| Early voting to begin Monday for Florida primary
Early voting is set to begin Monday for the Jan. 29 Florida primary and property tax referendum. Early voting is designated by law to begin 15 days before an election. Residents interested in voting early should check with their local elections office for locations. Voters who don't want to make a trip to the elections office can also request an absentee ballot from their county's supervisor of elections by mail or by phone. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Jan. 23. The state Legislature moved up its primary last year to Jan. 29 so that it would have more effect, even though Democratic and Republican party rules state it should take place no sooner than Feb. 5. The national parties have punished Florida by stripping the state of all Democratic delegates and half its Republican delegation to the national nominating conventions.
Reaching Out to Homeless Veterans
It was among the most popular of the services offered as part of the hospital's Winterhaven Homeless Veterans Stand Down. The day-long event is held annually to reach the 2,500 homeless veterans in the Washington area. In exchange for stopping by stations ranging from an HIV screening room to employment assistance booths, the veterans were promised a lunch of barbecue chicken and their pick of free clothing. "At the moment, only about 460 of area homeless veterans are getting services with us," said Michelle Spivak, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "So we're hoping this will encourage more of them to take advantage of all the benefits they've earned by serving their country." Of those already receiving a service, the majority are African Americans of the Vietnam or just post-Vietnam period, Spivak said.
Stunned by Lack of Outrage, Not Outrageous Acts
I continue to be stunned. Not by Bush any longer. There was a time when I was stunned by nearly everything he did. Or said. Who wouldn't be stunned by a president who could say, "They misunderestimated me," and sincerely believe he's on top of things? Nor by Cheney. His pure evil no longer surprises me, although there was a time when he routinely stunned me. Torture? Torture?? Not by Congress, either. There was a time when I was stunned by that crowd's sheeplike mentality. I'd hear them decry the war, decry torture, decry Bush's growing deficit, then I'd drop my jaw as they voted time and again to give the president carte blanche. No longer. I fully expect Congress to disappoint, to fail to do its job in balancing the White House power grab.
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