This is Dictor's Party Too!

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

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?

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.

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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

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"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

Dictor Withdraws. Duque Objects.

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

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!

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"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

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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.

Miorelli Must Resist

Posted On: Draft Ben Dictor for Student Body President

"Go Ben Dictor! I mean you have to be on the money when one of the biggest Judases of the Independent movment creates a facebook group for you. And you have to be a real people's candidate when you allegedly threaten to rip the most successful independent party at UF in the last fifteen years, into several pieces, just b/c you won't get your way.

I too have many, many, many, many ties to the fringes and revolutionary elements and I know what being a revolutionary is all about. It's about being selfless and about fighting for the Common Good.

Sam Miorelli has paid his dues, ran countless times for office, he's successfully led the Minority party to unprecedented heights and he deserves the nomination for president.

This election will be just like 2005. If I didn't know you from a hole in the wall, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt, but the fact that JOSH SIMMONS supports you and made you this ridiculous page only speaks to what I believe is your true purpose here." -- Christian Duque

Sam Miorelli and the real Orange & Blue Party must withstand this nonsense. Josh Simmons is a turncoat, one of the worst of all. He abandoned the independents at their most critical hour and now returns, as the independent movement resurrected itself thanks to the hardwork and sacrifice of Bruce Haupt & Pants, Action, and Orange & Blue. Simmons is an agent of the Machine...there can be no revolution led in part by a traitor! Simmons needs to get the fuck out; the Moseley train has choo-choo'ed away; now left w/o a friendly Greek master, Simmons should desist from scouring campus for indies that still respect him.

Ahhh....and looky looky....Ken Kerns, Nick Capezza, the GDI Godfathers joining this kid's page? HELLO?! Is Kerns' cat on the computer again? This guy is supported by JOSHUA SIMMONS -- 'WHY ARE YOU SUPPORTING HIM?'

I can't go on. Miorelli is the party president; he needs to re-register the party as is his rightful duty as Party Leader, he needs to run for president, and O&B need to gain more seats in the chambers. With this new twist, the Machine will all but surely defeat the Miorelli ticket, but Sam will have a senate seat to return home to and will hopefully help the Party gain more senate seats -- like HE always has done so before. But the most important point is this....DICTOR does NOT get the O&B Nomination. DOES NOT

DICTOR DOES NOT GET THE O&B NOMINATION!

indies of gator and o&b....UNITE!

"Gator submitted bills which would have gotten rid of our right to have a special meeting by petition of 20 senators, raised the number to open the floor to alternative nominations instead of R&A’s recommendations from 1/5 to 2/5, allowed Judiciary to kill bills in committee just by tabling it twice (no no vote required) where today all they can do is recommend poorly on the bill but it has to come out of committee, and created a new rule which would have allowed the Senate to expel anyone in the room by a 2/3 vote for being “deemed disruptive” and then send them to SJA and call the cops to arrest the person (regardless of whether they were a Senator or sunshine statutes or anything). Gator withdrew the expulsion one and the meeting was long with people speaking against the other bills and allocation requests etc. We got to vote on the special meeting rule change and with the help of a few Gator moderates got the 1/3 to stop the change to the rules. (Needless to say, the renegade Gator folks who voted with us were up until 3am getting calls from Gator Party Leader Fager (ATO) threatening them, their cultural orgs, their houses, and their chances at a tap for such rebellion).

Additionally The Orange & Blue Party proposed a bill that would have defunded any building or operation that required as a condition of entry that students submit to biometric scanning of any type. Basically it would have forced RecSports to continue allowing UF students an alternative way to enter the gyms other than the hand scanners or they would’ve lost the 40% of their budget SG pays for. Gator voted against this thing with about 10 of their people joining us (largely the same group who voted with us on the rule changes)." --- Sam Miorelli

2008 was huge for the GDI's and 2009 will surely mark the next step for the Independent movement at UF. The Minority Party under Sam Miorelli is going up against a giant, which can raise an army of hundreds of campaign staffers in a 24hr period, whose budget may at times seem endless, and whose connections stem back well over seven decades. In an atmosphere where multicultural organizations seem their weakest and thus most subserviently aligned to the Majority, the Orange & Blue Party seems poised to stand the test, against all the odds and all the hype and go into this fight swinging in each round as if it were the first - and not just for the week of the elections, but for the whole year!

Greek Rebels?

