strife - not seen in Indie cirlcles since the Spring 2005 term.

Minor factions have wrestled with the fact that they are not in a position to break into yet another viable faction and so, have compromised their stances and become mere tendencies of a larger, more pronounced organization - key tendencies from within the Progs would be best articulated by those wanting more revolutionary politics and a mor militant-SG. The leadership of the Progress Party, while possibly sympathetic to many of these worldly causes, has undergone sometimes subtle, sometimes rigid efforts aimed at keeping Dictor a viable alternative to McShera for many Indie moderates. So...I would say that a minor faction within Progress would be 'The Red & Blacks' championed by Justin Wooten. Let it be recorded for all [SG]history, that it was not Ben Dictor or Ben Dictor's charm that won the Progress Party this blog's endorsement, rather, it was the ideological perspectives and future-outlook of Justin Wooten. JW is the red, MT is the black, and JS is neither, but they're all Progress!.

The Orange & Blue Party's minor faction would be the The Pragmatists, of which I believe even Mark McShera could be categorized as being a part of. This faction, through failed attempts stretching even pre-12/11, seemed growingly resilient in its efforts at avoiding a split. Initially, 'the Progs' seemed open to talks with the stunning victory of Donte Hargrove, but even this bleak glimmer of hope soon faded, as Hargrove formally accepted the strengthened role of Party Chair Joe Trimboli (almost a pre-condition on his very election) , thereby substantially weakening the title he'd gain from outgoing Party President (& boss) Sam Mioreli. I believe, that the election of Hargrove drew a line between hardline-Official thought and a version of pragmatism willing to lose some power, in the hopes of saving the day. It's no secret McShera more than likely voted for Hargrove, but what does this say about the candidate and the structure of the party supporting him? Supporting or forcing? Today there is no question Mark wants the Presidency, but in Oct., Nov., and Dec. - it's a bit iffy.

(getting past that little preamble)....

I have Johnson winning the first round, similar to Joe Goldberg in '05, missing the win by less than 1-point. Forcing a run-off.

I predict a large turn-out election: 13,000 votes, of which I believe Jordan Johnson will receive between 6,000-6,500 votes; I believe O&B will come in a distant second with between 3,250 - 3,500 votes; Progress I believe will get between a low of 1,600 votes and a high of 2,100; independent/write-ins candidates will probably secure the remaining votes.

Not to be bested by Progress '05, I believe Progress '09 would not only not endorse Orange & Blue (staying silent per MM/Robert's incarnation) but endorse Unite/Johnson as a final vindication. Johnson/Unite, will more than likely offer piecemeal concessions through mid-level intermediaries and likely fail to give full faith and credit under a Johnson administration to any of the said offers come May 2009.

At this point, Dictor (like most defeated presidential candidates - e.g. Tommy Jardon, Dennis Ngin, Bruce Haupt, Jared Hernandez, Travis Marsh, etc) would either graduate and leave, fade away, or decide to hang up their prestigious SG credentials, opting for retirement and possibly living on as consultants for a carefully selected cadre of respective proteges.

It will be with Dictor's defeat (or McShera's) that we will see where th Independent movement will head post-election and into the new decade. I believe a JW/MT-led Progress would never marry Orange & Blue in the Fall of this year, then again it depends who's in the driver seat.

For O&B Trimboli is the driver (with Miorelli making the gear changes, Cavatero navigating (despite the fact the car comes with OnStar), Stacey Gray has been carefully buckeled into her baby-chair, and Hargrove's out behind in full force - pushing.) . In Progress Simmons is doing the driving, Dictor is doing the site-seeing, MT has leaned forward from the backseat to channel-surf the radio-dial, meanwhile JW & a group of SDS'ers push the car as it smokes by O&B at high speeds of 9mph - yes NINE MILES PER HOUR.

O&B Nominee, Sen. Mark McShera Speaks!

2009-02-18T01:15:00.004-05:00

The Great Hope of UF Independents seems poised to take on Johnson, Dictor!

TheRaDiKaL: When did you arrive at UF and what organizations did you initially get ivovled with?

Sen. Mark McShera: I arrived at UF in Fall 2006 and became involved with the UF College Democrats. I also attended a few Habitat For Humanity and VOX meetings but decided to really stick with College Dems.

TheRaDiKaL: How & Why did you get involved with SG - and - do you see SG as true voice of the students?

Sen. Mark McShera: I got involved with Student Government when my friend Joe Trimboli brought me into the Fall 2007 iteration of the Progress Party. My motivation for getting involved with the SG reform movement was a general dissatisfaction with the way leaders like John Boyles represented the student body.
Currently I do not see SG as the real voice of the students, Again and again SG caves to the administration on issues like the conduct code regulation changes we say in Fall 2008.

TheRaDiKaL: Many members of the System (students & alums) have stated that O&B made a lot of noise, but failed to deliver anything of substance in chamber from Spring '08 - Fall '08. How would you respond to such statements?

Sen. Mark McShera: I would categorically disagree. We almost doubled CLAS's representation in Student Government. Our senators and supporters negotiated with the VPSA's office to make the conduct code changes more palatable. For the first time in recent memory Student Government began actually following Florida law on the Sunshine Standards. Many of our efforts were blocked by the Gator Party out of sheer bad will. I don't think we can be faulted for the failure of resolutions that 80% of students supported and the Gator Party subsequently voted down.

TheRadiKaL: In your own words, how would best (and concisely) describe the split between the two factions of O&B.

Sen. Mark McShera: Ben Dictor knew he would never been democratically nominated by the Orange & Blue Party so, after lying to nearly everyone in the party, he left and formed a third party. Dictor planned to run no matter what. He discussed his current exec ticket as early as October with Donte, the only question that remained was whether he would run under the Orange & Blue name or another. The answer to that is clear now.

TheRaDiKaL: To what degree would attribute the exclusion of Josh Simmons from any post of trust in O&B, to the split of December 2008?

Sen. Mark McShera: Simmons has his own motivations for forming a third party, I wouldn't say splitting from Orange & Blue because he was never a member of the party. Josh wants power and friends, that's all it ever came down to. He knew Joe and Sam or anyone else who knew his history would never trust him or allow him to do anything but pass out flyers. Ben Dictor and his supporters also offered Josh the base of of friends he so badly desired now that Cruts and Grove are gone. Simmons and Dictor played off of each others lust for power but I believe Simmons to be more of a bit player. Ben Dictor was going to run regardless of Josh Simmons. At this point Simmons is just along for the ride.

TheRaDiKaL: In your opinion, what motivated the Progs insofar as demanding disclosure and transparency on the GMG Emails.

Sen. Mark McShera: Ben Dictor's personal political ambitions motivated their witch hunt on the green means go emails. He wanted the party to surrender to him with empty claims about the "Green Means Go" emails. Basically he trumped up the charges he leveled in a last ditch attempt to take over the party.

TheRaDiKaL: Question #1 from Sen. Schneider: what constructive measures in the senate he's put forth to push for online voting? (not including public debate and/or questioning officials)

Sen. Mark McShera: There have been none. Attempting to push online voting in the senate would endanger the Online Voting Lawsuit as it would call into question whether final administrative action has been taken on the Amendment. The only way online voting will ever make it onto the ballot at UF will be under a court order. I suggest Senator Schneider consult both Florida law and student government history on these points.

TheRadiKaL Question #2 from Sen. Schneider: In hindsight, do you regret not adjusting the language of the handscanner bill so as to get the Gator Party behind it and if not, why?

Sen. Mark McShera: I voted for an amendment that made the bill easier for the Senators to understand in an attempt to get the handscanner bill passed. So no I don't have any regrets.

TheRaDiKaL (Question #3 from Sen. Schneider): How does Sen. McShera respond to the allegations that his treasurer candidate is a shameless opportunist, given that he sought the nomination from two parties prior to going to O&b

Sen. Mark McShera: Brandon White is the most qualified candidate to be Student Body Treasurer on the UF campus. Period. His performance in the debates thus far has clearly demonstrated this.

He is a great asset to the ticket.

The RadiKaL (Question from Fmr. CTV Director, Frank Bracco): Do you feel the good ol' boy system still exists at UF and if so in what form? How do you plan to change this system if it does exist?

Sen. Mark McShera: The Green Means Go Scandal proves that it absolutely does. The Gator/Unite Party promises away SG positions and Blue Key taps in exchange for organizational support. The best way to combat it is to appoint the most qualified candidates to all positions in Student Government.

The RaDiKaL (Question from GDI Legend, Nick Capezza): "Would a bicameral SG legislature be better for the student body?"

Sen. Mark McShera: That's an interesting question. I don't really see how a bicameral legislature would be any more effective. A larger chamber of deputies style lower house would allow for more diverse representation but would be impracticable based on colleges and residence areas. A smaller upper house would probably only divide independent support and allow for less competitive elections. Ultimately I don't think it would help.

The RaDiKaL (Question from UF Activist/Progress leader, Jon Bull): If a runoff election takes place between Jordan Johnson and Ben Dictor, could you guarantee Ben your full support?"

Sen. Mark McShera: Absolutely. Ben Dictor has shown repeteadly over the last 3 months that he would make a great Student Body President.

The RadiKaL (Question from Access Party supporter Galen Wood): How would you choose your cabinet - who do you already have in mind?

Sen. Mark McShera: I would have to consult heavily with Stacey on Cabinet Chairs and Directors, as she would be overseeing them. I don't have anyone in mind for cabinet yet. We would ultimately select the person that we thought brought the best ideas and most energy to the position.

