The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows -- Part 12: The Top 3 Reasons Alec Baldwin Visited Jeb in FL

Re: Jeb's new judicial appointments - www.jeb.org ^ | March 8, 2002 | summer

[summer]

Lt Gov Brogan: "I told Alec he could meet us here -- in front of the flag."
Gov Jeb Bush: "Geesh; no wonder he's lost…"

The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows -- Part 12: The Top 3 Reasons Alec Baldwin Visited Jeb in FL

Written by summer - a former Dem, now an independent and a FL certified teacher

Reason #3 - THANK YOU, JEB. Although not reported in the media, Alec actually came to Tallahassee to personally thank Jeb, for instituting an equal opportunity program - one which the Clinton/Gore Administration approved as complying with federal and state civil rights requirements. (Gov. Jeb Bush's equal opportunity program is known as : "One Florida.")

From this statement, by Gov. Jeb Bush:

"The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has found the One Florida Initiative fully consistent with Florida's historic federal/state civil rights partnership agreement. This welcomed action by the Clinton/Gore administration suggests that the truth about One Florida's positive impact is beginning to shine through. I remain committed to sharing that truth with all Floridians."

Reason #2 - THANK YOU, JEB.Although Gov. Bush Jeb and Alec were mentioned today on Page Six in the NY Post, the brief blurb did not include another reason Alec came to thank Jeb. Gov. Bush recently appointed two highly qualified, new judges to serve FL's highly diverse population:

(a) Gov. Jeb Bush appointed a highly qualified male immigrant was appointed to the bench in Pinellas County. This new judge may be the first Korean to be appointed to such a position in FL.

More information is available here.

An excerpt from above link:

Tuesday, March 5, 2002

St. Petersburg Times

Judge is pioneer on the bench

By William R. Levesque

Seung Woo "Sonny" Im moved to Florida from his native South Korea in 1974, an 11-year-old overwhelmed by a different language and culture.

Before long, he found himself fascinated by the government of his new country.

"Coming from a country where political leaders came to power by various means, it amazed me in the United States to watch people step down from power in a peaceful way. I became fascinated with the Constitution," Im said.

On Monday, Im fulfilled his parents' immigrant dreams when Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him to a Pinellas County judgeship, making Im the first Asian-American in Pinellas-Pasco, and perhaps the entire Tampa Bay area, to be appointed to the bench.

Im, 38, said he thinks he may be the first Floridian of direct Korean descent to be appointed to a Florida judgeship.

"It's a validation, of sorts," said Im, a Republican who specialized in criminal and corporate law. "If you had stopped us at the Miami airport in 1974 and pointed to me and said, "That boy is going to be a judge,' they might have laughed at you."

This is Bush's second notable judicial appointment in the area. In November, the governor appointed Debra Roberts as a Pasco judge, the county's first African-American jurist.

...The Asian population in the Tampa Bay area has more than doubled in the past decade, according to the U.S. Census. In Hillsborough, about 21,000 people listed their race as Asian for the 2000 census. In Pinellas, the figure was nearly 19,000.

Prabodh C. Patel, president of the Florida chapter of the Asian-Pacifica American Bar Association, said he thinks Im is the second person of Asian descent to have been appointed to a Florida judgeship. He said another judge in Broward holds the distinction of having been the first.

Patel said Bush's appointment sends a positive message to the Asian community.

"I think we are achieving racial balance in the appointment of judges," he said. "I would say that it inevitably leads to more understanding of cultural and social problems of the Asian community."….

(b) Alec also thanked Gov. Jeb Bush for appointing another highly qualified person to the bench. Alec read about this "unexpected but widely acclaimed choice" in a Miami Herald article here.

Excerpt of Miami Herald article:
Tuesday, March 5, 2002
Miami Herald

Black lawyer appointed judge of Circuit Court

By Beth Reinhard and Brad Bennett

In an unexpected but widely acclaimed choice, Gov. Jeb Bush on Monday appointed an African-American lawyer born in a Fort Lauderdale housing project, Elijah H. Williams, to serve on the Broward Circuit Court.

Williams, 42, joins Judge Ilona Holmes to become the second black judge on the current Broward circuit bench, and only the fifth ever.

He has been in charge of legal affairs at the Broward Sheriff's Office since 2000. As a youngster, he worked at a Fort Lauderdale florist's shop and dreamed of joining the stream of lawyers coming and going at the courthouse.

A black man has not served on the circuit bench for nearly two decades, since Henry Latimer resigned in 1983.

''The historic significance will be irrelevant unless I do an outstanding job as judge,'' Williams said in a statement.

Greg Durden, president of the T.J. Reddick Bar Association of black attorneys, said: ''The whole black community is buzzing with the news.''

Only three of Broward's 77 judges are black: Holmes on the circuit court and Mary Rudd Robinson and Zebedee Wright on the county court. ….