Class of 2009? Rumors are circulating that Greek Rebels may be coming to the side of Orange & Blue before the break. I can't report anything tangible as of yet, but I have it under good advice that certain 'lower end frats' may be looking at 'silently supporting' a Miorelli ticket given certain 'mutual interests.'

Please. No emails. I will not divulge anything until I can report with some kind of certainty. Once again, no emails or phone calls on the matter. Be advised this is a developing story and while not confirmed, it's by no means mere speculation.

Student Body President Sam Miorelli

That's got a nice sound to it, it sounds fitting and in many ways very much realizable. O&B listened when it came to the impeachment of Paul Drayton - I would argue that that (and the email scandal) made voters more aware of a difference between the System and the Independents. Look...every indie party has exhausted its networking capabilities, so to simply give O&B the Big 12 win simply on that would suggest that Action, Pants, Impact, Progress, & Voice just didn't get the word out there enough -- that's just bullshit.

O&B stood up, their recent filibustering defensive will only add to their already assertive & defiant voice from the Minority. Americans love the underdog, for the hundreds of punches Apollo landed on Rocky, people still felt like they were in the fight everytime Rocko would hit the champ's ribs and make him bend over sideways. O&B landed punches this past Spring and fired four combinations against Gator in Fall. In boxing terms, Gator is in the lead, but its eyes are swollen, it's nose has been broken, its ribs are flaring, and and its legs are giving out from time to time.

There will be no need for ear-bitting or headbutting if O&B gets out to the organizations and speaks now! Speaks the first week of the new term! It's not campaigning folks ---- it's constituent requirements - ONLY GO 2, 3, 4x your required orgs!

I firmly believe that if O&B gains 5% before the term is over and another 5% beginning early next term, that come election time....Jordan Johnson will be giving his concession speech to Student Body President-elect Sam Miorelli.

Gator will still have the majority of wins in senate, but the students will split their ballots to make a statement.

Duque has made his prediction November 26, 2008. And as much as people want to knock him, Sam Miorelli can only benefit by having Thomas Jardon in his corner. I really hope for the future of the movement and for the fact that the Indies are so close, that their egos (they're 12 senate wins) won't see them alienate Jardon. From what I'm told people are angry he's lazy, to them I say: 'the guy has paid his dues, the solider you want has been a general since before you arrived at UF...run ideas by him, explore strategies, CONSULT with him! But if you're looking for a guy to dig ditches, I just don't think he's your guy. Maybe in Spring 2005, but you're headed into Spring '09...show some respect.'

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President Miorelli

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President Miorelli on Grapski

"As far as Grapski goes, I find myself of several conflicting minds on the matter. As a very simplistic matter as a mechanical engineering major who is focusing my studies on air conditioning and refrigeration systems, hearing about a part of the jail consistently being that cold concerns me. While I don’t know the specifics of their system, it sounds like the reheat part of the process is broken and/or they have serious control issues going on. Either of these would point to a critical problem with a major capital system in the building that should be addressed by maintenance and design professionals immediately because beyond the discomfort the cold causes, it could also point to problems with (or failure of) the outside-air makeup system. When this fails it causes sick buildings, mold and, fungus problems that can start within the air conditioning ducts and spread throughout the building. Severe cases of this can literally grow entire colonies of deadly mold spores in the system that have in the past killed or incapacitated scores of government employees at facilities where these problems were ignored. While this sounds dire, it is usually relatively trivial to fix these problems as long as they’re addressed by competent professionals in a reasonable amount of time and I hope the jail has repairs in the works.


For the legal/political situation things are much more murky for me. Obviously the public does not intend jails to be palaces, but even the imprisoned (regardless of their adjudicatory status) have a right to a liveable climate and nutrition. However, while the temperature is an obvious problem, things such as food are harder to quantify and comment upon. I am glad upon reading your latest post that it sounds like Grapski’s representation situation is moving forward; the legal system is painfully slow as it is and these kinds of things can really drag out a simple matter unnecessarily.