Name Association
5 words or less

Sam Miorelli - a warhorse and a good friend
Donte Hargrove - fiery and a relentless campaigner
Toto - That joke is lost on me.
Ben Dictor - Vain
Justin Wooten - Fierce supporter of dictor
Kim Cruts - Simmons ally, minor player in Gator
Nina Martinez - dedicated campaigner
Stacey Gray - Great running mate, poised
Jordan Johnson - Nice guy but not SBP material
Thomas Jardon - History professor of the movement
Skeet Surrency - Smart guy, very funny
Joe Trimboli - one of my best friends, fierce
Glenda Frederick - Another great source of historical information
Kyle Huey - effective at almost everything a campaign needs behind the scenes
James Argento - friend of Will Foster, helped run Access
Christian Duque - always controversial but well intentioned
Ken Kerns - reunion at university ave
Armando Grundy - dedicated to the party

TheRaDiKaL: Any final thoughts?

Sen. Mark McShera: I look forward to the election this Spring and think its the best chance the independent movement has had at a major breakthrough since Access. Hopefully over the next 2 weeks the Orange & Blue Party will continue its trend of expanding election after election, culminating in the victory of of executive ticket.

That Takes Guts!

2009-02-10T13:40:00.002-05:00

We often talk about people being brave and usually look over to our service personnel in Iraq & Afghanistan as primary examples - and they are, rest assured. But there's other examples of bravery, courageous people that are determined to living their lives 'by any means necessary' (TY Comrade Malcom).

I was at this awesome alternative diner last night and saw a really awesome looking person. I wasn't sure if he was a dragqueen (stylistic persuasion) or Trans (a bonafide gender identity) person. What I was sure about is that this person was alive, vibrant, and having a blast with friends.

Before leaving I bought a slice of cherry pie, with whipped cream, a la mode and walked over to their table. "You look awesome," I began and handed my present over. She was so happy and touched that she got up and gave me a huge hug. I'm guessing she was around 6'2 or so and had 6" heels, so she actually towered over me, lol.

She insisted we exchange numbers and said that what I had done was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. I told her she deserved it and left.

I met a really nice person that loved life and lived on her own terms and you should all know, there's no other way that's worth living.

:)

Fantasy Motorcycle Ride

2009-02-09T23:59:00.003-05:00

I wonder which would be more likely at this point: Ben Dictor & Mark McShera joining forces or Graham Clark going for a motorcycle ride with Justin Wooten. I have never met Wooten, though I have a great deal of respect for him. Still, it would be funny if Graham bearhugged the Dictor-Lt., with his hair blowing in the wind, as the motorbike jetsetted across University Avenue, honking and waving pedestrians up and down the boulevard.

The GMG Emails

2009-02-05T10:52:00.003-05:00

This controversial issue will go down in history as one of the most contentious issues between the two major factions of the Orange & Blue Party. The Officials controlled meetings through adroit replies under direct questioning by Prog stalwarts in prosecutorial form. Miorelli was vocal in that he received the information by post, having kept the original envelope, and denying knowledge of its sender - a story that has not once changed.

Ben Dictor, made various comments challenging the honesty & integrity of those he once called party colleagues. Meanwhile those same party colleagues, were right to be outraged, in that everyone benefitted from the leak in Fall - including Progressive senators up for election.

But I guess the real question is, what really could have been done here? Plausibly-speaking.

The Officials Return [Heavier] Fire.

2009-02-04T09:34:00.007-05:00

Both factions took the trouble of digging themselves in post 12/11, almost in Great War like fashion, firing sporadically at one another with the occasional mortar or two raining down on a mess hall or latrine. A few people gone blown off their can, but no major action.

Slating saw an eleventh hour attempt at peace. Ken Kerns should take pride, as do I, in that even during the slating efforts were made to reconcile. Dictor showed up, McShera did not. Mark's excuse, 'they didn't confirm'; Dictor's excuse to the 12/11 meeting cancellation/re-setting and his absence 'they didn't confirm.' Initially McShera/Officials through authorized personnel were willing to engage through yours truly (not Armando Grundy, lol), but the Progs (somewhat immaturely) demanded unconditional surrender. Gradually I wore the Progs down to accepting some concessions, culminating in a Monday night attempt to reconcile the Progs & the Officials, Dictor was willing to talk. When I asked McShera what he wanted or was willing to offer - he said 'they pull out,' another way of saying unconditional surrender.

Throughout the months of December and January, the Officials were largely on the receiving end. They lost the Prog-faction, they lost a key vote in senate, many felt undermined by Dictor's announcement to the Alligator, and still many were literally knocked off kilter to see the re-emergence of an old foe, Josh Simmons, in a top leadership capacity. To end the streak, Progress won the TheRadikal.com and SDS endorsements.

Slating, however, may have just turned the tide. The Officials secured Stacey Gray for Veep (as speculated on this site), they secured a key Treasurer candidate, they fired over two dozen campaign violations against Progresss (I think this tactic should be reserved for the Machine, but w/e), and they chose to get payback on MT with GC, only I can't promise JW won't lose his cool, as GC has taken MT and totally outdone him.

Slating numbers provided on a day-to-day also proved life in the O's was by no means defeatist. Although TR continues supporting Progress, I'm glad lines of communication remain open and strong and I hope to see both sides grow stronger, however, could the two factions kindly consider reducing the campaign violations war - I mean don't you guys think that's a bit petty? And that's being addressed to Progress folks thinking it wise to reply in turn in the future.

O&B's Mark McShera Agrees to Q&A!

2009-02-01T18:52:00.005-05:00

While I jumped at the idea of Ben Dictor's Q&A, it proved to be a big snoozer and remains incomplete. Mark McShera, presidential candidate of the larger Indie faction (which also enjoys control of the party name) has agreed to speak to TheRadikal.com, but also promises to up Dictor in terms of content.

TheRadikal.com is also weighing options between a Q&A and/or Official Statement from Progress Party Treasurer Peter Laumann, who phoned me a couple days ago in reference to key anonymous comments made on the blog.

Speaking of phone calls....Dictor can't seem to keep his word on calling people back...can the Radikal-endorsed Progress candidate for SBP multi-task?

Also checked Brandon White's speech to the Senate -- very nostalgic of Jamal Sowell, with a tinge of militancy. I'm curious if White hold weight with the African American community - or - if he's the latest dose of Diane Kassim - merit, charisma, but no pull with BSU all rolled into one?

Progress, Orange And Blue

2009-01-21T17:30:00.004-05:00

The Independent movement is at war - there's no other way of putting it. Compromise at this stage is still possible, it will be possible up until the day of slating - be clear on that fact! However, it's time to validate what's been said on this blog for sixty days now - there are factions, there is an ideological divide, and Dictor does have a tangible base of support.

The Officials have governed with Iron Fist... and the excuse that McShera was biding his time until Sam Miorelli announced his, is simply unacceptable. As recent as three months ago, McShera expressed no clear-cut desire in executive office of any sort. With the news that Miorelli would leave, a gap appeared out of thin air, and The Officials' hasty attempt at filling it - failed!

Fall 2008 also signaled the advent of new beginnings. The largely untapped, disillusioned (with SG) Left answered Dictor's call - and - as opposed to Officialist thinkers like Joe Trimboli & Kyle Huey, SDS is not (by majority) with them.

There is, however, something to be said about SDS Leader Skeet Surrency. Leading Progs cite that Skeet has been inactive in recent terms and that new SDS Leadership will come about - a new leadership that will likely not include the likes of Mr. Surrency.

Conflicting reports have made this lone SDS'er's loyalities somewhat ambiguous. The Officialist-line believes Surrency will not only be loyal to its faction, but that he will capitalize on O/B-Holdouts in the organization and bring about org.-wide support for McShera.

The Progressivist-line begins be refuting these assertions in that 'SDS doesn't run that way...' meaning that no single one person can turn the group. The Progs also cite that Surrency has already pledged his support - and - it wasn't to The Officials. So where does Skeet really stand and is it even relevant to SDS or the GREATER LEFT that Officialist thought has consistently refused to credit to the now splintered-off Progressive Faction of the Orange & Blue Party?

The question of reconciliation cannot be addressed until The Officials address their former comrades with the respect they're owed. Do I agree with the Progs voting down of an O/B'er? Partly, I do and partly, I've personally instigated the notion on this blog.

How can the Progs speak of ideological separation per the upcoming elections yet act inconspicuously in chambers? How do prospective supporters of the breakaway O/B Faction comprise their ideals to fall out of line and support a rebel, when that same rebel and that rebel's supporters are still in-line and actively promoting the very agenda that they're campaign literature states (or will state) they've broken away from?

Ideally, both factions will unite, but I am of the opinion that Ben Dictor offers the greatest amount of good for the independent movement and that McShera was largely thrust into the gap in a hasty, somewhat messy chain of events. I am also firmly of the belief another splinter, this time within the Officials (hereinafter dubbed "the Pragmatists" or 'the Prags') are more open to dialogue and concessions that holding the line against their populist rival faction's executive selection(s).

Institutionally speaking, however, the Officials et. al. (through Article IV. & creation of a strong Party Chair position to offset any difficulties with Miorelli's replacement) are both unprepared & unwilling to eiter share power or much less, hand it over.

Compromise Possible, Though Unlikely

2009-01-18T15:41:00.007-05:00

There's two factions, the Progs & the Officials.
The Progs seem resolute: Dictor & Statement on GMGo.
The Officials are comprised of Hardliners & Pragmatists.
The Hardliners have taken up 'Defeatism;' the Prags - hope.
Rumor has it Armando Grundy is donating $1,000 to the Officials...
Rumor running that Joe Trimboli went log jamming w/...

Stay tuned for more.

Progs, Officials May Dialogue.

2009-01-17T13:30:00.006-05:00

Developing story.

p.s. The Unite Party should get fucked.

