la liberté avant tout
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — The number 537 forever will be burned in the minds of Florida legislators. After 35 days of fumbled recounts, disappearing ballots and deliberations by the U.S. Supreme Court, the weight of the 2000 presidential election came down to that tiny fraction of ballots — 537. With that legacy in mind, Florida lawmakers…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Following tradition, the Sunshine State is setting the stage for another unforgettable year of election politics. That’s according to the latest Fox News poll conducted April 15-17, sampling 757 Florida registered voters in a telephone survey. In the expected matchup between Democratic President Barack Obama and likely Republican nomineeMitt Romney, Obama leads by less than two points,…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog SANFORD — In more tranquil times, the city of Sanford was known as the Historic Waterfront Gateway City, a tribute to its comfortable position between Lakes Monroe and Jesup. But, since the death of Trayvon Martinin late February, the city has become the volatile epicenter of the battle for justice, social activism and political maneuvering leading…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — The measure was intended to promote “personal responsibility” and put an end to millions in “misused” tax dollars. If welfare recipients expect to receive a check, warned Sunshine State lawmakers last spring, then they must submit their urine to the state and prove their bodies are clean of illegal…
by Yaël Ossowski TAMPA — Just three weeks before the filing deadline, Florida‘s U.S. Senate candidates are pulling out all the stops to catch Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. The two-term senator has amassed close to $1.6 million in the first three months of 2012, bulking up the $8.4 million he raised last year, according to his re-election campaign. Read more: Statehouse…
by Yaël Ossowski Hey Citizen, you’re the first to hearWe’ve got a new war to start, so strap on your gearPut on your blinders and heed what they sayNot time for questions, it’s time to obey Forget Palestine, forget occupationForget the bombs and the sanctions that have killed a nationForget the coups and states we’ve…
There is nothing more precious than playing the odds and winning. On any given day, Gaston residents queue up at gas stations and grocery stores to gamble an average $4 of their weekly pay in hopes of getting lucky and winning big in the State Education Lottery, celebrating its sixth anniversary on March 30th. For…
Recently, I was invited to participate in the discussion on ‘The Stateless Man’ with radio host, economist, and all-round world citizen Fergus Hodgson. … READ ON LIBERTY IN EXILE
Military access, incentives drive N.C. film industry By Yaël Ossowski | Gaston Gazette The cities of Belmont and Gastonia can boast of their role in an award-winning television series. Broadcast on the cable network Showtime, the series “Homeland” won two awards at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, one for best actress and another for best…
Does military’s relationship with NASCAR cost taxpayers? It is a sport which has never been ashamed to cater to nationalism. Sundays at a NASCAR race are awash with American flags donned on T-shirts, race cars and beer koozies. Thousands of fans camped out at the racetrack proudly fly the stars and stripes from the flagpoles…
There is no doubt that even the most casual web surfer has, in recent days, been exposed to the Kony 2012 campaign on Youtube and throughout social media. In a matter of days, the video has garnered tens of millions of views, while enjoying significant coverage in the mainstream press, radio and television. The video was released by the…
It is a new battle for civil rights, say opponents of the gay-marriage ban slated for a popular referendum. Proponents, however, view it as the last defense in the fight to protect traditional marriage against the whims of a future Legislature or activist judge. Two months away from the vote on Amendment One, the opposing…
Gaston County Police officers were ecstatic when they unveiled the department’s shiny drone aircraft to the public in 2006. Equipped with low-light and infrared cameras, the unmanned aerial vehicle known as the “CyberBug” was promised to deliver sweeping surveillance, tactical operational support during raids, extensive crime scene photography and a bird’s eye view of hidden…
Imagine the local sheriff or police chief issuing an arrest warrant for the President of the United States. Imagine that the majority of the citizens in that local jurisdiction agree with the arrest warrant, and in fact take to the streets to support its issuance. Imagine that other local sheriffs and police chiefs band together to push…
There is no more exciting adventure than questioning those in power. It’s an act I’ve been able to enjoy in different countries, cities, and languages. I’ve been able to interview small-town mayors, bigwig police chiefs, and was even awarded the chance to grill New Jersey Governor Chris Christie while he flirted with running for national…
The following are the three articles I wrote this week for The Gaston Gazette. Study: Vending Machines in Schools Not to Blame for Obesity N.C. Congressional Delegation Split on Insider Trading Bill No-Snow Winter Would Be First in History for Region Check out my Gazette page to catch up on all contributions thus far.
If the skies fail to yield any frozen precipitation in the next six to eight weeks, the greater Charlotte region could experience its first-ever winter without any snow. This is a stark contrast to last year’s abnormally snowy season, which left children celebrating multiple school closings and parents fretting dangerous and icy road conditions. According…
As Congress takes up legislation to ban insider-trading by its members and employees, local constituents will be paying special attention to their representatives’ votes on the bill, set to come up for a vote in the House of Representatives by next week. The bill, known as the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, is aimed…
L’argument de gauche-droite que le Québec a manqué pour trop long. Jean-François Lisée versus Éric Duhaime
Les baby-boomers ont perpétré un véritable hold-up générationnel : ils ont sans cesse augmenté la taille de l’État québécois pour profiter de ses largesses en confisquant aux plus jeunes leur part de la richesse collective. Or, à l’heure où toutes nos institutions vacillent, ils atteignent l’âge de la retraite et menacent de porter le coup…