But beyond the nature of his imprisonment, I really don’t think I know enough to make an educated comment on his guilt or innocence. I’ve read the charges in the papers like everyone and while I am extremely skeptical about what I think frequently in this country amounts to a culture of prosecutorial overreaching, making scenes at public meetings just for the sake of making a scene that disrupts the meeting and breaking and entering are unacceptable behaviors no matter who you are. Yes, you Gator Party folks out there might have your jaws open at my comments about making a scene for the purposes of making a scene, but there’s a big difference between being a properly elected/appointed member of a board or commission raising hell or delaying matters with public pressure or parliamentary tactics and being an average joe showing up at a county commission meeting and losing it so much you get dragged out by the police (which is something Grapski seems to have developed a reputation for doing). The point is as members of the public we have every right to show up at any meeting and express our outrage, and I believe we should have significant leeway in the manner and duration of time we use at such meetings to do so, but eventually government, even corrupt government or misguided government, must carry on. If our elected officials are determined to ignore their constituents we have the duty to express our outrage and bring pressure upon them to stop. But eventually you chalk up the loss, move on to other things, and start preparing the attack ads for the next election cycle to remind voters about the times they’ve been ignored. I think our ability in O&B to fight like hell on the issue at hand, roll with the punches when we lose, yet still effectively remind the voters of the times that Gator has ignored their wishes has proved to be one of our most effective tools to motivate voters to give us a chance to do better with their public trust.



As to Grapski’s mark on the current movement, I think it’s hard to really quantify that. His work was really 15 years ago and with the exception of a late-night meeting at Maude’s we had in the Spring shortly before we filed the SOLVe suit, I only know him through the indie oral storytelling tradition. I haven’t read most of the documents related to the case, though I have read some of the Alligator coverage surrounding it to know what happened. My recent contact with Joe Little has filled in some gaps in that respect too. But with respect to what sort of impact his work 15 years ago has had on O&B’s efforts, I think the connection is tenuous at best. The indies have collapsed and reformed several times since then and while I can see a clear connection between the people and work I’m doing today and those of say Access, going back past that is hard since I’ve never really met anyone who was involved in the 10 years between Grapski and then. That’s not to say that he wasn’t important, I just don’t really know what he did on a policy basis all that much to draw a solid connection. In truth, with the exception of Trimboli, myself, and Tommy there aren’t any guys still involved on our side surviving from even as recently as the 2006 ACTION campaign: most of today’s O&B are a direct recruitment result of Trimboli and my work with Progress in 2007. To me, the most important thing about Grapski isn’t who he is today, but what he did: sue for his rights when UF and FBK played dirty. That one act 15 years ago DID resonate through each subsequent indie party and has given us all hope even in the darkest of days. It was knowledge of his suit that led me to Joe Little’s office with the SOLVe documents in February to timidly knock on his door and ask him if he thought there was anything we could do. It was knowledge of his suit that had other former indies cum law graduates calling offering their services then and still doing so today. It is the knowledge we all have that if UF and FBK go overboard in stopping us that there ARE courts and judges out there that can stop them that keeps us going even as all the levers of power are locked against us.


For that, despite my strong disagreements with his recent behavior and most of his political beliefs, I respect the man because it was his decision to stand up back then that has made it possible and much easier for all of us to continue standing up today. To me the greatest tragedy of Grapski is that he didn’t go on to achieve fame/fortune/flashy success after UF: that is the carrot FBK claims to offer their people and had Grapski achieved that as well, debunking the FBK myth would be far easier today."

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Still No Word From Canney

Michael Canney has been by Charlie Grapski's side since day one - in Alachua at least. He's considered a top knotch member of the opposition, whether you choose to use outdated terms like the ALA or if you instead prefer to associate him exclusively with the Green Party, Canney holds a great role to the future of the City of Alachua.

Canney is far more than the camera that follows Grapski around. It will be interesting if his statement will ever be received... though we're not holding our breath.

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Why Goldberg

Some people may be wondering why I chose Joe as the first SBP to speak. The Summer 2004 session was quite possibly the most interesting senate session of the decade. Joe's very election was rumored to have been part of a key Access-powerplay that went bad very quickly. Times were tough, relations were strained, Jamal didn't know from day to day if the hostile majority in senate would topple him...but while he waited Jamal & his cabinet threw jabs at hostile senate leaders by forming executive sub-committees (which overstepped into the Legislative Branch by way of their Access Party members' influence).

In the end Joe proved the most keen. While he planned his rise to the top, Dennis was seemingly caught off guard. The administration's kind and friendly #2 (Puckett was the clear #3), Ngin zealously worked from his office to do his best by the side of the students. It's for this reason when several of us approached him in December, that he still had not made a decision. This indecision, coupled with other internal issue, began to signal The Minority Migration to Gator that would culminate by the Spring elections.