Indies 'n More

2009-01-13T08:19:00.012-05:00

It hasn't happened since Spring 2005 and if that election was any kind of a preview for what will unfold in just days at UF - then expect unchartered political chaos. The level of destructive aggression each O&B faction has reserved for the other, will mutually pale in comparison to whatever either or may have in store for Gator - ironic huh? It will be a time when members of the Gator Party will christen their Thanksgiving Day. No...there won't be any 'pilgrims' & their own be any 'Indians', there won't even be any corn to eat or tobacco to toke. But Gator will face off two very tame opponents. Tame?

Indeed.

The most savage, gutless, and treacherous fighting of the Spring 2009 student body elections will be spent between two warring Indie factions wrestling for control of a destiny that just one term removed they so successfully worked together to collectively achieve in Spring. Both factions could have done more to keep Orange & Blue together - and most depressing of all - there's STILL time to keep this wonderful party united.

The Progs should remain in the party - that's what they should do. The Officials should ditch the legacies, end the witch trials, and allow for a convention between McShera & Dictor. The few that could actually achieve a peace at the eleventh hour (Sam Miorelli, Justin Wooten, et. al.) won't - for a variety of reasons.

Green means go is just the tip of the iceberg. Both factions are dug in and both seem poised to wage a brutal war of attrition on the other -- hence my belief that Jordan Johnson & Gator might as well call election day, Thanksgiving Day.

I suspect that if these wounds go unhealed, that in the very unrealistic hour that Dictor & Johnson find themselves in a run-off, the O's would back Johnson.

GRAPSKI UPDATE: - Monday January 12

GRAPSKI UPDATE: - Monday January 12

A six-member jury was selected this morning, and the state will try Charlie Grapski this Thursday on misdemeanor trespass and criminal mischief charges. Assistant State Attorney Geoffrey Fleck is proceeding with prosecution despite the fact that the alleged victim is refusing to cooperate with the prosecution, and the person who Fleck claims made the 911 call is also unavailable, though he stated he didn't make the 911 call and doesn't know who did.

The only "evidence" Fleck brings to the trial is the police report and a recording of a strange 911 call. At a pre-trial hearing that was held this afternoon, County Judge Tom Jaworsky admitted the 911 call as evidence over the objections of Grapski's court appointed defense attorney Steve Bernstein. Fleck said he was trying to find the alleged victim and the "witness" but stated to the court he was ready to go to trial without them.

The trial will begin at 9 AM Thursday morning, in Jaworsky's courtroom on the second floor of the Criminal Courthouse, located on the corner of Main Street and SW 2nd Avenue in Gainesville. Please attend if you can.

PLEASE JOIN US IN DAILY VIGILS AT THE STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE:

Tuesday January 13 at 8 am
Wednesday January 14 at 4:30 PM
Thursday January 15 at 8 am (before trial)

Citizens concerned about justice for Grapski are urged to contact the State Attorney's Office and request that the charges against Grapski be dropped, and that he evidence of perjury and false arrest by Alachua officials be investigated and prosecuted.

State Attorney Bill Cervone
Tel. (352) 374-3670
Fax: (352) 491-4553
Email: cervonew@SAO8.ORG

[End of Transmmission]
[Christian Duque, now speaking]

As of today, TheRadikal.com will publish daily updates (when provided), regarding the Grapski Defense

TheRadikal.com also would like to salute Michael Canney of Alachua, FL. We've many differences, but as usual, I respect Mr. Canney a great deal. When most any one else would have closed the book on Charlie - now senselessly incarcerated for THREE MONTHS, Canney has stepped up his efforts not simply at getting Grapski out of jail, but at getting Grapski JUSTICE! We still live in America don't we? You need a reason to have someone locked up, don't you?

The Progs On Trial

2009-01-12T13:40:00.013-05:00

Orange & Blue Party, Double Meting -- Audio

Courtesy of Mitchell Tannnenbaum

It's very unfortunate that The Officials feel they can set pre-conditions on elected posts in the leadership of an independent party. We heard similar rhetoric when Donte Hargrove was being questioned prior to his election to Orange & Blue party presidency (see Amendment 4). These stipulations are contrary to the core values of Independent thought.

I would also like to further speak to the persons questioning Mitchell Tannnenbaum: the first gentleman essentially took several steps at humiliating the candidate and then pressing him to agree to the terms pronouncing him a hypocrite. The young lady that questioned the candidate, with all due respect, overstepped the boundaries of good taste. You know what, fuck good taste, the young lady acted like a total cunt. What's one less friend on facebook anyways? "Mr. Pragmatic" seems to be a complete douchebag.

"Why did you offer me a seat, if you were going to do this to me?" M.T.

IT WAS TO HUMILIATE YOU!

I still remember talking to Tommy Jardon on facebook, then concerned over fear talk of a Dictor run, which he said 'wasn't going to happen if he had anything to do with it.' This whole process was never about determining which candidate had more to offer (Dictor or McShera), it was about stopping Dictor and putting up some Miorelli-conduit up for the presidency.

While folks may deny it, the influence of Pedro Allende & JCB was felt long after they graduated and so too, I believe, the influence of Sam Miorelli will live on at least three terms after he graduates. Direct influence - and - keeping old members of Progress in top spots (irrespective if you want to call it Article 4 or something else), only further speaks to this issue.

It annoys me that McShera was decided upon running Senate and was forced into a presidential run. It annoys me that leading Officials have already stated that Ben Cavatero has already been promised the O&B nomination for Spring 2010. It annoys me that a kid that wants to be Student Body President about as much as Terri Schiavo wanted to make her last evening on earth a Blockbuster night is being forced upon a movement that could grow even stronger with a Dictor nomination.

The Officials don't want 'SENSIBLE PEOPLE', they clearly want people that read for Jim Carrey's role in 'Yes Man.'. They don't want loyalty, they want subservience.

Points of Interest

2009-01-04T22:09:00.014-05:00

I. Gainesville for Gaza

Big kudos to Jonathan Bull for organizing this truly wonderful rally. Over thirty people attended, amongst them heavy hitters like David Reznik. Althought the Zionist terrorists continue to punish an innocent, defenseless people, these rallies serve a very important function. The American people need to know the horrors being committed with their taxpayer dollars and in their name. Thank you to Jonathan & all the organizers & protesters that attended - you all showed great courage and humanity today.

II. The Next Phase of the Indie Movement

I was happy to put Justin Wooten in contact with some friends of mine in the common struggle. I have wanted to say this for a long time, but regardless of where Dictor takes his candidacy, independent of the Spring campaign season, I want to see Justin emerge from this a key player in tomorrow's Student Government. I don't think he should waste his time trying to conform to outdated models that are on their last legs anyways. The new movement will require new faces, new methods, and will garner larger turnouts by incorporating vast blocs under one all-inclusive flag.

III. Comments

Comments referring to SG'ers family will not pass moderation. About two weeks ago I pulled two comments as a good faith gesture, along with an apology to John Dicks - the gold standard in SG. Before that I extended a similar gesture to Ben Dictor. I don't care what is said, it will not go up. Anyone, even if over the years, as a complaint related to this new policy will have it addressed. This is of my own free will and it's being done b/c I agree in that it has no place on an SG-blog, at least not on mine.

IV. Who Controls SDS?

This has been going on for weeks. Both factions insist they have the support of SDS. The Officials have long held that long before the 12/11 meeting they have been given serious assurances that the group will back McShera. OB-O insiders point to a meeting between a high-ranking Official & "Tina & Melody" ([allegedly taking place sometime between 12/8 - 12/10] leading to the Duque-encouraged/Dictor' Campaign-Moratorium), where the SDS-Question was settled. And just two days ago, another Official, speaking on condition of anonymity confidently confirmed that the OB-O's would take the super-majority of SDS and that "SDS'ers weren't stupid....they wouldn't back Dictor simply based on revenge." The insider also called Dictor an "interloper" who "only went to SDS when he needed something" and that the members would see right through that when determining to back him or McShera. The OB-O's also cannot fathom Skeet Surrency turning on McShera.

the Progs, who arguably, brought the Left into SG this past fall, have an unwavering faith in this particular organization. They believe the Officials are delusional and have asked that TR not go into any specifics pertaining to the statements made by the OB-O's above.

But I will ask the readers this! WHICH WAY DO YOU THINK SDS WILL GO?

As the primary nears, every key org, every voting member will be scrutinized. No stone will be left unturned. As we enter the next stage, the executive ticket of, arguably, the most powerful independent party of all time has never been more important than now.

Go sit at Grundy's tomorrow, but this is bigger than the entire Fall '08 election. This will be a course on democracy, sacrifice, and team work. One faction will have to win and one will have to concede - at the convention.

The solution is not at Grundy's and it's not at a bar, it's not in hateful anonymous comments. The solution will be the convention - let it happen.

Gainesville Rally for Gaza!

2009-01-03T23:44:00.007-05:00

Just a reminder that the protest in support of Gaza is TODAY from 12 Noon to 2 pm!
Corners of SW 13th St. and University Ave.
next to campus.

Please come out tomorrow to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Israeli forces have been brutally attacking a defenseless nation by air, land, and sea for days. International relief organizations fear a severe humanitarian crisis developing in this tiny 120 sq. mile concentration camp.

The American people are disgusted by the actions of the Israeli terrorists, common thugs with no respect for human rights, common thugs that even took to ramming an unarmed medical relief boat.

Zionism has absolutely nothing to do with Judaism, these people are the original terrorists....from the Stern Gang, to the King David Hotel, to the USS Liberty, to Sabra & Shatila, to Beirut '06, to Gaza '08/'09.

The Zionists are a pack of jackals, beasts. The American people must know what horrors are being committed with billions of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

God Save Gaza.
FUCK ISRAEL, FUCK AIPAC, & FUCK WAR!

The O&B Arbitration?

