Terry Kemple Off of the Diversity Council

Via Stogie: This gave me a laugh when I read it on his blog. Hillsborough County commissioners Al Higginbotham and Ken Hagan are shocked that Christian Right activist Terry Kemple was disqualified from the new diversity council. The National Diversity Council disqualified Kemple after he sent an email to supporters disparaging the county's new diversity council for being used to promote homosexuality. Apparently, Kemple fails to understand that the whole point of a diversity council is to not discriminate against people.

“Whether you like Kemple or not, they had no criteria for excluding him,” said Commissioner Al Higginbotham. “I have great trouble with that.”

Actually, there is a good reason not to appoint Kemple to the diversity council. Kemple has a history of being anti-gay, believes evolution is fantasy, has shown racist tendencies towards Muslims and is a silly man.

This is the man that Higginbotham and Hagan feel to they need to back to appeal to the base. Kemple race for the Hillsborough County school board and lost badly. Kemple once held a press conference that was attended by no one. Kemple is an embarrassment. For a guy that is supposed to be the most powerful Christian Right activist in Tampa, you would think he would have more than 167 followers. sOmehow I am not surprised that more people don't want to read tweets like this.

I did

— Terry Kemple (@Terry_Kemple) December 3, 2012

Terry Kemple is the Wile E. Coyote of Tampa political activists.

Kevin Beckner Community Event

Hillsborough County commissioner Kevin Beckner is holding a community office hours event. This is a chance for constituents to meet with Beckner.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 10 am-12 pm SouthShore Regional Library 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin, FL 33573 Phone is: 813-672-1152 The meetings are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please take time to stop by and share your ideas and any concerns you have about your County.

Hillsborough County Commission Fails on Domestic Registry

The Hillsborough County Commission voted against a domestic registry for same sex couples. The domestic registry would have allowed straight and gay unmarried partners to have hospital visitation rights and involvement in financial decisions.

The board voted 4-3 against creating a Domestic Partnership Registry for Hillsborough County.

Commissioners Victor Crist, Ken Hagan, Al Higginbothom and Sandra Murman voted against the motion. Commissioners Les Miller, Kevin Beckner and Mark Sharpe voted in favor.

Republican Mark Sharpe put the domestic registry up for a vote. Sharpe deserves praise for bucking his party on this issue. The four nay votes were all cast by Republicans. This was a chance for the commission to lead on gay rights. Once again the commission pandered to conservative intolerance.

Kevin Beckner USF College Democrats Meeting

The Kevin Beckner campaign will meet with the USF College Democrats. This event is to get college students involved with reelecting Beckner to his Hillsborough County Commission seat.

Side note: do not expect Beckner at the meeting.

Thursday, April 26, 2012 - Thu 26 Time: TBD USF College Democrats

Event Location: USF Campus - Fowler

Event Description: Campaign speaking to the USF College Democrats about being active in campaigns and volunteer opportunities.

Happy Earth Day

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner has some tips on how to save energy and water.

* Switch to paperless billing and join the mail opt-out list to eliminate unsolicited mailings and reduce paper use. Visit the Federal Trade Commission website. * Leave reusable grocery bags in the car so they are handy when you go shopping and you can reduce the use of plastic bags. * Switch your ceiling fan direction to clockwise in the warmer months and counterclockwise in the cooler months to distribute the warm and cool air where it is needed and reduce your energy consumption. For more energy tips visit HERE.

Green options for you to consider:

* Installing a water-saving shower head * Converting to energy efficient light bulbs for your home * Recycling- set up curbside pick up * Making consumer choices that reduce waste * Volunteering to clean our beaches, roadways and parks

The USF Botanical Gardens will hold an Earth Day event today.

Happy Earth Day.

Kevin Beckner Townhall Meeting

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner will meet and listen to constituents.

April 10 Quarterly
Neighborhood Meeting:
Carrollwood Cultural Center
4537 Lowell Road
Tampa, FL 33618
PH: 813-269-1310

This is a good time to talk with Beckner and show your support fro him. Beckner is one of only two Democrats on the Commission.

Gay Bashing Attack Against Kevin Beckner

Republican Margaret Iuculano is running for incumbant Kevin Beckner's Hillsborough County Commission District 6 seat. Beckner has been a pro-business politician and has a mild-mannered governing style. One hardly thinks of the liberal politics of San Francisco when it comes to Beckner. That doesn't stop Iuculano from linking Beckner with San Francisco in a campaign mailer.

In a fundraising letter to supporters, Iuculano links Beckner to an “ultra-liberal style San Francisco agenda.”