In a very blunt way...even without a Progress or Voice, Dennis (also lacking an Andre Samuels f/t by his side) would have been no match for Joe. Let me expound further. Even with Samuels & the Team [Argento/Harrell/Kassim] in 2005...Dennis still would have been in trouble. The '04 contacts and strategies were outdated and obsolete by '05 -- so much so that Jamal's own last minute, highly publicized endorsement weighed little less than the paper it was printed on.

Oh yeah...back to Joe. I selected him b/c he was a major player at a critical time. His appointments have shaped even your own current SG and his tenure over Senate can also be felt - even today. In terms of legacy-value, Goldberg's has lived longer than Boyles', Moseley's, and dare I say Reilley's ever did or will.

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Disassociation

Esteemed Senators,
Sen. Jon Ossip,
Sen. Gary Benedix,
Sen. Alan Yanuck,
Sen. Dave Schneider,
Sen. Zach Mori,
Sen. Dylan Billodeaux,
Sen. Travis Baker,
Sen. Stacey Gray,
Sen. Jacob Fyda,
Sen. Alden Gillespy::

Congratulations on your election to the University of Florida Student Senate. I too was elected to this prestigious body in the Spring 2004 and I can honestly relate to the hard work, the sacrifice, and the abuse you all must have taken on the campaign trail.

The Orange & Blue Party was a party that evolved from a very special line of independent parties at UF. O&B went back to basics and raised an old, GDI plan of attack from the dead. No racial cards, no celebrity candidates, no renegade ruling party hacks -- just 'plain, in your face independent kids ready to fight to the wire and kick some FBK ass.' And you did that and in the many races you didn't, you were shy by just enough of votes for others to have allegedly cooked the numbers enough to have escaped your wrath.

You have a great deal to be proud of, but your hard work and sacrifice should be exchanged for a select few to collect titles and selfishly align themselves (bargaining with your name and your networking) to receive larger benefits for themselves.

To quote one of your leaders, Sen. Mark McShera, who currently 'won' a post a Member-At-Large of the Senate's most powerful committee:

"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."

All I'm saying to you fine, newly elected leaders is to be weary of colleagues more interested in themselves than in the pursuit of the greater good. I want all of you to look at Senators Miorelli (party president), McShera (plan re-election), & Cavatero (re-elected)... look at what they get during this session and then look at your group and see what you get. If at the end of the day you're subsisting of bread and water and your collective voice is brokered several meetings in advance -- then please consider doing the honorable thing: disassociation from the Orange & Blue Party. You will still be able to fight the O&B Platform, only you will not subscribe to the shady backroom deals.

Remember. Once they get their fill & graduate -- you're all on your own. Believe it.

Remember, you were elected to serve the students, not serve the party. You were told by your leaders that you were Independents, but today your 'Independent Leaders' break bread and cavort with the very scoundrels that have bogged down this University's Student Government since the 1930's.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PART OF THE PROBLEM;
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PART OF THE LIE.

Congratulations O&B!!!

It's hard to believe, but O&B secured just one seat shy of the Access Party of 2004 and they did this all on their own GDI dime. Sam Miorelli has been re-elected and a fresh new crop of SG'ers are on their way in. I've only been saying this for months now, but Gator is on the way out. They can change the name to Swamp, Innovate or Ignite but that won't change things.

I hope that Kellie Dale & Marygrace Bell get dealt with by Patricia Telles-Irvin just like Reilly. I think being called to her office sends a very, very strong message. NO CALENDARS FOR YOU THIS YEAR!

So anyway, congratulations to Orange & Blue! Look to 'Ken Is Speaking' for a better morning-after post -- I have a cold.

Go Orange & Blue!

Not much to say this early in the morning, except to wish you the best. You guys are really taking it to the next level. I still hope Sam Miorelli will announce. Perhaps McShera would be better for SBT, but I insist (even based off of my physical distance from SG) he is Executive material. I urge both Miorelli & McShera to reconsider my request. The time to announce is now.

You will not have the momentum you have now. Gator is hurting. They're going to win this run, it's Fall. But you two can make a big difference campaigning as Executive candidates in a Fall election. You can call into question all of the tools in the System arsenal...you can make public spectacles of their Elections Commission, denying the "have-nots, the 84% of campus" not only the right for their candidates to campaign for their colleagues, but denying them the right to online voting, proper representation on "Machen's vision to dry out campus," the uniformity in chambers, the indifference to UF students getting electrocuted by agents of the UF administration apparatus, you can pounce these people.