2009-01-02T13:29:00.002-05:00

Arbitration - The process by which the parties to a dispute submit their differences to the judgment of an impartial person or group appointed by mutual consent or statutory provision. [Source: TheFreeDictionary.com]

Armando Ramon Grundy Gomes is back in the news and he means business. The onetime city commission candidate is holding an arbitration of sorts this Monday in the hopes of sorting out differences between prospective O&B presidential candidates Mark McShera & Ben Dictor.

Interestingly neither faction seems to have agreed to abide by Grundy's findings - making Grundy's role even more ambiguous.

So why is everyone going?

Beats me.

Year End Post, 2008

2008-12-31T12:34:00.006-05:00

I. Endorsement

TheRadikal.com endorses Sen. Benjamin Dictor for the upcoming Orange & Blue Party Convention. The independent movement is on the brink, more students are voting than ever before, and for the first time in a long time, the Independents are in a position to topple the FBK/Greek establishment all on their own merits.

Sen. Dictor, including loyal lieutenants like Sen. Dave Schneider & activist Justin Wooten, have the ability to bring in entirely new civic, social, and political organizations to further replenish the movement's exhausted reserves.

The Orange & Blue Party is also an organization largely in need of new management. With the election of Donte Hargrove and the holding of a real party primary this upcoming spring, many are optimistic. The party under Sen. Sam Miorelli pushed the card unlike any party in the movement. Miorelli set the stage for the major spring battles of 2009 & 2010. 'The Machine' & Greek-dominated rule at UF will be phased out for good.

Under Dictor, I see the traditional subservience of SG to the elements of Machen's bureaucratic apparatus fading away. I see sit-downs, I see rallies, I see, I feel, REVOLUTION!

II. Senate Watch

Another major effort marking this day has been the planning efforts of a major observation of the UF Student Senate. Any attempt at using the UF Student Body to further Zionist political objectives will be met with decisive grassroots action. An open letter to prominent UF activists & top-level alumni was sent out moments ago.

Please pray for Gaza, even if you don't believe in God, please at least hope. See you in 2009.

Tannenbaum's 12/11 Minutes

2008-12-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

3:03 Bennett proposes party officer elections, Schneider is first to use "unelected cabal"

12:20 Miorelli says voting members include former party officers in bylaws, and again at 14:20

16:10 Bennett asks why Progress Party members can vote. Debate ensues about who can vote 'current party officers and senators vs. officers, senators, and previous party members'

17:20 Laugh track.

21:00 Vote on weather or not to end debate on voting members. Trimbolli abstains from vote. 9-8 Fails

Debate on whether or not to have elections.

22:00 Yanuk asks where is the smear campaign.

22:30 Bennett mentions information from a member of the cabal.

24:00 Neiderriter steps forward to comment on the cabal and the smear campaign.

24:50 Gillespy comments on time for debate.

25:50 Hargrove: "The bylaws will do you no good if there is no party."

27:33 Dictor gives the reasons for having elections.

30:27 Schneider: "a great deception on the part of this leadership"

31:00 Gillespy "I joined this party because I trusted that it wasn't the Gator party"

33:18 Dictor on Chutzpah

34:43 Gersten on group therapy.

35:55 Yanuk: "There's something to be said for people having done the job for years"

37:00 Vote on adding elections: Passes unanimously 18-0

37:50 Public comment

38:35 Eric Conrad on joining the movement, wanting to help out, but now questioning the structure of the system

40:30 Yevkin __ on arrogance and unity

40:58 ?? ?? on excitement and disappointment, "schisms should exist"

43:53 Gersten on staying unaffiliated, and future of the movement with people who's voices aren't heard now

46:18 Hargrove on the differences between the Gator Party and O&B, being an open party, and voting member standards changing

49:00 Tannenbaum on the contrast between the majority opinion versus the leadership's opinion and the voting process

50:10 Adriana on helping O&B and respect for one another

52:00 Bylaws: Members at Large, Robert's Rules, Party Council positions

1:07:30 Article 3 - Party Committee Chair discussion: Passes

1:20:15 Article 4 - Recognizing Progress Party Seniority

1:21:20 Miorelli: "Seniority trumps everything" and again at 1:21:40

1:22:30 Dictor on meritocracy vs patronage

1:31:25 Bendix on merit of Neiderreiter and Trimbolli, "...we're going to question that they don't have a right to any of this? How much money have Josh and Joe Trimbolli put into this party? And we're going to say they have no merit?"

1:32:45 Hargrove on what we were told at IHOP, "Now you're gonna tell me that two hard workers get a vote, but the rest of the hard workers don't? You gotta be out of your fucking mind!"

1:35:00 Ossip reads the names of the cabal provided by Neidereitter

1:36:00 Neiderreiter responds.

1:37:30 Miorelli: "recognizes seniority"

Bennett responds

1:38:30 Gray on short sightedness

1:39:50 Tannenbaum on a mechanism for inclusion

Gersten on money and shifting direction

1:41:45 Article 4 fails (McShera and Benedix abstain) 5-12

1:43:30 Election of Officers

1:45:50 Neiderreiter gives his speech.

1:49:00 Hargrove gives his speech.

1:52:45 Questions

1:54:15 Neiderrieter: "I will continue to have meetings, cause I have to tell you what happened to me in the Pants Party. I would always be asking what the hell's going on with this party. I would be screaming at Sam over AIM, 'What was going on? I have no idea what's going on.' And I think one of the things the Orange and Blue Party has done well in the campaigns is have a lot of meetings and tell everyone what's going on." and 1:58:20 "I don't want people to feel left out, I've been there before"

2:06:20 Huey offers to give anyone the exec thread contents

2:12:30 Dictor on Hargrove and The Cabal Text Messages between him and Braco, The Leadership: "It is not the party's choice who runs under the O&B"
Braco responds: populous vs qualifications
Neidereitter responds, "The Leadership does not just refer to the cabal."

2:23:20 Miorelli on qualifications of the candidates and requirements of the office

2:27:00 Gillespy on the principles and values of the party

2:29:10 Gray on behavioral problems of the candidates

2:33:00 Ossip asks to continue the meeting, and is met with resistance

2:35:15 Student Body President nominations

2:35:30 Gillespy nominates McShera

2:35:45 Bennett nominates Dictor

2:37:10 Hargove wins 10-7

2:37:34 Dictor accepts nomination

Meeting is adjourned

Sen. Ben Dictor Speaks!

2008-12-26T18:28:00.001-05:00

TheRadiKaL: Please tell us about yourself. When did you arrive at UF, what year are you, what major, and what organizations you initially got involved with at UF.

Senator Benjamin Dictor:

Benjamin N. Dictor
Political Science Major
European Union Studies Minor
Senior

I came to UF as a transfer student in the spring of 2007. The first group I got involved with was the Industrial Workers of the World through the Civic Media Center. Through the IWW I was introduced to many of the organizers of other organizations and we began to organize the University of Florida Progressive Caucus. It was more or less an umbrella organization for many of the progressive organizations, on and off campus. It is a shame that the Caucus has, as of late, been inactive with the transition of many of the leaders of the organizations and my involvement in the Senate. I am in the process of jumpstarting the Caucus again under new, less senior leadership that will ensure its continued existence.

I am also serving my second term as the Vice President of the Political Science Honor Society.

TheRaDiKaL: How did you come to learn of Student Government. Share with us your journey from beginning to present. What obstacles did you meet along the way?

Senator Benjamin Dictor: I voted in the Fall 2007 election for the Progress Party having never met anyone from the organization throughout the entire month of campaigning. They were essentially invisible to the average student; huddled behind their tables in Turlington and the Reitz. After I voted, I finally met Ben Cavataro and a number of other Progress Party people behind their table on the colonnade. I inquired as to their ground strategy and organizing efforts only to find that the organization was so small, the network so limited and the strategy so defeatist that their ground game was essentially developing a mythos in contrast to the Greek party and assuming the average student cared.

I started meeting with Sam, Ben, Mark, Tommy and a few other members of the Old Guard at Maudes on a weekly basis and brought various members of progressive organizations to the meetings to help me evaluate the situation and get them involved. The purpose of these meetings was, at the time, discussing Online Voting as it had not yet been struck down by the Court. Joe Richard and I brought along Charlie Gapskie to one particular meeting where he stressed the importance of classical political organizing.

What these meetings accomplished for the independent party
movement was making a much needed connection with the progressive community and making us feel like we had a stake in the outcome of the student government elections. While some members of the then Progress Party surely wanted to be that connection for these organizations, others appear now in hindsight to have seen the progressive community solely as a means to an end.

This period of time gave me the opportunity to reach out to these organizations for slating and volunteers in the Spring. This was an incredibly important aspect of the Orange and Blue party's success. Although only a few of us ran in winning seats, almost our entire ground game was comprised of members of progressive organizations. Where the Greeks use unwilling and unmotivated pledge classes to hand out fliers, we brought a dedicated and experienced group of activists to the independent party, the majority of whom were not even slated but simply wanted to see the mission succeed. We would not have won a single seat without their dedication and tireless work. I would not be in the Senate if it was not for their hard work and I will never forget that. If it wasn't for their boots on the ground, it would have been bodies behind the table just as it was for the Progress Party.

The last day of campaigning brought a sight that I imagine many independent parties have never seen; the orange shirts far outnumbered the blue Gator Party Shirts in Turlington by the end of the day. We were beyond a political party at this point. Simply put, we had inspired and organized a movement. I'll never forget Tommy Jardon's amazement at the number of people we were able to organize; he was truly astonished. To this day, however, Will Foster and others criticize my conceptualization of what we do as a 'movement' and ridicule the notion of mass politics that has been key to our success.

theRadikal: Talk to us about that historic Fall 2008 campaign when an independent party, sans of any official Greek or Multi-Cultural support, split District D, split the on-campus vote, and nearly took District C. Indie Students and Alums will celebrate this monumental campaign for years to come.