''I want to thank the governor for helping to diversify the bench,'' Holmes said. ''This is historic.'…'

Reason #1 - THANK YOU, JEB. In addition to thanking Gov. Bush for his recent, historic appointments to the bench, Alec wanted to thank Jeb for setting an example worthy of notice to People for the American Way, as that organization reportedly opposes a judicial nominee supported by blacks in Mississippi, as explained here:

NYT - NATIONAL DESK | February 17, 2002, Sunday

Blacks at Home Support a Judge Liberals Assail

By DAVID FIRESTONE (NYT) 1641 words
Late Edition - Final, Section 1, Page 22, Column 1

LEAD PARAGRAPH - Back in Washington, his opponents have depicted Judge Charles W. Pickering as the personification of white Mississippi's oppressive past, a man so hostile to civil rights and black progress that he is unfit for promotion to a federal appeals court.

But here on the streets of his small and largely black hometown, far from the bitterness of partisan agendas and position papers, Charles Pickering is a widely admired figure of a very different present….

Thank you, Governor Jeb Bush, for being the one to set an example others should follow.


The "Animated" Alec: "Thank --- you ---JEB!!!"

------------------------------------------------

Note: The above "Animated Alec" was created by: pt17, FR poster.

[summer]

Thanks for bumping this thread! :)

[summer]

Yep! :)

[summer]

Re your post #237 - I've never seen that before -- who is the artist? And, wonder why DU people never mention this incident. Alec really blew it by not apologizing because whenever it comes up, no can say: 'Well, at least he admitted he was wrong and apologized.' He never did. Not a good decision on his part, IMO.

[summer]

Great post Summer, WOW, two day thread. Now I know what "bump to the top" means.

LOL....thanks, TailspinJim! :)

[Alamo-Girl]

You're welcome! Here's another bump!

[Freedom56v2]

Belated Thanks for bump.

[summer]

Thanks for bumping this thread! :)

[summer]

If you're in the mood to chuckle, check out weegee's animation on post #114 on this thread. :)

[Joe Brower]

Regarding the person who did the image of Baldwin foaming at the mouth in post# 237 -- that was from one of our very own -- a Freeper named PJ_Comix.. His website is at http://www.angelfire.com/fl/newcomix/. Just scroll down the the episode titled "BUBBLEHEAD BALDWIN".

As for why the media hasn't reported this, well... we all know the answer to that already, don't we?

[summer]

Thanks for the info, Joe! PJ, you are so talented! :)

[summer]

BTW, another great judicial appointment by Gov. Jeb Bush, here:

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Eustis lawyer, mountaineer ascends the judicial bench

By Sherri M. Owens | Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted March 10, 2002

TAVARES -- Initially, the idea of moving from his small law office in Eustis to judge's chambers at the Lake County Courthouse hardly seemed real to Lawrence Semento.

"People are calling me Judge Semento and it sounds good, but I have to get used to it," said Semento, 50, who was recently appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to a judgeship on the 5th Judicial Circuit. "I had to do a double take the first few times."

Reality started to sink in several days ago when his 6-year-old grandson, Blake, started asking questions about the appointment.

"He asked where was my hammer," Semento said. "It took me a while to realize what he was talking about. He meant my gavel."

Semento, a Lake County lawyer for about 20 years, explained that he didn't have a gavel, yet. Blake suggested they go to the "hammer store" to get one.

That trip won't be necessary now.

Semento got his gavel Friday when he was sworn in at the courthouse.

"He is a very humble person, just a great guy," said John Oldham, a fellow member of the Lake County Bar board of directors. He presented the gavel to Semento. "We can't ask for a better person to join the bench."

The courtroom was packed with about 125 of Semento's family members, friends and colleagues -- with another 50 or so standing outside the courtroom watching the brief ceremony on a television screen.

A former partner with Semento & Swigert in Eustis, Semento fills the vacancy left by retired Circuit Judge Jerry Lockett.

Semento is a certified family-law mediator, a member of the Lake-Sumter Community College Legal Education Committee and the Eustis Chamber of Commerce.

As a judge, he will focus heavily on family law, juvenile delinquency and mental-health cases, and he will work in Sumter County one day a week.

Circuit Judge William Law Jr., who held most of those responsibilities before Semento's appointment, will retain a third of the family-law docket and will work some civil and criminal cases along with those that involve termination of parental rights and dependency.

Semento heads off to a "judicial college" training program in Tallahassee this week and starts in his new role at the courthouse on March 18.

"I may do some things differently -- everybody has his own style -- but I'm not coming in trying to upset the way things are going," he said. "We have an excellent court system in Lake County, and I'm proud to serve with the judges we have there."

Circuit Judge Don Briggs, who presided over Semento's swearing-in ceremony, said he is looking forward to serving with the newest addition. "We know he's going to do a good job."