It's never been done before. Please think about it. I don't just know two names, I know a good bit about over a dozen top GDI's at UF. The two of you are the ones that I really believe have Exec. potential. Please don't mistake my lack of tact insofar as implying that you, Mark, were a turncoat -- you're far from it.

It just irks me to see real potential settle in for anything less than your destiny. Announce. If you change your mind in December, politely drop out, b/c by then O&B will be much more organized, much more known, and on it's way. I have almost no doubt neither of you would drop out. Either one of you is SBP material, but divided you'll destroy O&B.

For now, I'm glad to see you slating as you are. Incredible!

The Most Senior Independent To Speak, Again!

Fmr. Orange & Blue Party Presidential candidate and founder, Thomas Jardon, has agreed to his second Q&A on TheRadikal.com. Jardon's 2006 participation spiked interest in this blog, garnering the highest comment-feedback to date, and marking several hundred reads while on the front page.

Although new names abound, from party presidents to Senate Minority leaders, Jardon remains the most senior and most connected member of the organization. For all the great work the current crop carries on in the name of the students, they all remain in the shadow of the last of the Old Guard.

I still believe if Jardon had run in 2006 (instead of Jared Hernandez), he would have wiped the floor with John Boyles. This Q&A will address the '07 Defection, Glenda-Gate, Online Voting, the rivalry with Adam Roberts, and much, much more!!!

If it's SG you're lookin for, this is the place to be!

Radikal Wishlist

The latest move on part of the Gator Party wreaks! For months I've been receiving reports from my three sources that Naadira Renfroe would be made Gator Party President. This isn't the first time I've been wrong and it certainly won't be the last in quite some time, however, this reminds me of the Sam Green Block. Like Green, System insiders may see trouble in the underclassmen to come. I sincerely believe, as does my source on SW 2nd & 13th, that Jordan Johnson's faction of Gator is behind this. I'm waiting for my other Greek friends to reply.

Per Glenda the inbox is lighting up, with as many people anxious for more details of the Report, as they are to hear the Kerns/Capezza Clarification(s). It will certainly be interesting to see what Ken has to say.

Latest news on SwampFrontLawn!!!...it's still dead as a doornail. Pegged at eleven comments for almost two weeks, the blog seems to be preparing to follow in the SG Observer's footsteps.

Per the title of this post, I'd love to see Mark be made president of the party, allowing for Sam Miorelli to announce his candidacy for Student Body President - NOW -. Obviously the campaign material would be 99% for the Fall Slate senators, but why not begin campaigning in Fall for SBP, if even just to be different and grab a tiny amount of free press? And just let the Elections Commission mouth off, even more press. The Machine can't break with tradition, but the GDI's can! Just imagine this scenario at Turlington or the NEB.

SM: "Hello, my name's Sam Miorelli. I was formerly a student senator and I'm running for Student Body President next Spring."


Student: "Interesting. So you're not talking to me right now to get a vote?"

SM: "Well actually, I really enjoy speaking to students throughout the year, but come to mention it, my colleague (so and so Mr....) is running for the Engineering seat and if you have a minute I'd love to tell you about what he/she plans on doing and what O&B is all about."

Student: "interesting. Are you running for anything this term?"

SM: "Nah...I'm not going to run for president from the padded security of a senate seat to fall back on if I lose; I'm going all the way. I'm going to stand up for what my party's all about, just like these kids running today; I just hope you don't forget my name come Spring.


Student: "no...I don't think I will."

Why the fuck doesn't a GDI announce himself/herself in Fall, campaigning for the Fall Senators but getting his name out early? Sam needs only to take the LSAT and APPLY to UF Law to be eligible. That's it.

People say Sam is too out there, he runs his mouth too much, he's divisive. But guess what, he'll have a lot to talk about! And it's about time we had a "divisive" candidate, who will set his party apart from the bureaucratic sludge that is SG. A nice ticket would be Miorelli/Cavatero.

I say keep making yourself different. You're stuck with a mainstream party name, let that be your only tie to the middle. Impeaching inept, ineligible politicos, questioning legacies, standing by students even against past SBP's and the UFPD....no longer will you have to talk about SNAP vans, recycle bins, and other low interest, campaign-time rhetoric bullshit. You have real issues you can stand on and what's Gator going to say? This ain't recycle bins and thanks to the Alligator, it's memorialized, so instead of booth with covered in Orange & Blue stickers and placards, run dozens of photo-copies of Alligator article showcasing the almost endless laundry list of fuck-ups this ONE administration has racked up.