Senator Benjamin Dictor: Fall 2008 was in many ways simply a continuation of the strategy used in Spring 2008. On the first week we were able to campaign, I invited everyone out to the Lakeside residence hall for on-the-job-training in how to phone-bank and campaign. 20 or so volunteers and candidates came out. I sat down with Gary Benedix, our Lakeside candidate, and his roommates and explained that if they simply spent time outside the laundry facilities and common areas collecting names and emails of supporters, the election could be won handedly. In spite of the criticism I received for from the old guard for spending time and energy at Lakeside (presumed by them to be a lost cause) Gary did win and by some of the widest margins of the election.

I never wavered on my certainty that we would win Lakeside and other residence halls if we simply stopped relying solely on the Alligator to print stories in our favor and became our own best advocates on the ground. This is how I became acquainted with Dave Schneider (the only person who slated from Rawlings) who immediately impressed me with his conviction and dedication to winning. Everyone in our party told him from the day he slated forward that Rawlings was a lost cause and that he had no chance whatsoever of winning. Dave refused to give in to the cynicism and defeatism that had become a hallmark of the independent party, staying up until 3am with me spray painting campaign signs on the back porch of the CMC. Dave, ever the organizer himself, put together a fantastic team of volunteers in his residence hall and put up one hell of a fight. Needless to say, against all odds, Dave was successful and has been a fantastic addition to the Senate.

Off campus, our District A and B candidates were as dedicated as those who actually had a chance to win. While A and B encompass frat and sorority row, and are therefore near impossible, many progressive activists along with others went door-to-door and simply refused to give in. Our C and D candidates did the same and the results of the election show the effectiveness of boots on the ground as opposed to the classic strategy of bodies behind the table. Alden Gillespy, Donte Hargrove and so many others were relentless in their campaigning.

El--RadiKal: Once elected, what was your take on concessions that included a 'civil first meeting' to ensure the confirmation of senior senator Ben Cavatero (Hume)? Were you fearful of future 'concessions?'

Senator Benjamin Dictor: Cavataro is an absolutely essential part of the Orange and Blue Party. That being said, the last line of the Billy Bragg version of the Internationale is "Though they offer us concessions, change will not come from above."

Thumbs Up!

TheRADIKAL: Describe to us the overall mutual cooperation and overall Party' coordination of Orange & Blue senators in chambers. What would you say was the term's high and low points, & why?

Senator Benjamin Dictor: There is very little coordination.

High Points: 1. Getting over three and a half hours of public debate from progressive organizations to speak out against the elimination of minority party rights. 2. Getting enough votes to kill Gator Party legislation that would have eliminated the minority protections in the Senate. 3. Sitting down with many Gator Party senators who vote their consciences in spite of increasing hostility from their own party for doing so.

Low Points: Finding out precisely how coercive the Gator Party is towards its own senators as a result.

The RADIKAL: Breakdown the current roster of the UF Student Senate Allocations Committee. Please name each member of the committee you serve on, sharing with us their individual strenghts, and also giving us an objective assessment of the committee's work for the Fall session 2008.

Senator Benjamin Dictor:

The RadiKaL: What is your take on having a non-student Senate secretary in chambers? This question does not refer to Glenda's day-time functions (which are very needed), but only to the her role within the student body.

Senator Benjamin Dictor: Sometimes I can't believe she stays there until midnight, haha. Because the current political situation on campus leaves us with student officials who are entirely unreliable and inept at their jobs (Greek patronage) I don???t mind having a non-student fulfill the role of secretary in the Student Senate. Her role in the chambers is needed and she provides some historical knowledge of the institution having been there for so long. Perhaps, under different political circumstances, a student could fulfill the role.

Thumbs Down!

The RaDiKaL: Please tell us about SDS.

Senator Benjamin Dictor: Students for a Democratic Society is an organization of incredibly thoughtful and passionate individuals who attempt, more than most organizations I've observed, to practice what they preach. SDS is often misrepresented in the press and even more often invoked to over generalize about the progressive left in Gainesville. I have been vocally supportive of many of their projects over the course of the past two years and have absolutely no qualms about publicly voicing this. So long as SDS stands against mandatory hand scanners, for Socially Responsible Investing, against the war in Iraq, and for democratic principle, I will stand with SDS.

The RadiKaL: Though it's been often dismissed as rhetoric, to what degree would you say "the Left" assisted O&B in the historic Fall campaign?

Senator Benjamin Dictor: Absolutely essential. The progressive community was the cornerstone of the O&B victory in the Spring and laid the foundation for its success in the Fall. This is not to say it is the only reason we won, but the Orange and Blue Party simply cannot win without the support of Gainesville's progressive community.

The RaDiKaL: As of December I've begun classifying members of O&B into two groups, factions if you will. The classifications have worked very well for me and every single member falls almost perfectly into either class. What do the terms "Official" and "Progressive" mean to you?

Senator Benjamin Dictor:

Official: Old guard. The corrosive and defeatist mythos of the old "indie party" mentality.

Progressive: The strategy and mentality adopted since the Spring of 2008 elections. The only way Orange and Blue will continue to win.

The RaDiKaL: As leader of what I've dubbed "the Progs" and as a viable candidate for the O&B nomination in Spring 2009, what message would you like to send to those members of your party supporting Mark McShera?

Senator Benjamin Dictor: I'm not sure I am the leader of 'the progs.' I like Mark a lot and always have. He has the institutional knowledge and money needed by the party, but I am not certain that this alone makes a good candidate.

TheRadiKal: If you won the O&B nomination, would be some early objectives you'd like to declare in a Dictor presidency for the University of Florida?

Senator Benjamin Dictor:

1. Online voting

2. End Jacksonian patronage in all aspects of student government. This includes within the independent party movement itself. (Don???t be fooled, Sam even tried to write it into the bylaws with Article IV.)

3. Reform the budget process to end the economic stranglehold it allows over student organizations. Boss Tweed used potatoes, Gator Party uses Accent co-sponsorships among other things.

4. Begin plotting the Hebrew socialist revolution against the fascist national Golgotha (Thanks Ginsberg!)

THE RADIKAL: Name association, no word limit:

Dave Schneider: Dedicated, leader, organizer

"Grasshopper:" Respected, intelligent, worldly, patient (very proud to call my friend)

Stacey Gray: Optimistic, calm, committed

Sam Miorelli: Relentless

Joe Trimboli: Ideology

Skeet Surrency: ----My Pick for Student Body President!!!!!!----

Ben Cavatero: Statesman

Matt Goldberger: Only talked to this guy once. Read about him in the papers quite a bit though. Typical Gator Party kinda guy, you know? All variations on a theme???

Frank Bracco: Selfless

Joshua Simmons: Dynamic, Republican Alinsky, principled above all else

Jordan Loh: Ronald Regan (interpret as you wish, haha.)

Beau Frail: Sustainability

Jonathan Ossip: Brilliant.

Joe Bennett: Considerate, intelligent, leader

Thomas Jardon: Always a very nice guy to me.

Liz Stinson: Veteran.

Mark McShera: Knowledgeable, seasoned

Israeli Air Force: Best in the World!

2008-12-26T12:21:00.000-05:00

For days Hamas has been firing low-grade rockets at Israel, that have caused no deaths or injuries and surprisingly no major property damage. Faced with one of the worst crisis of his administration, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with his cabinet and top defense advisers.

Barak needed to assemble squadrons comprised of supersonic fighter jets, with cutting edge technology and a full payload of the most horrifying ordinance possible. Against these squadrons awaited the Gaza Strip, a 120sq. mile territory bordered by one neighbor that's walled-in its second class citizens to ensure a thorough killing ground and by another neighbor that fills its face with U.S./EU aid and pleads ignorance & indifference to the plight of the oppressed and to the memory of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Barak grows pensive. Gaza has no organized army, no air force, no air defenses, and thanks to the Israeli-bankrolled Fatah bureaucrats working against Hamas - the territory could hardly be said to even have infrastructure to speak of.

Israeli pilots fly in, attack! Barak hopes that none of these fighters will come within range of Gaza's infamous Elementary Guard - a well trained militia of elite 9 & 10yr old rock throwers. Gaza is in flames, Hamas fires rockets. The numbers are in 200+ dead palestinians and 1 dead Israeli.

Barak is noticeably angry, he's slipping. In Sharon's day it would have been 2,000 dead palestinians for every one Israeli. Barak must now speak to the press, so he fights back the tears and promises to do better next time. He knows that if the people are patiet with him, that he too can deliver a performance like that of Ariel Sharon at Sabra and Shatila.

God Bless Israel, where every man is free to be himself (Offer may exclude men named Jesus & most Palestinians. The term freedom is for entertainment purposes only. Other terms apply, please obtain our 384pg. manual of exceptions and clarifications at your local walled-in, fenced around, barb-wired refugee camp for people illegally displaced for forty years).

12/11 Meeting Reviews

2008-12-24T08:37:00.008-05:00

Ok. After listening to the audio this is what I have to say.

