He Always Knew How To Lead

My Uncle, Sam Gibbons, was a great American.  Many tributes have been written since his unexpected death on October 10, 2012.  Here are a few of my reflections.

 

Sam Gibbons:

Never had a Swiss Bank Account.  He always found his Swiss Army Knife more useful;

Never ran for office to advance his personal financial position; he ran to make sure everyone else had a fair shot;

Never forgot his Faith, but knew there had to be a separation between his personal faith and the government he was helping to lead;

Never tried to prevent anyone from voting—instead, he cast a vote for the 1965 Voting Rights Act to stop voter suppression, discrimination, and poll taxes;

Knew the difference between War Heroes and War Mongers, and had no patience for the latter;

Knew the difference between toughness and tough talk;

Knew that the secret to success in politics was simple—just treat everyone the way you would like to be treated;

Knew the importance of Veterans’ Hospitals after his brother spent a year recovering from his World War II injuries in those hospitals;

Knew his calling was to help other people, and embraced it;

Knew how to work with others to advance the Country’s needs, and not simply his political party’s needs;

Never put his own political future ahead of his Country;

Knew how to speak up for those who otherwise wouldn’t be heard, and never shied away from doing so;

Knew that our planet has finite resources and we’d better become better stewards of it;

Never forgot that Christmas was his brother’s birthday, and he always relished that day because it gave him his best friend in life;

Never forgot to give credit to others;

Knew he owed much of his success to his wife, Martha, and he knew they were a team—and that she was the Manager;

Never moved away from his middle class home or his middle class values as  he rose in National prominence;

Never cowered from labels like “Liberal” or “Democrat” and always knew that his ideals and beliefs were firmly grounded, and the right thing to do;

Knew how to be comfortable in his own skin—often making fun of his looks;

Knew that good ideas make good laws, and he never needed any PAC money or Leadership Funds to convince his fellow legislators to join with him in passing laws;

Knew that he had those huge ears to listen to others, and listen well, he did;

Never failed to help the people he represented, and his Country, every day;

Knew that Trading and Commerce, not Bombs, make Peace;

Knew that some people need an extra Head Start in life just so they won’t fall too far behind;

Knew that although he had unmatched strength and courage, that his love for his family could make him tear up at family gatherings;

Knew he couldn’t carry a tune, but always was the first one to break out the songbooks to sing "Joy To The World" at our family Christmas party each year;

Knew he could make Tampa, Hillsborough County, and our Country a better place—and he did so; 

Knew how to lead by example, and not by sound bites or slogans;

Never forgot he was the People’s Representative;

Knew when it was time to retire;

And he knew that there’s no better way to leave, than peacefully, in your sleep.

And because he knew so much, and served others so well, and never let us down, we’ll never forget what a wonderful man Sam Gibbons was.

Godspeed, Sam Gibbons.  We’re glad we knew you.

Rest in Peace.  You’ve earned it.

 

 

What A Great Week For Education In Florida!

I picked up the paper this week and these were the stories. What a banner week for Public Education in the State of Florida. Literary license has been taken in creating new Headlines for those stories.

USF Budget Slashed By $45.6 Million. Local Legislators Celebrate Victory.

Charter School in Clearwater Fires Teachers For Not Teaching Scientology Methods To Students. Pinellas County School Board Cannot Shut Down The Charter School Because It Is A Corporation Which Has Filed For Bankruptcy Protection.

New FCAT Scoring Adopted By Those Who Want To Privatize Public Education In Florida. New "Guidelines" Assure More Schools Will Have Failing Grades, Setting Them Up For Closure. JEB! Declares Mission Accomplished.

UF and FSU Celebrate The Ability To Raise Tuition Free From Control of the Florida Legislature. Bernie Machen's 911 Call Cancelled. Students Dial 911.

Florida Legislator (Nicknamed "Alexander The Grating") Creates 13th (Unaccredited) State University (Polytech) When Florida Legislature Refuses To Adequately Support the 12 Universities We Already Have.

Term Limited Legislator J.D. Alexander Expected To Be Named Polytech's First University President. Pro-Bullying Policy Adopted As Alexander's First Official Act.

"Choice" and "Profit-ization" Extolled By Gov. Scott and GOP Controlled Legislature As Paramount For The Future of Education In Florida.

"Choice" of Women's Reproductive Rights Abolished In Florida. Legislature Declares It Not As Important As "Choice" In Schools.

Governor and GOP Leadership Unwilling To Pass Internet Sales Tax Without Cutting Money Elsewhere In The Budget, Citing The Fact That Florida Has Way Too Much Money Available For The Public Good Already.

You know, you can't make this stuff up. Only ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) can make this stuff up. If you don't know about ALEC, see http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed

We didn't get here overnight. We got here after 13 years of Republican Control in the Florida Legislature. If you live in Florida and are looking to Washington as the problem, you are looking too far North.

The Problem in Tallahassee is All the Elephants in the Room. Or, too many Robots in the Room who only typically vote as they are instructed by their "Leadership?"

Elections matter.

Unless you like these kinds of headlines, your mission is clear. Vote--and when you see an "R" after a name on the ballot, remember that this time, it needs to stand for "Rejected."