Semento is a 1974 University of South Carolina graduate. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in 1981.

He has been married 19 years to Sharron Semento. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Semento describes himself as a "conservative person, a very fair person." "I believe one of the reasons I was appointed is because I have a reputation for being fair and a good listener," he said.

Colleagues use words such as quiet, calm and down-to-earth when describing Semento. But he has a daring side, too, which came to light in 1998 when he and three others were left stranded in Alaska, 17,000 feet up Mount McKinley after one of their guides fell to his death.

Semento hasn't climbed since.

"My wife really doesn't want me to do it anymore," he said.

Sherri M. Owens can be reached at sowens@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5915.

[summer]

Hi LCS, Interesting editorial from today's NY Post. Thought you might enjoy reading it:

BLOWHARD CELEBS PLAYING WITH POLITICAL FIRE

By ANDREA PEYSER, NY Post

March 10, 2002 -- IT is tempting to dismiss the latest dung flying from the mouth of a half-wit Baldwin brother as light entertainment.

The self-loving, over-eating Alec is the latest celeb to squeal for attention with the asinine assertion that President Bush's election was a tragedy akin to a terrorist attack.

It makes you wonder if poor Alec needs to tweak his medication.

But make no mistake, we take a grave risk by minimizing the offense inflicted on society when Hollywood stars attack.

For every Hollywood blowhard possessing a big bank account and meager brain, there exists a disproportionate amount of political clout. Which makes them dangerous.

Think about it.

Jane Fonda was a mere sex kitten with a famous navel when she used her stardom to give aid and comfort to the enemy, posing atop an armored vehicle in Hanoi.

For every celeb who calls deserved attention to, say, AIDS, there are dozens more who take on the case of freeing cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. And they may succeed yet.

Think of Norman Mailer and killer Jack Henry Abbott, who proceeded to kill again after Mailer's efforts sprung him from prison. Perhaps Mailer's revealed his hidden agenda recently, when he was quoted in England venting his abject hatred of America.

My favorite recent example of idiot advocacy came from Susan Sarandon. On CNN last month, she spewed at Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia for questioning the illegality of executing someone with low intelligence.

"I thought he was talking about himself being on the Supreme Court," Sarandon said.

A woman of such limited intellect would do well not to question the brain power of a justice with whom she disagrees. But part of the occupational psychosis of being a celebrity includes believing you become the people you play. And Susan's played some smarties.

Some agendas are less obvious. When Rosie O'Donnell puts us to sleep with the news flash that she's gay, there is something behind it.

Rosie wants to use the unsurprising news of her lesbianhood to push for national acceptance of adoption by gays. One could argue that a popular TV show is not the appropriate forum on which to lobby for a grand social experiment affecting potentially thousands of children. But what do I know? I'm not a celeb. Maybe we should require licenses for celebrity mouths.

Any other ideas how society can protect itself from an entity capable of inflicting so much harm?

[summer]

Gov. Jeb Bush's 'red truck tour' continues....

[summer]

Gov. Jeb Bush making a judicial appointment.

BTW, your questions made me want to find out more info about Gov. Bush and his philosophy on judicial appointments. So -- I went and found some great info! And, I wish I had included these links below earlier in my post. But, better late than never!

Judicial Appointments - info from Gov. Bush's office

What does Governor Bush look for in his judicial appointments?

Governor Bush's Philosophy on Judicial Appointments

[goldilucky]

My point is that Alec Baldwin is a complete joke. Whatever he is trying to impersonate, he doesn't fool some of us.

[summer]

See post #114. :)

[Alex Murphy]

"Now I want you to notice what
I'm holding between my thumb and my
index finger. This is the size of my
brain....what's that? There's nothing
between my thumb and index finger?
Aw, crap! It looks like I've lost my mind!!!"

[summer]

LOL...poor Alec, he really seems clueless as to how he comes across sometimes...

[goldilucky]

That animated pic of Baldwin was quite humorous.

[summer]

Yes, the animation of Alec at the end of my editorial, and the other animation of him on post #114, are both very funny! Also, the NY Post has not let up on him one bit. Here's today's dissing of Alec from the NY Post, Page Six:

NY Post, Page Six, March 12, 2002

Hurt feelings

ALEC ("Bloviator") Baldwin has been getting so much hate mail in the "guest book" on his Web site, he had to close it down. "Most of the offensive material has been political in nature," he said in a "a special note to all our visitors." "I find that rather disappointing considering the Web site was constructed plainly as a means to communicate with my audience about my work." In other words, it was for his fans to express their love. Baldwin, who blames "political extremists whose only goal is to harass and disrupt," vows to reopen the "guest book," but only to those who "leave their actual e-mail address by virtue of a signature verification." No more anonymous bloviating.