Concise Thoughts
#1. The term "Radikal" is mentioned heavily - thank you.
#2. Who's the Brit senator? Like what he had to say.
#3. Eric Conrad - sounds like a whiner.
#4. Gillespy - not much better than Conrad; awesome photo though.
#5. Dictor - uses profanity far too much for an SBP candidate.
#6. Hargrove - sounds like a more assertive, funnier Phil Harden.
#7. "Adriana" - whiner. novice w/ no patience. Stay home next time.
#8. Someone asks if he can clap for JN, SM says clap - all clap.
#9. Hargrove concludes, no one claps.
#10: Can anyone say "Simon Says?"
#11: SM fumbles O&B/Pres results for Shotgun S>SBP nomination.
#12: The Officials openly berate BD, "decide!" "yes or no!"
#13: Party Pres. results announced. DH upsets JN
#14: The Officials no longer yelling; SM hasty adjournment.
#15: The Geico celebrity didn't even ask a question, how lame.
#16: Nice to see Frank on party business, even b4 elected MAL.
#17: Frank said he'd walk away if unexp. candidates chosen.
#18: If Ben said walk - 3rd Party Threat. Why not Frank?
#19: Double Standard?
#20: We talked about Party Pres. for almost two hours.
#21: You have ten seconds to decide if you want to run for SBP
#22: "Oh come on, Dictor!" Yea Dictor, decide, I mean the whaling.
#23: You'd think these Officials were trying to get out of Darfur
#24: On the last Red Cross helicopter.
#25: C'mon Dictor, decide!
#26: Decide!
#27: Do It!
#28: Now!
#29: Oh Donte won. Bummer. Meeting Adjourned.

Article IV - what GDI Playbook did they ever get this from? Seniority doesn't even speak to this issue, as we're not dealing with the elder members of O&B but members from older parties all together. People are being rewarded with power in a party going into 2009 for work they did in 2007? What if these folks went on to grad school? Will they have voting rights until 2012?

One young lady, undeniably an Official, stated in her own words, that what is needed is "INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE". Now I don't know about you, but that speaks 100%, nail-on-the-head Radikal definition of "The Officials" - the institutional body of the Orange & Blue Party. [Takes a Bow, then Waves]

TheRadikal Phones An Asian Escort

2008-12-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

Will We Be Hearing from Sen. Dictor?

2008-12-23T10:32:00.004-05:00

His Q&A was confirmed on Wednesay, questions sent on Friday. An email sent a couple days later to gauge his progress went unanswered. O&B Party Chairman Joe Trimboli has gone on record to demand any evidence the Prog' Leader has on him, to be put out to the general public. Is Dictor going to stay silent until 2009? What is "the Challenger" up to exactly?

As of late my contact has been limited to one of Dictor's most trusted lieutenants and a member of his inner circle, Justin Wooten. Through facebook and phone conversations, Wooten (who's allowed himself to be named) insists that Dictor will prevail against The Officials, most notably by winning SDS and delivering even greater numbers of the Gainesville Left than in Fall 2008. Wooten insists that Dictor will not only surpass McShera, but will be very capable of defeating Jordan Jonnson, even with an active McShera> faction still in the mix.

For this miracle play to work out, Dictor must drain 'the Left' of every conceivable vote, networking in the student ghetto would have to be pulled off without a hitch. More than vote tallies, the real question rests with discipline. Prog lieutenants eagerly offer their loyalty to "The Challenger", but will they be able to bring in numerous new columns into an SG campaign, maintain critical discipline, hold off McShera, and then defeat Jordan Johnson & Gator?

Seems to be a tall order, but just how powerful is the Gainesville Left? We really don't know. And how much of Fall 2008 is directly because of the Progs? We don't know, but they seem to think it was THEIR ace in the hole.

StrengthAddicts.com & Updates

2008-12-21T11:19:00.006-05:00

StrengthAddicts.com
Remember dear SG'ers, there should be a notable difference between SG Men & SG Women. If you're skinny & weak & have any aspirations of moving up the elected or appointed ladder...you may want to consider looking healthy & strong. My new site will show you how to build a body like Josh's (featured above) - or - anabolic, brute strength like yours truly.

I'll be car-shopping today, but if I promised you a phone call yesterday, I'll do my best to call today. Additionally, I'll be looking for an upgrade camera (as I'm doing most shots with my Flip). Last, but not least, I'm hoping to receive the Ben Dictor Q&A within the coming days and to have it up within 24hrs from then.

All the Best,
The One & Only RadiKaL.

2008-12-19T11:52:00.013-05:00

Dictor, the Left, & the New Movement
the Progs are embarking upon a revolution. The concept of incorporating Gainesville's omnipotent 'Left' has perturbed many an independent strategist over the past few years. But it seems that Dictor, largely through the tireless efforts of his loyal cadres, has bridged the gap between the CMC Crowd and the Reitz Union.

In the capital city of one of Florida's two blue counties, Dictor stands, alongside his most trusted lieutenants, contemplating whether or not to succumb to the candidacy of a rival who bests him only by way of seniority. Faced with growing rhetoric and dubious-at-best predictions of his support, he holds out yet another day before lowering his flag and imploring his comrades to bow down, follow McShera, and content themselves with being insignificant vassals of a faction who carries on business with without their presence.

In only a few short days, many have opened their eyes (yours truly included), to a candidate that stands to offer for than his predecessors. What if there's more that unites us besides whether or not we identify with Florida Blue Key or Greek Values? What if there is also a social conscience at play? What if there could be a successful attempt at building a campus-wide clas-conscience? Would Mark Mcshera lead such a movement? Unlikely.

Mark McShera comes from a rich line of Independent leaders, traced from his staunchest supporter (Sam Miorelli), back to Thomas Jardon, then Bruce Haupt, skipping Adam Roberts - who betrayed the movement by enlisting Jared Hernandez & Brandon Siler after being turned down by John Boyles, to Christian Duque & Peter Gruskin, skipping Andre Samuel, to James Argento & Frances Harrell, then to Kenneth Kerns & Nick Capezza). It is for this reason that McShera enjoyes at least initial preference from GDI Students & Alums almost right off the bat. It's for this reason, McShera and his supporters are dubbed The Officials.

But at what point does seniority yield to moral authority? And should the seniority of party elites play any type of role in the direction of a party that is in direct contention for the administration of a institution invested in by over 50,000 students and which is sworn to act in that student body's best interests?

Below you will find a September 2008 email written by Mark McShera to TheRadikal.com, pay close attention the portions in bold:

"While you're right that this is a novel idea and it would probably do a good job of throwing the system off balance in the short term, there's one problem with the plan. I have no interest in running for Student Body Vice President. In discussing the various positions within SG with friends there is a general consensus that Student Body Vice President is a "7th circle of hell" job. I hope to be able to run for re-election this Spring for CLAS, serve out a second Senate term ending in March 2010 and then graduate in May 2010. To quote General William Sherman, "If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve."

McShera sets out on a path all his own; willing to concede that his candidacy for Veep could hurt the enemy, but resolute in outlining his own interests and carrying out work that seems only to serve that end - first. He also defiantly barks that even if given the nomination (to this seemingly lower end post nt), he will not accept or serve.

Interestingly, it's this post that's being considered at the highest levels, as some kind of a consolidation prize should the Progs by some miracle submit unconditionally to The Officials.

Dictor & his lieutenants promise to bring the Left, they promise to bring those now aptly referred to as the Obama Kids. Where the officials stammer that the Progs lack seniority - Dictor posits change and when The Officials raise questions as to continuity...Dictor should merely reply with, "Schneider."

McShera: The Best Chance Against Johnson

Who wants surprises? UF's veteran independents know that revolutions will undoubtedly stir up emotions within the rank-in-file, but they grow worrisome that delicate, hard-fought relationships with moderates in both Greek & Multi-Cultural blocs could potentially be strained. Many of McShera's core supporters can still remember the days when Pants pulled a lone victory in Alan Passman and saw it stripped before their very eyes. Today, these same independents grow confident in their measures, taking solace in a similar situation involving Hume Senator Ben Cavatero and a quite different outcome.

Times have improved and they will continue to improve, so long as a certain modicum of civility and continuity (largely upheld through seniority) remains in place. Although McShera's desire to run for president has been largely ambiguous to date, the need for his candidacy far outweighs even his own personal interests. The Party must move forward, stronger by the term, and one step closer to a majority in senate, a moderate at Exec., and a more balanced Student Bench with a loyalty only to sound jurisprudence.

Explanation & Speculation

2008-12-15T06:45:00.022-05:00

Nothing Wrong With A Little Debate

People ask me why TheRadikal is taking such a precarious direction as of late. Some would argue that my sole stake is hits, others speculate that my intentions are to bring about chaos, and some...just say 'move on Duque, you're old, you're no longer at UF. I guess the real reason I've embraced this new direction is to create dialogue. You can't have dialogue on the Wiggio b/c your email address gives you away. You can't have dialogue at meetings where the minority's rights are clearly trampled over. You can't have dialogue when people to trash the old guard that put it all on the line for countless terms leading up to today and are now on the receiving end of a lot of bullshit drama.

I am of the opinion that all the shit-talk on the comments section is healthy. I believe my blog is providing an outlet for a lot of the bad blood to be disseminated (given that The Officials have as of yet not given any indication that a primary will be held in Spring). I for one don't believe I'm sowing the seeds of chaos; I believe I'm sowing the seeds for real dialogue.

Orange & Blue must unite, but under fair terms. Placing a Prog for SBT is mistake. SBT is a separate ticket and could be used to draw a bigger name from the Multi-Cultural or GREEK community. Surely there must at least one Greek in Budget or Allocations that would jump at the idea of running with a party that came within 60 votes of taking District Fuckin C in a Fall election. This Greek would be the biggest tool of 2009 if he/she couldn't at least swing his/her house at that. I'm fascinated with drawing up exec. tickets - who isn't?

