What !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohhh, so you did talk to the law enforcement detail assigned to secure the area? What did they tell you their security instructions were?

You could be seen. You just wanted your photo-op and you wanted to disrupt the event.

Could you stand in the pavilion area and thrust your protest signs in the Governor's face and yell slogans to disrupt this event? No, and that's what your "outrage" is about.

Your block party is actually on a public street, so you analogy is fatally flawed.

reply to richielion/ people were removed
 

The representatives of the Villages Democratic Club were first approached by The Scott security Team. Very Intimidating group. They asked us to leave.

We politely refused ( all we were doing was siting in chairs ect. We did have signs but has nor displayed them).The security team called for the Sheriffs dept and the group about 20 were escorted away from the area. about three blocks by 4 sheriffs. There were other groups there also who were asked to leave.

On the way out I and two other folks did seat ourselves. We were again approached by the security team, and then by one of the sheriffs. The sheriff asked us to leave. My Response along with two women, was, two ways we are leaving.

We Walk away on our own or you will have to arrest us and lead us away. Told the sheriff we were not walking away on our own. He must have been a democrat because all he said was to not to be disruptive. Which we had no plans of doing. All the press was there, all filmed the incident with the democratic group and another group being escorted away.

They bused in two busloads of middle school kids from the charter school. The tea

party folks and their Teachers distributed signs to the students to display when Scott signed the budget. I saw this type of tactic on the history or military channel.


In addition Something very interesting and disturbing. There was no doubt that this signing was arranged by "The Tea Party" The Chairman of the Republican Party was there, as was Alan Hays, and Representative Marleene O'Toole.

Found my place!
 

Kind of reminds me of the time I showed up at the University of Florida Swamp for their spring game with my son n law all decked out in my UGA Red n Black! Wrong place and wrong time. Had to excuse myself before those Gators caused a....well, decided to wait till Jacksonville! Right place, right time! Ha, maybe this is the year!

what are the Repubs so afraid of? However the real scary part is the actions concerning the middle school kids. Give them signs? Put them in the audience? What is that all about? Should not be allowed ever for anyone. Leave the kids alone!

Sorry Richie, I didn't have a sign or protest tee shirt. Didn't yell anything or get in any photos. Stood on the square for the entire time and never asked to leave. Just stating my observations.

Nice of you to jump to your own biased unfounded erroneous conclusions.

:confused:...I am speechless! This thread has me shocked at the conversation between Villagers in America's Friendliest HomeTown! Not to mention the opinion of TV that is possibly held by the rest of the state (as seen in the Orlando Sentinel article)...Interesting

KatzPajamas and others -

In order to know what went on here with Rick Scott signing his budget at The Villages - you actually have to be here. If you read the slanderous column in the Orlando Sentinel, you will think that The Villages is filled with greedy old people who do not give a hoot about kids or education. Nothing is further from the truth. Most of our civic groups volunteer a lot of time and donate a boatload of money to schools, youth organizations and functions, food banks, etc.

Secondly, any protesters were asked to move about 100 feet across the street from the town square. It was not far. They could still see and hear just fine.

I do not know if you are seasonal residents, potential Villagers, or just interested in this forum - but to be fully informed - you have to see something firsthand in order to draw the proper conclusion.

_______________________
Richie,
Please read the PM I sent to you.

Excuse Me! Isn't the Florida State Budget a public document made up of public expenses paid for by our tax dollars. Doesn't that budget belong to us? It doesn't belong to Governor Scott. It's not his private document to sign on "leased" property. It's not his toy to turn into a political hay-maker.

How dangerous a precedent is it to begin holding such signings in a private environment where opposition can be suppressed under the pretense that it's "leased land." Who leased the land? Who paid for it. Where did those dollars come from. They're not tax dollars, so they must have come from some political party, even the Governor himself.

It stinks.

Oh, and by the way. I'm a lifelong Conservative Republican. I ran for office as a Republican and ran national campaigns for Republican candidates.

JLK

Read the posts
 

What kind of message would it send about The Villages to the rest of Florida or the country if protesters were in the Governor's face at a signing ceremony all yelling? Most signing ceremonies are held in private anyhow.

Some are just upset because they were asked to go across the street with their signs. A ceremony is not a place for protesting.

No, Talk Host, you are wrong. Have you ever been to Lake Sumter Landing to see what the area is like? It is an open town square with plenty of seating for those who want to enjoy music or a ceremony. Across the street is about a 100 foot distance.

Feel free to discuss the matter when you have seen what the situation actually involved.

As a seasonal resident exiled to Canada, I much appreciate the clarification of the Orlando Sentinel article. Thanks Tbugs and Richie.

I just answered in a way I thought effective. Of course I have no knowledge if you were in the square or even in Florida, for that matter. It was just a simpler way of responding to your post. Just figure, I was talking to whoever was there doing as I described and you supported.

I am fully aware of what Lake Sumter Landing looks like. I suspect I was there before you were.