“San Francisco, controlled by a radical, left-wing city council, continues to impose the same agenda Kevin Beckner is attempting to force on Hillsborough County,” Iuculano says in the letter.

Beckner is openly gay. Brian Blair ran an anti-gay campaign against Beckner and lost. The result was a landslide victory for Beckner. DADT has been repealed and voters are slowly becoming less scared about gay marriage. Beckner won in 2008 in a more hostile environment to gays. Iuculano's "San Francisco" attacks will only work with the tea party base. Hillsborough County voters have already decided that Beckner's sexuality is not an issue.

Kevin Beckner Petition

Kevin Beckner is running for re-election to the Hillsborough County Commission. Beckner is attempting to require for the ballot by petition.

Today we have a very simple request that will actually play an instrumental role in Kevin's Victory in his race for County Commission...

If you could take a moment out of your busy work day to download Postage Stamp Kevin's petition (click here) fill it out and send it back as soon as you can to the campaign at the following address:

Campaign of Kevin Beckner For Hillsborough County Commission
District 6 (Countywide)
P.O. Box 270717
Tampa, FL 33688-0717

This of course is the $.44 part- the cost of postage! We are working hard and working smart. By getting these petitions signed we can avoid spending precious resources such as money (qualifying without petitions costs close to $6,000) and use it more wisely down the road.

Thank you for your friendship and all your support.

Team Beckner

Here is a copy of the petition. Copy it, fill it out and mail it in.

Looks Like Mark Sharpe Is Running

It certainly seems like Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe is going to run against Rep. Kathy Castor. Sharpe talked to The Buzz on his policy positions. It is clear that Sharpe is going to run as a moderate.

Sharpe on the use of military force.

"Before you send a man or woman overseas, you better understand what you're going to do, how you're going to get in, and how you're going to get out," Sharpe said. "I want to have that conversation about military affairs."

Sharpe does not support the Paul Ryan budget plan. Sharpe is interested in using the nearly as bad proposals from the Simpson-Bowles deficit commission.

"They spent a lot of time working on it and it just kind of got dropped. It ought to be part of the conversation," Sharpe said.

Mike Haridopolos would not support Paul Ryan's Medicare proposal. Republican presidential Jon Huntsman said, "I respect the president of the United States." Now Sharpe is positioning himself as a centrist. This is an interesting development. However, it is too early to proclaim the return of the Rockefeller Republicans.

Side note: Sharpe's position on gay rights is right-wing. Sharpe is one of the seven county commissioners that refused to sign a proclamation for GaYBOR DAYS. The only commissioners to sign proclamations were Democrats Kevin Beckner and Les Miller.

Kevin Beckner Birthday Bash

Hillsborough County Commissoner Kevin Beckner is having a 40th birthday bash this Saturday. The event is also a fundraiser for Beckner. You can go to Beckner's campaign web site to sign up to attend.

Hillsborough County Commissioner
District 6 (Countywide)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

5:00 - 8:00 pm

Mise En Place
442 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606

Live Entertainment provided by Lester Freeman and "D" Band

Suggested Contribution Levels $40 to $400
(Maximum contribution $500 per person or business)

Possible Amount Oil Damage

Via St. Petersblog 2.0: If the oil from the BP spill isn't capped it may reach Eurupe. A very scary scenerio.

In related news: Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner put forth a resolution to maintain the 235 mile drilling buffer off the coast of Florida.

The Wolves Are Out to Get Kevin Beckner

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner asked the commission to study if same-sex benefits would be more cost efficient. In 2004, The commission voted 4 to 3 against same-sex benefits for county employees.

"I see this as (leading) to gay marriage next," said Commissioner Jim Norman. "This is not going to be San Francisco east. That's the way I see it."

The 2004 vote against same-sex benefits was led by Ronda Storms. Commissioner Pat Frank (D) accused Storms was using the issue to her Frank with conservative voters. This past November, Hillsborough County resident David Caton is collecting signatures to put a state ban on same-sex benefits. Caton is targeting Beckner in his crusade.

In addition to passage of Amendment 2, Caton said he probably would not be pursuing the matter at this time if not for the election of openly gay County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who won office Nov. 4. He cited strong turnout at Beckner's swearing-in Tuesday as evidence that his supporters will press him to pursue a gay-rights agenda.

"I think the heavy turnout for his swearing-in was more than just friendship; it was a politically motivated event," Caton said.

Caton would be persuing the matter, regardless of Beckner. Caton attacked Tampa's nude strip clubs. Caton attempted to prevent a local airing of Saving Private Ryan. Caton's reasoning was military men, in time of war, do not use profanity.