[Option 1] My favorite ticket as of yet is this:

McShera/Schneider/IFC/PC Greek,

my [Option 2] second favorite ticket is:

McShera/Steiger/Huey

[Option 3] My third favorite ticket as of yet is:

Dictor/Trimboli/McShera

[Option 4] My fourth favorite ticket is:

McShera/Grasshopper/IFC Greek

[Option 5] My fifth & final choice as of yet:

Grasshopper/Gray/Huey

My Breakdown

Option 1 - speaks to the very real majority enjoyed by The Officials, putting a hardline Prog like Schneider close on the same ticket and allowing for The Left to influence cabinet. The ticket would be very strong b/c the SBT is a strong precursor-role for any SG'er wanting to run for Student Body President. The ideal candidate would be a Gator Party Senator from the Senate Budget or Allocations Committee.

Option 2 - this is a viable All-GDi ticket that would include The Progs and mobilize women voters to the polls. This ticket would also cater directly to SDS and would serve to show a real respect for the organization by way of The Officials.

Option 3 - would be an upset. McShera was willing to run as SBT for Miorelli, but today seems poised to hold the presidential nomination. This would be a solid ticket, but highly unlikely. I, for one, think Joe Trimboli has some Chris Chase qualities and should be considered as a Vice Presidential candidate.

Option 4 This would be an ideal compromise, but I prefer Schneider over Grasshopper, an (alleged) unwillingness to run can only signal poor performance if elected.

Option 5: - My longshot choice, showcases another good choice for Vice President. The Indies need to show respect to the women in the movement. Gray would be a choice candidate to counter The Progs' Steiger choice at the negotiations' table.

As the year draws closer to an end Gray seems to emerge as a stronger contender, according to big names within The Officials faction.

Even if I'm wayyyyyy off (as I'm unsure of graduation dates for some of these prospective candidates), I'd love to get some feedback on the tickets I've made. I've broken them down into options to make debate easier.

Duque's Own, Wiggio Reviews

2008-12-14T08:26:00.011-05:00

BREAKING NEWS!!!!::::::::Tyler Antar wins a MAL seat! It's a close one... 14 to 0::::Frank Bracco's in a MAL nailbiter...he wins 14 to 0:::::Graham Clark is on edge, he too wins! 14 to 0!

Frank Bracco is read stating (yesterday at 10:17p) that he was one of the ones 'protesting the meeting, but yet in the same message upholds the validity of the MAL-elections because 'everyone that was in the room voted.' How does that amount to protesting a meeting?

Duque's take: Frank, you've been able to side-hop for most of your SG career and - without ever being thought of as a turncoat. This is truly an art at this point. But I can't allow you to get away doubletalk on my blog. I'm going to call you on it buddy.

Dylan Billiodeaux cites a similar weasel issue as another top level Official - party meetings fall outside of the Sunshine Laws and thus there SUBSTANTIAL notice was given. That's totally MPC lingo right there....does anyone on this blog or the civilized world know what the fuck the word SUBSTANTIALLY actually means?

Duque's Take: this is definitely very interesting, considering your facebook message to me last night. Are you really concerned with party unity, b/c this reads like you're just out to serve the interests of The Officials with particular emphasis on making everything look, well pardon the pun, official.

Duque Speaks: Apparently Stacey Gray thinks a Party president that cancels a meeting and changes his mind 20 minutes later and does not object (for whatever the reason) to a huge faction being present for a very partisan vote - as totalling 'a fantastic job.' Fantastic? Not just good? Not great? But, fantastic?

I'm glad the meeting was videotaped, so was the footage at the Nazi death camps. Since when are VIDEO & BLOGS substitutes for Public Notice & Party Cooperation?

Duque Speaks: Gary Benedix congratulated Donte Hargrove for 'showing great leadership and decisiveness during his first 3 days as Orange & Blue President.' Great leadership?

Duque Speaks: Cavatero states there was 70% quorum of voting members and everything was done by unanimous consent. Does that make it ok Sen. Cavatero? Correct me if I'm wrong, but O&B has even less than The Progs 30% of voting members in the UF Senate. Would you be ok with the Gator Party saying...'well we have 80% of voting members, we don't need to hear the minority.' In fact isn't that EXACTLY what happened, isn't that what O&B filibustered for five hours to stop?

Why fight that kind of despotism in chambers, only to apply it to the minority within your own party? Could you please address this issue Senator?

Duque's Favorite Quote: "There is a huge difference between 100% and 59% majority." Excellent statement by the not-so-polite Stephen Fitzmaurice.

Duque Speaks: (from a Wiggio cite) Donte Hargrove claims that "if we democratize everything, we won't get anything done."

Where the fuck did you people find this guy? And then he asks people to 'trust his judgment.' Trust these nuts! You're a fuckin puppet, you can't even make a decision and have it last longer than 20minutes. You're about as much 'a president' as Ahmad Karzai....it seems like neither one of you can even wipe your own ass without getting permission from the forces that keepyou in power.

Duque Stunned: Why is Armando Ramon Grundy Gomes in an O&B Party meeting? He's not even a UF student yet and there he is talking about TheRadikal, pledging to give money to prospective candidates, and saying that everyone is a good person. Let's make to sure get Armando on record here....he states that the GATOR PARTY STAND FOR NOTHING. We don't want to see you on the other side. Thanks for name-dropping my blog dear friend...

& just so you know...I have access to everything, always have. Anything I REALLY want to know, I know.

This is Dictor's Party Too!

2008-12-13T20:09:00.013-05:00

The Officials have made a mockery of the democratic process. This is not what I meant by a party primary. Just today I was watching the Sg-Span Judiciary tape and I was so proud of Sam Miorelli grilling the committee on Public Notice...only to see his faction cancel a meeting and reconvene it, without a single member of The Progs in attendance. Party Chairman Trimboii won office with a tally of 13:1. Congratulations to Joe, but how in the hell does anyone win office at 13:1 in a divided party?

Big kudos to Orange Blue Senate Leader Ben Cavatero for raising concerns that newly elected Orange & Blue Party President Donte Hargrove was unable to. Donte was elected by The Progs and he couldn't say anything? Is he just going to be a puppet this upcoming term? He told me on facebook to message him if I had any questions....ok.....here's my question dude: (1) Where are your fuckin balls and (2) Where is your fuckin sense of honor? (3) Why didn't you adjourn the meeting?

I always told Miorelli to fight hard against Dictor to come back to his old ways and lead the party against all the odds, but I won't support or look the other way to tyranny. And is Frank Bracco in Orange & Blue or not? Seriously, this kid gets System Jobs and Party Brass and he bounces from side to the other....PICK A SIDE AND STICK TO IT.

No Schneider, no Grasshopper, no Dictor, no Progs, no resistance, no problem...Donte will continue the meeting. Kudos to Kyle Huey for declining his nomination. Kudos to Alan Yanuck for his efforts, albeit too little, too late.

The Value of Democracy

2008-12-13T06:51:00.009-05:00

Mark McShera finally seems to be starting to act like a prospective candidate for Student Body President. I think that in the absence of Sam Miorelli, McShera has been thrust into the spotlight as both the frontrunner and a peacemaker. (Btw, the photo here on the right is one of the latest additions on facebook, but I love this photo; this photo should be used in promotions for the party, it just seems to express everything I think of when I think of Orange & Blue and I'm not there, so just think how cool it is! I've not made such a comment in 3.5yrs of blogging).

Today's meeting will either put an end to The Prog's claim to the nomination or it will leave the Party on hiatus for Spring. The Officials stood back and allowed Hargrove to take charge, but will they allow The Progs to literally take control of the party? Will McShera finally step up and give his hardline supporters a reason to fight? Will McShera the frontrunner, finally, engage Dictor - the challenger?

We'll see. Will the Sam Miorelli we all know return to former form? Will Dictor remain composed, yet focused? Will The Ape try to adjourn the meeting early when things start favoring McShera? Will Dave Schneider make converts out of the nay-sayers? Will Tommy Jardon present? Will The Progs block Trimboli for Member-At-Large? Will Liz Stinson be there? And what will Kyle Huey say? Will there be a primary? Who does SDS really support? Are the Obama Kids more for Mark?. What will Gary Benedix have to say?!? Will Cain Norris be there? Will Cavatero shock the world? What will happen at today's meeting?

Insiders insist there will be little doubt who will run for O&B.

Minority Rules Senate...& Now O&B?

2008-12-12T14:29:00.021-05:00

Hargrove Defeats Niederriter

Donte Hargrove, an alleged Dictor-loyalist, in a party that some believe is almost 2/3's in the bag for Mark McShera, defeats 'The Officials''s candidate!

It would seem logical for 'The Progs' to receive the party's leadership on paper as part of some exit package, but Dictor remains in position to challenge McShera for the Orange & Blue nomination for student body president.

Insiders from both sides have McShera at a comfortable lead, with Gator observers pleased. The FBK/Greek side seems uneasy about facing a united O&B Party given big losses in Fall and the ever looming possibility of Greek houses revolting.

'The Progs', under Dictor, have a stronger hand at the moment. Numerically speaking, Dictor cannot defeat McShera, but if Hargrove suspended the rules and declared Dictor the party's candidate next term, The Officials would find themselves scrambling for a new party name, spreading word throughout campus, and spending countless hours and money on damage control.

Conceptually speaking, as the frontrunner, McShera's voice should reign supreme (& McShera has recognized Donte Hargrove). However, until January 2009, The Officials will control the party through Sam Miorelli.

Miorelli could potentially suspend the rules and call for new elections. Rumor has it McShera opposes the idea of Josh Simmons being re-admitted to Exec., there would be a huge deadlock if the Party's SBP candidate forbade the re-admission of an Exec. Committee applicant, largely favored by the Party President. Miorelli just might make this potential showdown never happen...

Josh Simmons is also in an interesting position. A week ago he wanted back into O&B Exec. and today, some would say he's the power behind the O&B President-elect.

What an interesting time Spring may be. Simmons & Miorelli, both graduating next term, will be actively wrestling to get Hargrove in their corner -- who wins? Is it that obvious? How did The Officials lose the party presidency? I don't get it, but if one thing's for sure, Ben Dictor remains a viable underdog in contention for the party nomination.