The Party Leader Speaks

TheRaDiKaL: Ok Sam, let's get the intro question out of the way. When did you arrive at UF, where from, what clubs were you initially involved with, are you Greek (why or why not?), and why on Earth did you get involved in Student Government?

Sam Miorelli: I arrived at UF in the Fall of 2005 from Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School. I’ve lived in Florida my entire life. I’m not Greek primarily because when I rushed with my friend we never got a compelling answer at any of the houses (and we visited them all) to the question: “what makes (insert greek letters here) different?” Everyone’s answer was “well, uh, we’ve got brotherhood!” I’m a PIKE and Theta Chi legacy which makes for much hilarity at the idea of me becoming a frat brother of Kevin Reilly among SG circles.

My involvement in SG seemed pretty natural after leaving high school, though when I got here I had no idea what was going on. I was involved in SGA at my high school extensively: I rewrote our school’s constitution and was one of two students who convinced the Brevard County School Board to change their policy on students carrying cell phones on campus with a proposed policy which we wrote and implemented at Cocoa Beach. When I got to UF though, I had no idea what SG party politics was like. I lived in Hume and wanted to run in the Fall so I went to slating. The Assistant Supervisors of Elections basically told me that I should slate Gator because they were a better party and Gator led me directly out of the slating room and into their offices. I was interviewed by Laura Gonzalez and left convinced that I’d be picked. I didn’t even know another party existed, I just thought it was some sort of school spirit thing that made for good graphics.

Honestly even if I hadn’t been slated I might’ve worked for Gator if they’d treated me well. Instead they didn’t even to e-mail to tell me that I wasn’t slated until about 4pm the day after slates were announced and by that time my friend Joe Trimboli had already found out that Impact had slated him and Gator hadn’t slated me. I ran as an independent candidate and lost miserably but learned tons about how SG works in the process. Along the way Tommy Jardon explained the FBK-SG-DSO connections and I’ve been pretty much hooked as an anti-system crusader ever since.


TheRaDiKaL: Getting right into it, give us the inside scoop on the momentary defection of Sen. Eric Wolf. Some and what, if anything, did YOU do PERSONALLY to keep him in the ranks of the Orange & Blue Party?



Sam Miorelli: Eric is a turncoat, plain and simple. I’ve seen this type of person in indie politics so many times it makes me sick. They join because they want a t-shirt and a bunch of resume lines. Essentially they work on the indie campaign for the same reason Gator’s people do: their own personal gain.

His work ethic during the campaign was nearly nonexistent and no sooner was he elected than he was out having lunch with Ryan Day (turncoats stick together I guess). We knew a rat was up and did our best to have handlers at their liaisons to keep an eye on things. Basically as long as O&B wanted to play pussy with Gator and not make anyone mad, Eric was all for it. As far as I was concerned Eric was dead to me when he cut Ben Dictor’s knees out from under him on the Aramark issue from his Judiciary Committee to try and co-opt the Orange and Blue Party. When his defeat was finally sealed he picked sour grapes over our platform and disaffiliated specifically to try and prevent me from serving on R&A and asking questions that his buddy Kellie thinks are either inappropriate for R&A (like asking someone applying for the Budget Committee if they know where the finance regulations are in Statutes).

After the impeachment hearing where he joined Gator in their vote even against the factuality of an 800 code he was asking Kellie how to get integrated into Gator and know which way they’d want him to vote on things. I’ve known he was going to join the Gator Party sooner or later and I think his lack of personal conviction in cleaning up SG and preference for convenience at the cost of student interest will find a nice home in the Gator Party. His “independence” (he has yet to have the balls to officially register Gator) is a testament to his lack of conviction in anything but his own self-importance; he is a system tool through and through.




TheRaDiKaL: Orange & Blue fielded Tommy Jardon for president. Jardon is perhaps the last member of the Old Guard and a fine selection for SBP, though he was consistently overlooked in favor of less than stellar candidates. Will Sam Miorelli step up to the plate in '09 as a serious candidate for the O&B presidential nomination? Explain this one thoroughly please.

Sam Miorelli: I am currently scheduled to graduate in May 2009 so unless I stay at UF for law school, running for SBP is out of the cards. Additionally I’ve always said I would not be willing to run unless it was a true online election. I think those two requirements pretty much rule out 2009 for me but stranger things have happened and expedited review by the 1st DCA certainly helps.(Taks LSATS in December, apply by deadline, and you're eligible, that's what Jennifer Puckett did with grad school).



