Charlie Crist's Coast-to-Coast Charter

After chasing the wind-blown pages of our daily Pensacola Newsletter all over the neighborhood this morning, because once again it's lighter than air, we wound up with some sort of sports half-page, a few classified ads, and the front page. That's it. Here's hoping the fishes enjoy the Local News and Editorial sections, if there are any.

What we're left with is just enough to know that the PNJ is linking Governor Crist to an accused big-time drug dealer, Pedro "Pete" Benevides. Kris Wernowksy reports that Benevides is a Brazilian-born Orlando multi-millionaire currently residing in a jail cell in Pensacola. (See his federal mug shot, left).

The governor's connection is through Benevides' "Skyview Aviation," a charter jet company. Last year it "ferried Gov. Charlie Crist to a climate-change conference hosted by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Beverly Hills."

Apparently, Charlie rode in style. It was a $60,000 per round-trip style of flying, free of charge.

What kind of airplane ride this side of low earth orbit costs $60,000? Regular people can catch a roundtrip from Tallahassee to L.A. for under $400. Coast-to-coast charters cost around $6,000 to $10,000. So, what could possibly justify a price like sixty grand?

"It's like driving a Bentley," a Skyview spokesman told Wernowsky. "Fourteen seats with a bed in the back, plasma TVs. ... It's a nice plane. Real nice."

Somehow, we think that "real nice" remark needed italics for emphasis, so we added them. It looks to us like someone is sending a signal to someone else. What could it be? The cabin meals came with a side dish of white powder? The in-flight movie was being filmed as everyone partied?

The charter ride was so nice, apparently, that "the company received other requests from the Governor's Office to fly the governor." But Florida state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer is eagerly telling the press, these days, that Skyview turned the governor down when he begged for a repeat.

We'll soon see about that. We're guessing Skyview's reservation requests, flight book, and other files soon will be revealed. If Benevides didn't have a cabin-cam recording everything that went on, he deserves to go to jail. He's too stupid to be bribing politicians.

Hannity Hilarity

Faux News, at it again:

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Celebrating Veterans

Bryan at Why Now? celebrates Veterans' Day with the hope "there will be no need for another generation to put on uniforms and march to war."

We revert to weather history to remember a time, unlike now, when Americans were tough enough to celebrate Armistice Day despite inclement weather:

A Texas ‘Norther’ that swooped down the Gulf last night had no terrors for the crowd which invaded Brownsville from the whole of the lower Rio Grande Valley and even from Mexico across the river. Thirty thousand people swept into this city of 6,000 on a threefold celebration, that of Armistice Day, that of honoring the President-elect and jubilation over the closing of the subscription for railroad and harbor improvement that valley residents are confident will make Brownsville and its port at Point Isabel eclipse Galveston in commercial importance.”

– “Harding Days War Was for Our Rights: Denies that America Fought to Make the World Safe for Democracy,” New York Times, Nov. 12, 1920 at 1.

G.O.P. Talking Points

Did Michael Steele send this out to us?

Convenient Closings

Thursday's annual veterans' day parade in Pensacola has been canceled. It was that terrible storm, don't you know.

The suspicion lingers that a lot of those closings -- schools, speeches, sporting events, meetings, government offices, courts, etc. etc. -- were announced because people just plain need a break. That's jake with us. After all, America remains the "no vacation nation" -- and if it takes a little tropical hysteria to change that, so be it.

Ida Idles Over Mobile Bay

Florida Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency yesterday as Tropical Storm Ida slowly approached the Panhandle, the Miami Herald reports. The storm "was downgraded... moments after Crist issued the declaration."

The poor guy can't catch a break. Not only are the lunatic teabaggers after his scalp, Mother Nature is making him look as foolish as Bobby Jindal.

After all the media hysteria, school closings, cancellations and the like, Ida "made its first landfall about 5:40 CST on Dauphin Island, with the center of the storm about 25 miles south of Mobile." The storm was described as "slow, wet, weak."

In a disturbing sign of the times, the Destin Log covered the storm by reporting on tweets, or twitters, or whatever they're called. Our favorite breathless news report:

"BushWilliams: LOL just talked to my Dad who is in Destin, FL and fairly trashed at a hurricane party. Sounds like a good time."

Ida - Now They Tell Us

NHC, Monday 9 pm:

THE LOCATION AND TIMING OF IDA'S LANDFALL WILL HAVE LITTLE SIGNIFICANCE SINCE THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS COVER A LARGE AREA AND MOST OF THE HEAVIER RAINFALL IS ALREADY SPREADING ONSHORE.

Well, at least The Weather Channel got a spike in ratings.

More Closings as Ida Grows Weaker

Santa Rosa County schools and courts will be closed Tuesday, in light of Tropical Storm Ida, which is growing weaker even as you read this. S.R. county government offices will be closed until Thursday.