I never heard my dad use the “f” word. I neverheard his World War II buddies use the “f” word. Therefore, Spielberg’s prolific use of the “f”word in Saving Private Ryan does notaccurately represent the service of many menwho I personally know.

Caton lost a lawsuit from bogus claims against Clear Channel.

One of the sponsors, a man who owned a Ford dealership, and Clear Channel sued Caton in February 2001. They won in a heartbeat. An Orange County judge issued a temporary injunction against him.

The judge declared that Caton's First Amendment rights were outweighed by those of the businessman and Clear Channel. He ruled that Caton's claims about pornography were false and defamatory; that the fliers put the lives and property of Caton's targets in danger; and that Clear Channel's business relationships were also damaged. He called Caton's actions extortion.

The judge could not have issued a more sweeping ruling. Caton's lawyers told him it meant he couldn't lobby any of Clear Channel's sponsors anyhow, anywhere, about anything. Caton appealed. He lost.

Brian Blair and Terry Kemple have joined the attack against Beckner.

Blair email.

From: Brian Blair
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009

Subject: Fw: New County Commissioner tries “stealth attack”! Please read and act - THIS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT!

Do you think with $250,000 in campaign donations we should have mentioned he [Beckner} was an Activist on several G.L.B.T. Boards and that a large percentage of his campaign donations came from out of State? I want to personally appoligize to all that suported me! May God Sincerely Bless you in 2009!

Brian

Is Blair shocked the openly gay Beckner would support same-sex benefits? Blair's comment that Michael Jackson was a white man is more surprising.

Kemple email.

From:
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009
To: CIC
Subject: New County Commissioner tries “stealth attack”! Please read and act - THIS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT!

Community Issues Council - Your help is urgently needed again!

This urgent message is short - please read it and act on it!

THEN FORWARD IT TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK WHO CARES ABOUT FAMILY VALUES!

Almost before sitting in his new furniture Commissioner Beckner is trying to undermine the conservative values that prevail in Hillsborough County. In an apparent attempt to sneak in a radical change to employee policy in the county he placed an item on the agenda for next week’s agenda at 4:00 on Friday (this afternoon). One could easily surmise that he did this, with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and the Presidential inauguration coming up on Monday and Tuesday, in the hopes that there would be no chance to mobilize any opposition.

That’s exactly the reason that it’s so important to have teams like Community Issues Council prepared to jump into the fray at a moment’s notice!

Mr. Beckner wants us to foot the bill for health care for “domestic partners” of county employees. Since Equality Florida endorsed him as an “out” homosexual and since he brags about having been with his “partner” for 9 years, one might be led to assume that he wants us to pay for health benefits for this other man!

This is absurd on 2 key points (these points can be used for your emails to the Commissioners):

1. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of the people in Hillsborough County just voted to keep marraige, and the benefits associated with marriage, between one man and one woman. This seems to me to be nothing more than a back door attempt to establish those benefits through his office as County Commissioner.

2. It’s bad judgment, at a time of budgetary crisis like this, to even suggest that money be spent investigating this issue. It becomes absolutely ludicrous when you take into account the possible presupposed result. If the recommendation comes back yes it means the proposal would be made that tax money be used to pay for health benefits for unmarried partners - whether they be heterosexual or homosexual.

THIS CAN’T BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN!

Please contact all 3 county wide commissioners - Norman, Beckner , and Sharpe - and your commissioner from your district and let them know that you don’t want this to go any further.

Contact information

District 1 Rose Ferlita 272-5470 ferlitar@hillsboroughcounty.org
——————————————————————————————————————
District 2 Ken Hagan 272-5452 hagank@hillsboroughcounty.org
——————————————————————————————————————
District 3 Kevin White 272-5720 whitek@hillsboroughcounty.org
——————————————————————————————————————
District 4 Al Higginbotham 272-5740 higginbothama@hillsboroughcounty.org
——————————————————————————————————————
District 5 Jim Norman 272-5725 normanj@hillsboroughcounty.org
——————————————————————————————————————
District 6 Kevin Beckner 272-5730 becknerk@hillsboroughcounty.org
——————————————————————————————————————
District 7 Mark Sharpe 272-5735 sharpem@hillsboroughcounty.org

LET’S SHOW COMMISSIONER BECKNER THAT THIS ISN’T CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!!

Together we can make a difference!

God bless you!
Terry

Blair lost badly to Beckner and Kemple once held an anti-gay marriage press conference attended by no one. Kemple filed an appeal that helped a Valrico Bikini Bar open. The problem was Kemple was trying to shut the establishment down forever.

Bikini bar lawyer Luke Lirot: “Had Mr. Kemple not filed his appeal, the true flaws would have been more difficult to prove. In essence he assisted us.”

