Jacksonville’s hometown rugby league team The Axemen are undefeated, and their playoff battle with the Boston 13s promises to be a sizzling match. A spokesman said the Jax team only need to win this game and they will be heading to NYC on Aug 29th for the Grand Final (National Championship game). The playoff game is set for Saturday, August 22, at the University of North Florida, Hodges Stadium. Kickoff was moved forward to 4pm so that those fans who would like to attend the Jags pre-season game at 7.30 p.m. may do so.
A JaxAxe news release said, “The Axemen are well aware that the Boston side will have improved a great deal since their first encounter and are taking no chances in the preparation. Practice sessions have been increased and the team is starting to feel the intensity of the post season with the players now feeling the excitement.”
Axemen prop Jaime Uyttewaal said, "We beat Boston at their home ground in what was their first ever game in the AMNRL competition. You would be pretty naive to think they have not improved more than any other team during the season with players now knowing each other better and understanding how each will react on the field. They are coming to Jacksonville with three things in their favor. They are a better team than they were when we faced them last, they are on a high after getting to the second round of the playoffs in their first ever season and I am sure they are using the home lose to us as motivation for their players. It is our job to just play the same way that has given us an undefeated season and not get caught up in any of the mental aspect of this game. We just need to keep believing in ourselves and I am sure we will be fine."
Walk-up entry for Saturday’s game is only $5 and kids 12 and under are free. This game is included in the schedule for Season ticket holders and Members. Gates will open at 3:15 p.m. and the Axemen are expecting the season record crowd for their first ever 2nd round home playoff. Full information about the team is available on the JaxAxe website.
Rugby League games are great family fun because of the price and the exceptional abilities of the athletes. Jacksonville fans are banking on their team’s chances to take the national championship title.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Mighty rugby league battle set for Jacksonville
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Justice on hold for UCF murder victim
Many Floridians remember the death of UCF student Nhat Anh Tran, allegedly killed by a man she had a relationship with. The trial of Loc B. Tran (no relation to the victim) was declared a mistrial Tuesday because the judge recused herself. The Orlando Sentinel said, "Orange Circuit Court Judge Jenifer Davis realized she was a supervisor at the Orange-Osceola Public Defender's Office, which was initially assigned to the case three years ago."
The paper said Loc was convicted of raping a girlfriend in 1998. He got probation and had to register as a sex offender. The victim apparently went to see him in jail and wrote him letters, so he didn't receive the normal sentence. He had tied her up and raped her after she tried to break off the relationship.
This begs questions about the wisdom of the court. Regardless of what his victim did in 1998, this man committed serious crimes. I fail to see how her behavior after the conviction should have any bearing on his sentence. Another example of justice skewed in my opinion. And now another young woman is dead, allegedly by Loc's hand.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Martinez steps down; advantage Crist
By now you've probably learned rumors Sen. Mel Martinez would step down are true. Now Gov. Charlie Crist will appoint a replacement for the senator's seat. Crist faces GOP challenger Marco Rubio, former speaker of the Florida House, for the Republican contender position in the 2010 elections. Hopefully Martinez's replacement won't support Cap and Trade; I had the impression Martinez would have supported that bill.
Martinez also lost favor with the GOP base when he supported an amnesty bill for millions of people who come to the country without adhering to federal law.
Stay tuned. This should be interesting.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Accusations levied at Broward deputy reveal dark side of sanctuary cities, dilemma for gay community
A scandal is brewing in South Florida, stemming from a sanctuary policy for illegals that as I have often said actually puts undocumented foreigners in a vulnerable position. Accusations against sheriff’s deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss are detailed in a South Florida Sun Sentinel article. The Sentinel said, “[C]ourt documents released Tuesday portray Bleiweiss, 29, as a manipulative sex offender who preyed on illegal immigrants too scared to contact authorities. He would act like a jilted lover when the men would not return his calls or text messages, according to those records, based on victims' accounts.”