TheRaDiKaL: To what extent, if any, has Orange & Blue been able to forge working-relationships with members of, or, the Gator Party itself. What pieces of legislation stand as a hallmark of your bi-partisan efforts to date?

Sam Miorelli: Once upon a time I honestly considered myself to be friends with many of the Gator Party’s top brass. As freshmen many of us worked together in agencies or campaigned good-naturedly side by side. However as I have seen them age and gain power, they have become like all the others: willing to lie, cheat, and even break the law to achieve their political goals. I respect people who are honest with me and themselves, unfortunately that trait is nearly nonexistent among the Gator Party. There are still a few good apples, some of whom I predict will be joining us in the Fall, but in consideration of their own safety and that of their student organizations (yes, Gator still intimidates student groups with threats of budget cuts) I’ll leave them nameless until they make the change known themselves.

That said, we had some major successes on a few 700 Code reforms and getting rid of a few salaries for SG officials this summer as we worked with Gator. I look forward to using a strong showing in the Fall election to advance on our charge against SG salaries, cell phones, and the dozens of other places where money is wasted.



TheRaDiKaL: How would you rate the Senate leadership under President Kellie Dale? How often are the rules suspended for trivial matters, how fair is she as a presiding officer?

Sam Miorelli: Kellie is a pretty abysmal Senate President. Her knowledge of Robert’s Rules, Rules and Procedures, Statutes, and the Constitution are elementary at best. She regularly makes the wrong ruling on questions of parliamentary procedure and her methods of handling votes whereby she essentially calls the vote in whatever favor she wants it to go regardless of whether or not the whole Gator Party might’ve voted the other way is difficult to believe. Most of her colleagues seem to share similarly low opinions of her performance thus far at any sort of leadership from the Senate and I think her job performance here could be a serious limitation on her chances at getting the FBK nod for running for Student Body President. That said, I’m told Nikki Fried is pushing or her so maybe there are chances after all.


TheRaDiKaL: Who are the real loud mouths and/or jerks from the Gator Party that give your senators the hardest time and/or openly berate you? Please name them and describe their tactics as elaborately as possible.

Sam Miorelli: I would say that each of us has a different “favorite” for this, but to me, the worst by far is Jimmy Carelsen. His philosophy, as best I can tell, is something akin to “we’re always right and if you say otherwise I’ll move to remove you from chambers.” He is almost always the first one to try to limit or cut off debate; especially when the facts are damaging for Gator.


TheRaDiKaL: To date, what has been a vote or stance you've taken on an issue or resolution, that you would like to take back or relive - and why?

Sam Miorelli: I’m a pretty instinctual guy when it comes to SG issues: I know what I’d want as a student and I can smell a Gator Party move for political patronage a mile away. I’m proud of my record in Senate and in the Orange and Blue Party and look forward to taking that record to the voters.


TheRaDiKaL: Ok, let's discuss Student Body Treasurer Paul Drayton. Do you find it unethical that once knowing he'd won office that he'd even apply to an out-of-state summer-long internship? Focusing only on his employment decision(s) and role as SBT, please share give your thoughts.

Sam Miorelli: To me this is a prime example of just how screwed up SG is. Drayton gets a wonderful opportunity at JP Morgan that will certainly advance his career. Anybody would pick the internship, and yet instead of focusing all of his time on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he keeps grasping at power to the very end. The claims that his internship is somehow going to educate him and make him a better Student Body Treasurer are just offensive to the intelligence of all Gators. Drayton wanted to have it both ways and typically Gator backed him up. The losers in all of this, as usual, are the students and organizations that enter the Fall three months behind in planning their programming and budgets.


TheRaDiKaL: Do you believe that the Student Body Constitution allows the SBT to arbitrarily create positions out of thin air and rule by proxy? What do you think about the Student Body President giving official statements to the Independent Florida Alligator that clearly counter the Student Body Constitution? Should Reilly be censured or found in contempt of the Student Senate?

Sam Miorelli: Obviously this “interpretation” of the Constitution is more properly termed an “imagination.” Again, I’d like to think we’d be shocked by this but Gator has been pulling these shenanigans for years with the support of the SG “professional” staff and the implicit support of Dr. Patricia Telles-Irvin who time and again refuses to stop them and protect the students from their own Student Government run amok.


TheRaDiKaL: Would you consider pushing your party to file Articles of Impeachment against Brett Roth, the absent-Director of Chomp the Vote?