Caton, Blair and Kemple are not smart people. What they have going for them is they refuse to shut up and fearmongering. Beckner is going to have to work hard to keep these wolves at bay.

Kevin Beckner Leading Brian Blair

Creative Loafing Wayne Garcia on his Twiiter feed "Kevin Beckner ahead by 12,000 votes over Brian Blair with 30 percent counted." It appears Beckner will will the new Hillsborough County Commissioner. This is is victory for tolerance, smart growth and environmentalism. This is a defeat for former professional wrestlers that wish to get into politics.

Vote For Carol Kurdell

The Florida Progressive Coalition unveiled their endorsements. It is a good list and Tampa area candidates Kathy Castor, Stephen Gorham and Kevin Beckner made the list. I will make it clear that I am not a fan of Gorham. Gorham ran for the Florida Senate. Gorham campaigned to the right of opponent Ronda Storms.



Gorham is currently running for a seat on the Hillsborough School Board. The conservative Tampa Tribune endorsed Gorham. The left-leaning St. Petersburg Times is supporting Gorham's opponent Carol Kurdell. School board races are nonpartisan. I am not going to back Gorham just because he is a Democrat. I'm quite disturbed that A Democrat ran against Storms, with a Republican agenda.

I check Gorham's issues page and his blog. Gorham attacks Kurdell, but refuses to offer his own solutions. One of his blog readers asked Gorham what he would do. Gorham never bothered to answer the comment. The commenter asked again and still no response. Kurdell outlines her vision on her web site.

IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Make classrooms more innovative and
creative for the 21st century.
Ensure that schools are spending a
majority of funds in the classroom.
Ensure highly qualified and well trained
teachers are in every classroom.
Raise the standards of our
children’s educational goals.

BE A VOICE FOR OUR TEACHERS

Supports higher teacher pay so we
can attract the best teachers.

Use new practices and policies, on top
of higher pay, to retain teachers.

MODERNIZE OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

Increase parents’ ability to send children
to the school of their choice.

Expand magnet, charter, and attractor programs.
More technology in the classrooms.

Gorham is the worse kind of politician. He is opportunistic and posesses horrible political instincts. Gorham ran as a Democratic for the 10th District. Gorham pandered to the conservatives in the district by running as a faux Republican. That didn't stop him from appearing at Drinking Liberally. The Storms campaign blasted Gorham for his hypocrisy. Gorham school board campaign is strongly negative. Gorham has also pandered to the netroots. (Gorham tried to friend me on Facebook.)

Vote for Carol Kurdell. Gorham is only running for the school board to further his political career. Kurdell has offered ideas and is more experienced. We need a board member whose main focus is students.

Kathy Castor Endorses Kevin Beckner

No surprise here. Kathy Castor has been an early backer of Hillsborough County Commission candidate Kevin Beckner.

St. Petersburg Times Endorses Kevin Beckner

Newspaper endorsements don't mean much. It does give Democratic Hillsborough County Commission candidate Kevin Beckner free advertising. All that is left for Beckner is the prestigious Creative Loafing endorsement. The winner of that endorsement reaches the voter demographic of people that read sex and massage parlor ads.

The St. Petersburg Times on Beckner:

His challenger, Democrat Kevin Beckner, would bring vision and sensitivity to this countywide job. A financial planner and former police officer, Beckner, 37, would move away from wedge issues and focus on real challenges — creating jobs, improving the transportation system, building parks and preserving endangered land. Beckner has commonsense ideas for jump-starting the local economy, making government more efficient and using mass transit to lessen the pain of high gas prices.

The underlining theme of the Tampa Tribune and Times endorsement is both newspapers strongly disapprove of Brian Blair. The Trib belittled Blair's intelligence and the Times questioned Blair's "qualifications and judgment." Both publications question if Blair can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Tampa Tribune Endorses Kevin Beckner

The conservative Tampa Tribune couldn't hold their nose and endorse Hillsborough County Commision incumbant Brian Blair. Could it be the silly previous career as a professional wrestler? Perhaps Blair claiming he isn't a bigot by calling Michael Jackson a white person? Maybe it is Blair using gay and lesbian rights as a political wedge issue? Or that Blair has been the most anti-environmental commisioner in Hillsborough County's history. The answer is the Tampa Tribune finds Blair too stupid to endorse.

The amiable Blair is not the sharpest commissioner, but he has grown in office. He's helped curtail extravagant salary increases for county employees, supported cuts in property taxes and advanced worthy measures such as go-slow traffic zones around communities for seniors.