If the governor can't stand the heat of protesters, he shouldn't be in politics. Signings are truly "usually" held in private, but not on private property in order to exclude opposition. He deliberately picked "The Villages' knowing that he could suppress any opposition.

Are you telling me that you personally witnessed protesters "in the governors face all yelling?'' I doubt that happened, but you are to be commended for putting your false spin on it to bolster your otherwise hollow position.

Sounds to me just like the way it was in the former Soviet Union or China today. "Round up the protesters."

Oh, and what would the rest of the country think? They would think "hey, that's The United States of America."

TBugs never said anything resembling what you made up here. He has been objective and polite throughout this discussion. You, on the other hand, are being anything but objective, polite and honest.

You refer to his 'spin' when he offered none and then compared the situation here in the Villages to that in the former Soviet Union or China today. If you actually feel this is the truth, you should protest by moving somewhere that meets your criteria.

There's can be little doubt that when the Governor arrived and the cameras were rolling that the seated protesters would have begun their protest activity and caused a disruption. Do you think other public figures would have done things differently? Do you think that when Democrats, like the Clinton's or the Reid's or the Pelosi's have a public event they don't clear out the opposition from the front of the gathering?

I personally can't predict the future. But I would guess being able to do so does help one fashion his political position.

I've been to more than a couple of political gatherings and haven't yet seen people with signs trying to be inconspicuous. They're normally chanting or something and trying to be seen and heard. It's de rigueur.

I have both BBQMan and Richie defending what I posted? What a major turn of events to say the very least. Well, guys, at least we know what happens at any political event unlike Talk Host or Nittak. Like Richie said, even the liberals (Clinton, etc) would not allow protesters up close during some sort of ceremony.

Talk Host does not sound like he has been to The Villages even though he says he is familiar with it. How can anyone object to being politely asked to move across the street about 100 feet away? The Villages sounds like Russia or China? Sorry, Talk Host, but you are wrong.

To further underscore that you don't know what you are talking about, I moved to The Villages in 2003. The Villages of Glennbrook was a dirt field at that time.

Having run for office myself and running campaigns for other Republicans at the national level, it would have been very difficult for me to have never been at a political rally.

Rather than trying to berate me, why not try to bolster your own position with well thought out material.

Chill
 

Aww geez, chill a little. Why get so upset now? We just went through a Presidential election when only one political party was permitted to rent office space within The Villages; only candidates from one party were permitted to speak in The Villages; and the political coverage of political issues were embarrassingly one-sided in The Villages Daily Sun.

Having said all that, there's way too many good things about living here that permits one to not get too excited about a simple budget bill signing ceremony.
Do you mean the same Orlando Sentinel that is consistently negative about almost anything that happens in The Villages?

Not to argue with you, Talk Host, but my home in Glenbrook was built in
2002. That would have been pretty hard to do if Glenbrook Village was a dirt field in 2003. Maybe you just have your dates mixed up.

Obama signed Stimulus Bill in Denver, at "by invitation only" event
 

Maybe Democrats condemning the procedures at this event in TV should question this, linked below. Seems to be the same thing from what I can see.

www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11726570

I looked all through this story and I couldn't see where it said the president "leased" private property for this signing. I think it said it was at a museum. Did I miss something?

I made a mistake.

Well my life is enhanced. I have a uy in the white House and a guy in the Governor's mansion neither of whom I like or voted for and who continue to hog sound waves at every opportunity. Its enough to make me yearn to be a trappist monk.

Do trappist monks take a vow of silence? Go for it!!! :doh:

There are a few of (us) that should try that vow of silence more than what we do.

I never posted on this thread - and if you are going to talk about me, get my name right!

Agree totally.

Gosh, Nitakk, sorry that I spelled your name wrong. Got it close, though.

However as to you not posting to this thread - another post that was on the same subject and was actually moved from General Discussion to Political Discussion - you did post and it went something like:

"According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, Scott's approval rating is down to only 29% so I guess he decided to come to about the only place in Florida that still likes him. He couldn't have just signed that piece of crap in his office and saved we taxpayers a bit of that precious money? The only reason to move the people who protested was because of the news coverage of the event - we can't have any dissention in TV, can we?"

Once again, I have to say, if you were not there in person to actually see what went on firsthand, believe those who were there. Do not rely on a piece of tripe written by a biased columnist or from an upset protester who got moved 100 feet away.

Richie, Thanks! Took me awhile to find this thread again. We are not residents, but are visiting in the fall to decide if The Villages will become our new home. We have been researching and learning as much about the place as possible in the last year, and what you say about the generosity towards youth, schools, etc, sounds more like the place and people that we have surmised The Villages and Villagers to be.
I am old enough to know how the media can portray things quite differently than they truly are. So to even ask the question...duh, what was i thinking. Maybe I should change my name to PollyAnna?!?
btw-did you leave me a private message? If so, it did not show up.
Thanks again.