Comm. Keechl replied to my letter this morning. I thanked him for his attention in this matter.

Michael With regard to my position, the article wasn't complete. No vote was taken. What I said was: I want to know which of the 3 radio stations has the most viewers. As I said in response to Comm. Ritter, I don't like WIOD; however, if it reaches the most people I will vote for it next week. Its really that simple. My best, Ken Keechl

Have you seen this article in today's Sun Sentinel? It's astonishing. I'm sorry Ms Ritter, this shouldn't be a "business" decision based on the merits of anyone's social or political agenda ...and considering the beating we took during Wilma and Katrina, you should be ashamed of yourself the way you are putting your feelings about a bloviating pundit over your responsibility to your constituency.

I penned a letter to my own representative, who was also mentioned in the article.

From the Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Broward may cancel deal with radio station because it airs Rush Limbaugh

Commissioner Stacy Ritter said she did not want to support a station that's out of step with area politics. Ritter, a Democratic stalwart in the state Legislature before being elected to county office, cited talk shows hosted by Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and WIOD's partnership with Fox News.

"They have every right to speak, but we don't have to do business with them," she said.

Also:

Ritter's concerns were echoed by Commissioners Ken Keechl, a former president of the Dolphins gay Democratic club, and Suzanne Gunzburger, who served on the vote-tallying board that recounted the 2000 presidential election.

And finally:

Judy Sarver, the county's public communications director, said WFTL and WLRN also offered to take on the role, but that she and other emergency planners preferred WIOD because of its signal strength, numerous FM sister stations and willingness to give Broward top play.

Mr. Keechl, I respectfully tender that this is not "business" as Ms. Ritter has put it but a public service and responsibility. Ms. Sarver's reasoning strikes me as transparently in the public's interest while your support of Ms Ritter's position appears to be motivated by party politics.

I hope that you will reconsider your stance on this position. There is a time and place for every issue to be addressed, but for my representative to choose an official radio channel for emergency information ...based not on its capacity to perform and willingness to serve ...but instead on the entertainment content they regularly provide?

That doesn't sound wrong to you?

Very Respectfully,

Michael Cummins
Fort Lauderdale, FL

After reading my local Congressional Representative's response to Hurricane Katrina, I felt compelled to write her a letter.

Dear Representative Schultz,

Addressing the President on September 2nd you stated that he "did not have a plan to evacuate these families from the path of imminent danger".

As my local representative, I am sure that you are aware that it was not President Bush's responsibility to draft a plan to evacuate the City of New Orleans from the path of Hurricane Katrina. Despite this, President Bush had made personal appeals directly to Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin to evacuate when they had not yet in fact done so.

In fact, if Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco had followed their *own* guidelines for Emergency Preparedness, we wouldn't even be having this brief discussion.

I hope that you and the rest of my local officials have not outsourced the immediate safety of my family to the Federal government. As I understand it, they exist to support you directly, not me.

Through all-too-human mistakes and in some cases unforgivable ineptitude, this Catastrophe was exacerbated by many levels of government, both local and Federal. As a constituent of Florida's Twentieth Congressional District, I urge you to better represent me by refraining from seemingly partisan accusations and instead simply lend your support to an official inquiry.

I have no problem casting votes across party lines for representatives that display cool heads in a relentless pursuit of the truth.

Thank you for your time.

Very Respectfully,

Michael E. Cummins II
Fort Lauderdale, FL
http://www.i-magery.com

References:

City of New Orleans: Emergency Preparedness

Katrina Response, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sept 2

Seeing the boundaries of my Congressional District makes me wish I could have been a fly on the wall of THAT planning session.

You can download a PDF here with more detail, if you are interested.