The center of the storm is a little more than a hundred miles off shore as of 4 pm CST. It's expected to speed up, weaken even more, and make landfall some time after midnight. Total rainfall accumulations, when it's all over, are expected to be "3 to 6 inches" with isolated exceptions as high as 8 inches.

Lord help us if the Florida Panhandle ever gets a half inch of snow.

Ida Radar Over Pensacola Beach

CLICK THIS FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS

The Republi-Bluedem White Male Party

While we were busy watching Ida, the Republi-Bluedem White Male Party was deciding for all women in America what to do with their bodies and how they should procreate. Dr. Nancy finds it "Outrageous. Just outrageous."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ida Goes Extra-Tropical

That was quick. Here's the meteorological explanation:

THE SATELLITE PRESENTATION OF IDA HAS BEEN STEADILY DETERIORATING DURING THE MORNING. MOST OF THE DEEP CONVECTION HAS BEEN SHEARED OFF WELL TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER...

WITH IDA MOVING THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENT OF COOLER WATERS AND INCREASING SHEAR...CONTINUED WEAKENING IS EXPECTED. THE GLOBAL MODELS DO NOT SHOW MUCH IN THE WAY OF BAROCLINIC RE-INTENSIFICATION PRIOR TO LANDFALL...SO THE HURRICANE WARNINGS AND WATCHES ARE BEING DISCONTINUED...LEAVING ONLY TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS IN PLACE.

The plain English version: Ida is "extra-tropical," just like great-great-great grandpa. We might have a rainy couple of days.

Ida - Monday Morning Update

NPR has a useful and fairly comprehensive update this morning on Hurricane Ida. The short of it is this --

• Ida is weakening. It's a category 1 storm, and expected to weaken further before landfall.
  
• The center of the storm is expected to hit the shore late tonight, well after dark.
• "Hurricane warnings remained in effect from Pascagoula, Miss., east to Indian Pass, Fla."
• Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency (which means he is demanding more of that federal stimulus money he so likes to criticize.)
• Dauphin Island and Mobile look to be in the bullseye.
• "Residents of Pensacola Beach, Fla., and nearby Perdido Key were encouraged to leave, as were people farther inland who live in mobile homes... ."
• Two hours east of Pensacola, at Point Marina in Panama City, Steve Arndt's gut is telling him "it probably won't be that bad." But there's not much of a gut on that guy, so it's hard to tell if he knows what his stomach is rumbling.
  

Hurricane Ida Closings and Twitters in Pensacola

By the numbers:

1. All local Gulf Power linemen and other emergency repair workers were alerted Sunday afternoon they will be called in for extra duty Monday afternoon.
   
2. Local news sources are reporting Escambia county public schools, pre-schools, and county offices will be closed all day Monday and Tuesday.
   
3. Most private schools are closing as well.
   
4. Santa Rosa schools, as of Sunday evening, plan to remain open Monday. Stay tuned about Tuesday.
   
5. The county is twittering that "Residents of low-lying areas, Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key and mobile home residents are urged to evacuate." Local TV scrolls claim evacuation should begin at 7 am Monday.
   
6. The main web site for Escambia County's Emergency Management, as of 9 pm Sunday evening, remains unchanged. Lame. Very lame. They may wake up by 9 am Monday.
7. Get the latest county twitter here.
   

Ida in the Gulf

NHC English translation:

• Ida is in the Gulf of Mexico, rapidly heading north with a target anywhere within a hundred miles either side of Mobile-Pensacola.
• The inner center of the storm remains modest in size, but tropical-force winds could extend up to a radius of fifty miles from the center.
  
• Ida is likely to weaken quickly as it encounters colder waters and air temperatures over the next 36 hours.
  
• It might or might not be a hurricane when it makes landfall, but it's sure to be very wet, windy, and accompanied by a storm surge and damaging waves along the coast.

What Can Jeff Miller Say?

Steve Benen:

For all the talk about vulnerable Democrats having to defend their support for reform, let's not overlook the fact that GOP incumbents are likely to hear more about their vote supporting their version of reform again. After all, the Republican plan was pretty ridiculous -- the GOP alternative did nothing for the uninsured, nothing for those with pre-existing conditions, and nothing for those worried about losing coverage when it's needed most. * * * The GOP proposal sought to create a system that "works better for people who don't need health care services, and much worse for people who actually are sick or who become sick in the future. It's basically a health un-insurance policy."

And as we learned yesterday, the plan included provisions that "mirror the suggestions put forth by the lobbying entity of the private insurance industry way back in December 2008."

Expect this vote to come up quite a bit next year.

What can Jeff Miller say to Northwest Floridians? How about, 'I voted for the bill drafted by the health insurance industry because I want you to go away.'