The paper said Bleiweiss was a gay rights activist. The court documents show Bleiwess was identified in a photo lineup. Bleiweiss’ attorney pointed out the accusations came from those he called "undocumented aliens" and so far he didn’t see “any physical evidence.”
The Sentinel has the whole affidavit online; be prepared because the affidavit is highly detailed in describing sexual acts.
I’ve often written about the complexity of America’s immigration policies. Congress has repeatedly failed to craft a sensible, affordable expanded guest worker program, and past administrations as well as our present administration seem content to lay the burden of security on the Border Patrol and state and local law enforcement. The federal government ignores this issue although it impacts every single policy, from healthcare to taxes. Welfare is strained, creating a conflict for resources between low income Americans and uneducated immigrants whose status is often impossible to determine.
The scandal also unfortunately will create misimpressions about the gay community. This is the problem with activist branding—if you niche out groups for special rights, those same groups are harmed when a high profile individual like Bleiweiss faces accusations. Were the US Constitution observed properly, Americans would not be divided by sexual preference, religion or skin color. We all have equal rights, one reason the term ‘reverse discrimination’ is probably the silliest term media ever coined in an effort to promote advocacy for various causes.
The Sentinel story reflects fallout from identity politics: “’This is not an act that necessarily impacts the gay community,’ said Michael Rajner, a local gay rights activist who lives in Pompano Beach. ‘This is an act of an individual, not a community.’”
Sanctuary policies and lack of oversight on immigration as well as abandonment of federal law create vulnerability for the undocumented visitor as well as the community. South Florida stands in sharp contrast to other parts of the state on such issues, but the whole state bears the burden and expense of statist policy.
It must be pointed out Bleiweiss has been charged but has not been convicted.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Times-Union readers want Forrest High School named for Capt. Speicher
If you live on the First Coast, the story of Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher has been a long-running topic. Over the last 18 years stories have been published about the fate of the young captain whose plane was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet on Jan. 17, 1991. The official Department of Defense announcement on Sunday said dental records show remains found in Iraq’s Anbar Province are those of Speicher.
A story in the Florida Times-Union drew many comments from readers who not only wanted to thank Speicher for his service. Many of those readers came up with a great suggestion—renaming Nathan B. Forrest High School for the war hero who graduated from the school.
Forrest High is a touchy point in Jax—it’s named for a Confederate soldier who owned slaves and was a wealthy plantation owner. Problem is more than 50 percent of the students at this school are black. I once suggested renaming the school for Zora Neale Hurston because I consider her one of the great American novelists. ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ is an amazing novel, poetry woven into prose. Few novels in the last century come anywhere close to the great work Hurston produced. Hurston spent time in this area, and there aren’t many schools named for black females.
TU readers have a good suggestion. Speicher served us all, regardless of color, and the Navy has a definite strong presence here in Jax.
The Armed Forces Press Service release about Speicher said, ”Acting on information provided by Iraqi civilians, Marines stationed in Anbar province went to a desert location believed to be the crash site of Speicher’s jet, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology positively identified remains recovered there [as] Speicher’s.”
The recovered remains include bones and skeletal fragments. Positive identification was made by comparing Speicher’s dental records with the jawbone recovered at the site. The teeth are a match, both visually and radiographically, officials said.
While dental records have confirmed the remains to be Speicher’s, officials said the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology DNA Lab in Rockville, Md. is running DNA tests on the remains and comparing them to DNA reference samples previously provided by his family.
The release said results of the DNA testing should be ready sometimes on Monday.
Many of us remember friends of our children who had parents in the military, and how sad they were when their parents shipped off to war as the Gulf War got underway. In Jacksonville a hero is receiving a warm welcome home, with many readers at the Times-Union expressing gratitude for Speicher’s service to our country. Their suggestion to consider naming the high school for him is a good one deserving consideration.
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[Photo of Capt. Speicher from DOD-US Navy]
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