Simmons Writes Duque

Christian,

I unfortunately had to step out for a goodly portion of the business part of the meeting, but since you seem to have gotten the gist of what actually happened already, I'll talk repercussions with you.

As far as this farcical assertion that I am somehow in control of Donte, it's patently ridiculous. I'd never even been properly introduced to the guy until yesterday. He's not beholden to anyone - he was duly elected in the first free and fair officer election a minority party has ever held. Although I'm sure he's more likely to consider my opinion than Sam Miorelli would, that's not saying much - it's become incredibly clear to everyone, I think, that Sam Miorelli listens to no one except the voices inside his head.

With regard to the party's nomination, that matter wasn't considered, although the McShera faction tried to force his nomination through in the meeting's garbage time (after, in fact, Miorelli had gavelled the meeting adjourned) but that attempt was abandoned after Donte was announced as the new party president and the shock thereof. I'm not sure if Ben will seek the nomination again - you'd have to ask him about that. I think that he feels the election of Donte is a step in the right direction, though, towards restoring the principles he feels the party originally stood for.

As to my climbing back into the mystical realm of the "exec," frankly I couldn't care less whether McShera wants me or not. In fact, the mentality that there is some powerful group of "exec" members is the sort of thing I'm trying to change by supporting Ben Dictor. One way or another, I'm going to be in the room offering my perspective, and hopefully someone will decide that it's worth taking into consideration.

There's supposed to be another meeting tomorrow to elect the remainder of the party's officials and potentially the SBP nominee (although not necessarily), and we'll know more after that.

Cheers,
-Josh Simmons

"I think it's reprehensible how people that I helped get elected now see fit to openly trash me and the other people who donated huge amounts of money and time to get them elected for their own personal political gain."

Sen. Sam Miorelli
Orange & Blue Party President

The Breakdown

2008-12-11T14:47:00.008-05:00

By this stage in the game we're no longer dealing with just two guys, so let me explain how I'm organizing my thoughts. In my head, division pre-election is not only healthy but needed. We have the larger faction, supporting Mark McShera and loyal largely to Sam Miorelli. Because this larger faction has more of the seasoned veterans, I call them the Official Party, or simply 'The Officials.'

On the other hand, I have Ben Dictor's group. Being that there is a great deal of SDS, Obama, CMC, and leftists, I have this group listed as The Progressives. I am by no means suggesting that O&B will split, but until there is a fair, all-inclusive primary, I don't think it's plausible to sweep the differences between the 'The Officials' and 'The Progressives' under the rug and join hands and sing kumbaya just yet.

Conservative estimates: 70/30% split, favoring The Officials
Liberal estimates: 60/40% split, favoring The Officials

Dictor, McShera Must Carry On Till Spring

2008-12-11T09:32:00.009-05:00

The value of the O&B nomination is increasing in value. The independent movement is growing, by leaps and bounds. Candidates of necessity, like Bruce Haupt & Thomas Jardon, will hopefully be a thing of the past. Haupt and Jardon are perhaps the two most important men of the Independent movement of the instant decade. Without these 'candidates of necessity' the Independent movement would have perished.

There will always be a non-establishment candidate/party, but that's not the independent movement. The Orange & Blue Party has direct lineage to Action, Pants, Progress, Impact, Access, and Stuent Alliance to Voice. This is a movement that grown from single party victories to boasting of a Student Body President, to breaking Fall Records (Impact '05, O&B '08).

I'm not sure what went on yesterday, but I'll have collected my thoughts by tonight.

The Moratorium & Collected Thoughts

2008-12-10T09:48:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure why Ben Dictor may have been told not to communicate with me or be a part of my blog, but that's all in the past now. Quite frankly, I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to him on the phone and have taken him up on his offer to follow-up on leads with him. This should not be of any concern to my current sources in other areas of O&B or Gator. If anything, TheRadikal.com will be more balanced.

For the record, I counseled Ben Dictor on calling for a moratorium on campaigning and if he should decide to run, I think it would only benefit the party to have a real primary. As of this moment, this blog leans for Mark McShera, but has become very friendly to Dictor in the course of just under 24hrs.

As I told Dictor on the phone, Miorelli was trained by the best. If any UF Senator put $500 in his pocket for campaign expenses and were to travel over to UNF, UWF, FGCU, or FAU and want to win SBP they'd annihilate anyone, Greek or not, local or not.

That having been said SG at UF is at such a competitive level, that good faith needs to be a key ingredient in the process. I wish we had had a 'Thursday Meeting' to have saved Access splitting in four Spring 2005.

The Front-Runner & His Passive Challenger

2008-12-09T18:41:00.009-05:00

This blog has contributed, perhaps, to Dictor's decision to withdraw and if that's the case -- no apologies. I want Dictor in this race, but I want Dictor to develop thicker skin. I also want Mark to gradually ditch this go-between persona and begin rally for the party nomination. Having Mark go to the org's is not the way to go, he's putting the cart before the horse. You go to the org.'s when you're campaigning for President. When you campaign for the primaries, you need to get out there and win RANK-IN-FILE hearts and minds.

Mark has the loyalists - but will these loyalists dwindle once Sam walks? What are relations like between McShera & Jardon? Both candidates have support, but both are equally indecisive. One candidate is believed by some, one of some right here, to be something of a conduit for Sam Miorelli - a sort of placeholder. I know Mark is more than that, but up until, I'm not convinced. Ben Dictor was forbidden from contacting me, allegedly by Sam Miorelli, but now that we've spoken, my only major bone to pick with him, is why he's not forcing a primary.

In all honesty I'd like to see Dictor in that running. I'd like to see people fight (though not maliciously) for the Independent nomination. I want that nomination to be valuable, I want it to be taken seriously, I want people from Gator to see how real democracy works. I want this primary to inspire change across the boards. I want to see Hargrove run. I want to see Cavatero test the waters for Spring '10, I want to see people nominate random people.

If you believe this sound comes from this band,
then you prolly think O&B doesn't need a real primary.

Dictor Withdraws. Duque Objects.

2008-12-09T12:14:00.013-05:00

We've just received word from Orange & Blue Party President, Sam Miorelli that Sen. Ben Dictor has officially witdrawn from the running for Student Body President. Removing Dictor from the running, the Cavatero Theory falls apart. As of right now, Mark McShera seems to be the clear front runner for the Orange & Blue nomination.

I just got off the phone with Ben Dictor (call lasted 1hr, 18minutes). I like him, I really do. He may just have won over the Duque with a salespitch, but I've collapsed this post and deleted the "3 Candidates" entry. I also encouraged Dictor to remain in the race, although I remain behind the Miorelli-faction which will likely give the nomination to Mark McShera.

Some months ago I extended an olive branch to Pedro Morales, I think the time may be appropriate to do the same with Josh Simmons.

I'm also glad Gary Benedix is out looking for B-Cell, lemme know how that goes.

Duque Right Again; O&B Should Take Advice

2008-12-05T06:10:00.008-05:00

Hours before a key meeting between Mark McShera and Ben Dictor, the Turncoat-Backed Rogue went to the Alligator and announced his candidacy for Student Body President. In all candor, I said that Orange & Blue would split into factions leading into the Spring, even posed the question on Frank Bracco's Q&A - a scenario he (like many others) were oblivious to.

The Orange & Blue Party of Spring & Fall 2008 would have been unstoppable had it been given one more term...the numbers don't lie. I truly and honestly believe that a Dictor ticket now, after his lack of good faith (announcing hours before a key party dialogue sit-down with Mark McShera), would set a very dangerous precedent in Independent politics.

Before the break...actually as of right now...Sam Miorelli as Orange & Blue Party President should announce the O&B Nominee for Student Body President, Mark McShera. Setting Dictor as a rogue early on will cure any misgivings about his support within Orange & Blue. If factions are going to break off....now is the time for that to happen. The break should be all about damage control and a revamping strategies.

Call His Bluff!

2008-12-04T05:17:00.008-05:00

"While you are entitled to think and publish what you wish....Mark and I have been talking and we are progressing as a party." -- Ben Dictor

Months ago I accused Mark McShera of being a turncoat...I rescinded. Should I have? (p.s. McShera also banned me from his facebook, lol, oops there goes another to add with Cain, Will, and the other assclowns) Why is O&B negotiating with anyone backed by Josh Simmons? It's I just don't get it, I don't get these kids. It's like you can piss on them and the next weekend they want to break bread with you.

I have never been one to cave to threats...if Josh Simmons believes he can create a movement over night, well then let him have a go at it. I too have worked with ego-driven candidates, I know the run-down. If my SG exp. counts for anything, I'm going to take my gut instinct that Simmons has had his eye on Dictor for quite some time and picked him for a variety of reasons favorable to his return to SG, all the way to the bank.

Everyone wants to be an Andre Samuels, a Pedro Allende, a JCB, but none of these prima donnas see anything beyond the almighty power. They all want to build a hodgepodge of a front, pledging loyalty and committing themselves to hard work, only to balk at the first whiff of the Spring elections...so as to make demands and threaten to 'bring it all down.'

The prima donnas lack the finess of a diplomat, their need for instant gratification disallows any sort of subtlety, and at the first bump in the road - as history has proven, their entire outlook becomes marred; the idea of an upward battle weakens their looting nature; these are not your hardworking, passionate campaign work horses, these are not your disillusioned majority demanding change...these are the people that promise you armies for SOLVE and deliver ghosts...

MIORELLI must stand firm...facebook groups don't win elections. Facebook groups don't define movements. I don't need to tell Sam or the real Orange & Blue Party what defines either the former or the latter, I don't think anyone needs to.