Yet he remains prone to rash pronouncements, as when he complained that cutting his $600 monthly car allowance would take food out of his children's mouths.

The nicest things the Tribune could say is Blair "not the sharpest commissioner" and his finest policy idea was "go-slow traffic zones" for senior citizens. Blair is for cutting county employee saleries. Excluding his own salery.

The Tribune offers praise for Beckner.

He stresses the need for better planning and understands that sprawling development makes the county a more expensive place to live, a negative when trying to attract high-wage companies.

The former police officer believes the county should better prioritize spending and focus on building infrastructure that supports job growth. Beckner rightly believes the county can do a better job of partnering with its municipalities, and its state delegation, to advance the region's interests.

Beckner would approach each issue with an open mind and seems unlikely to be swayed by special interests. His role models on the commission are Mark Sharpe and Rose Ferlita.

Will Beckner have a more out-of-the-box idea like go-slow traffic zones? Inquiring minds want to know.

Kevin Beckner Campaigning

Hillsborough County commission candidate Kevin Beckner will be making several campaign appearances in the upcoming days. The candidate forum is the must-see. The house parties are fundraisers. Email Mark@KevinBeckner.com if you wish to attend the house parties.

22nd Annual Mayors Alliance for Persons with Disabilities Awards Ceremony - Thursday, September 25, 2008, 11:00 AM

Candidate Forum - Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce - Thursday, September 25, 2008, 4:30 PM, Location: First Baptist Church of Temple Terrace Family Life Center - 10002 N. 56th St. in Temple Terrace (table set up begins at 4:30p, meet the public at 5:00p, forum will begin at 6:15p) League of Women Voters to provide moderator.

House Party - Saturday, September 27, 2008, 4:00 PM

House Party - Sunday, September 28, 2008, 4:00 PM


The Tampa Tribune notes that Beckner could make history as the commission's first openly gay member.

Quote of the Day

"There were very few white people in my neighborhood. I didn’t know what prejudice was. Probably the only two white people in my neighborhood were myself and Michael Jackson. My friends were all black. … You’re flat-out wrong."

Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair, making a lame attempt to prove he is not a bigot. Well done, Commissioner!

Blair debated Democratic opponent and LGBT candidate Kevin Beckner on Flashpoint. The latter attacked Blair on his racism towards Muslims. Blair showed his intolerance on Bill O'Reilly's show.

BECKNER: This is part of Mr. Blair’s agenda of marginalizing people in our community. He’s had a history of it. He’s marginalized the Muslim community. He’s pushed for banning books in our libraries. He slighted our African American community. Mr. Blair has done more to drive down the socio- and economic value of our community than anybody other than former commissioner Ronda Storms.

Hillsborough county Muslims asked for a school day off to celebrate Ramadan. O'Reilly and Blair didn't have an issue of whether it would be good policy to have another school day. They agreed a Muslim holiday should not be recognized.

BLAIR: Well, in December of 2004, a gentleman representing the Muslim religion came before the school board and asked if Eid, which I believe is part of Ramadan, be recognized as an official school holiday. That went to a subcommittee, a calendar committee that's comprised of 28 members. Where these members come from, we still don't have the exact answers. I guess they're citizens, friends of the school board members, various people like this. As a matter of fact, I think there's a Jewish representative and a Muslim representative on the board. Of the 28, only 12 showed up, as I understand it. They gave them very little feedback other than the option of taking President's Day and turning it -- they basically gave --

O'REILLY: So a Muslim wanted a Muslim holiday, which is absurd in a Judeo-Christian country. I mean, we can't be having Hindu and Buddha. I mean, come on. I mean, this country is founded on Judeo-Christian traditions.

BLAIR: Absolutely.

Blair also came out against the Day of Silence.

"Can you imagine asking for a 'Day of Cheer for Heterosexuality?'" said Blair. "If no action is taken to change this policy." Considering Blair once made a career wearing yellow and black tights; a Day For Cheer Hetrosexuality could clear up questions about him.

The Day of Silence was created to honor the memory of Lawrence King. He was a gay teen whom was mudered. Teachers have said the Day of Silence doesn't disturb classes. Students simply do not speak. (Which makes many teachers happy.) If someone asks about their silence; they hand a card explaining the Day of Silence. Blair seized on the issue to demonize his opponent Beckner. On Flashpoint, Blair said he would vote for the anti-gay marriage Amendment 2 because he is a Christian. Someone needs to explain the separation of church and state and 14th amendment.

Here are two videos from Blair's previous career as a professional wrestler. These videos just scream that Blair is not qualified to serve in government.

Mary Mu

Hillsborough County comission candidate Kevin Beckner has been endorsed by Mary Mulhern.