Sam Miorelli: I’m not entirely sure how we would go about handling the Chomp the Vote issue but unfortunately time is not on the students’ side here. Chomp the Vote has done nothing all summer and even if we were to remove Roth I’m not sure we’d get a better replacement in time to register students to vote before the election. Kevin Reilly has forced us to trust him and Brett on this matter. So far every time I’ve had to trust Kevin that something would happen right or properly I’ve gotten burned so I’m expecting nothing less than ineptitude from the Reilly administration on this too.


TheRaDiKaL: Given the honorable resignation of Vice President Lydia Washington, do you feel that from Boyles to Moseley to Reilly that each consecutive System administration has become more and more blatant insofar as their abuse of power and less concerned with any possible repercussions their decision-making may have on the future of Student Government and the well-being of the Student Body? Please expound.

Sam Miorelli: Each is a product of the last. They see what the last was able to get away with and think they can take it one step further. Again this is something that you would expect that Dr. Telles-Irvin, who regularly talks about SG as a “leadership organization,” would want to stop if for no other reason than to protect the integrity of the organization she oversees. So far though, it seems that nothing short of a court order or a massive electoral defeat will solve the problems we have in SG.

TR's Word Association!
Frank Bracco: Hardest worker in SG
Paul Drayton: Power hungry egotist
Will Foster: Hilarious, off to greener pastures
Kellie Dale: Inept, little regard for the law
Eric Wolf: desperately wants to be a “cool kid”
Cain Norris: energetic but a campaign unknown
Jimmy Carlsen: self congratulatory and fears debate
Daniele D'Oyley: disregards her biggest duties for politics
Mary Grace Bell: expert in doublethink
"GLENDA”: thinks she’s in charge, destructive
The Independent Florida Alligator: their vigilance is our only hope for reform
Bernie Machen: wrong priorities, uninformed, replaced soon
Tommy Jardon: cynical old war horse, my friend
Orange & Blue Party: hardest working, brilliant, ideological friends
Sam Miorelli: just trying to make SG respectable while I’m here

Bracco or Miorelli? You Decide.

I've been thinking about this for quite some time and I think it's pretty obvious that the Orange & Blue Party has two unofficial front-runners for their presidential nomination in 2009. I'd be interested which would get the Jardon endorsement, I'm also curious which would get the lion's share of the officials (those party members in Senate and/or otherwise in SG). I'm also curious which candidate would have a greater rapport with the general O&B supporter.

I think it's an interesting area for O&B'ers, as well as members of the majority to state the pro's/cons of either. I think it could be done in a classy way, but this is TheRadikal.com, so per usual [most] anything goes.

Sam Miorelli & Ken Kerns

Both Q&A's are in! Both are being edited but I'm still at odds over which one should be released as of yet. There are areas in Kerns Q&A that I'm thinking need to be more polished (not so much on his end, but on mine). Not to take away from Sam's Q&A, but Ken's is kinda like the Chinese Democracy.

For those of you that don't follow Guns 'n Roses, the classic lineup broke up around 1994 (Slash, Duff, & Matt make up 3/4's of Velvet Revolver). Axl Rose remains the sole original member (but that's tricky in Guns history...). In any event, Axl has been promising Geffen Records a new release for over ten years and that release is Chinese Democracy. Axl doesn't want the old glory to top him and now finally on his own, he wants to make more than a record, he wants it to be perfect so I can relate.

Ken Kerns may not be the most popular Q&A and he may not get the most comments, but that's kind of the point. Ken's insights will bridge so many gaps in the history of the contemporary Independent movement and his insights are deeper than those of us used to just brushing the surface-soil aside are used to reading.

And just for ther record - I'm not calling my audience stupid. It's just that so few are really SG Historians. I consider myself a junior in this field, but I give credit Tommy Jardon, James Argento, Nick Capezza, Charles Grapski I consider not only an expert but everything he's written on the matter to be persuasive authority, and so on.

I think the reader that really wants to brush up and be an SG-Expert-In-Training, for the whole 3 of you, will read both Grapski interviews from 2006, Tommy Jardon's interview, the Argento interview of '07, and then read Ken's in '08 to really be on your way.

SG is for students and alums and you can't ever know-it-all...in the Bible you've got the Tower of Babel, in the modern day world you have Gatorpedia - both abysmal failures. I'm not knocking the efforts, those were valid, I'm knocking the arrogance than anyone could think THEY could cover such a vast world, with so many people that gave their time and their hearts, in just one page, one book, one opinion.