People were SURFING on Bayshore Drive in Tampa this afternoon! Actually more like water skiing, but with a surfboard. Hurricane Idalia served Florida a HUGE lemon, so Tampa made lemonade. Both a surfboard and a tube raft were pulled behind 4 wheel drive trucks, plus a pair of ATV’s easily handled the flooding, throwing huge rooster tails as they passed

On Monday the 28th of August, what was to be a commemoration of MLK’s March on Washington in Jacksonville, FL instead turned into a furious protest against Saturday’s murders-and of Fl Governor Ron DeSantis. The Governor is being considered responsible for the shootings. He is being called out for all but soliciting the murders with his steady drumbeat of racist laws and propaganda.

Marchers and speakers called ou DeSantis as a racist, a white supremacist, and an out and out Nazi. While march organizers asked everyone not to engage any counterprotesters or hecklers, not a single Proud Boy or member of any other fascist group other than the cops dared to show up openly.

On Sunday, the 27th of August, Fl Governor Ron DeSantis had the nerve to shot up at a vigil for the three African-Americans murdered by a white nationalist the previous day. He was roundly booed for as one speaker at the Monday August 28 rally described, “offering thoughts and prayers with the same mouth he used to fan the flames of white supremacy.”

On the 26th of August, drag defenders kept a sold-out drag show at Aunt Helen’s in Washington DC safe, defeating an attempt by hatemongering street preachers to invade at least their space if not the venue behind them. Defenders deployed umbrellas to shield families with children from the potentially doxxing cameras of the Christian extremist preachers and their allies.

Near the end of the show, the attackers crossed the street and in what appears to have been a determined attack started pushing and attempting to break the line of defenders. Several umbrellas broke under the assault, but determined defenders held the line. The show was uninterrupted, and all attendees and performers kept safe.

It seems that street preachers and Christian hate cults are playing a major role at least on the East Coast if not nationwide in harassing drag shows and Pride events. It was hate preachers from another “official street preachers” style outfit that showed up on August 13 at an all ages drag event in Lakeland, at St Petersburg, FL Pride, and assaulted a child at Pasco Pride again in Florida.

On the last Friday of every month, Critical Mass Orlando takes to the streets. Hundreds of bike riders show up every month in cities all over the US, Orlando is one of a great many still holding the monthly rides.

Critical Mass dates back to the 1990’s, even fierce police assaults in San Francisco (1990’s) and New York City (2004) were unable to stop the rides. They began as a protest of cars making it impossible for bicycle commuters to safely cross some intersections without first building up a “critical mass” of riders, and some grew into militiant protest rides. Today, many of them (Orlando for instance) are family-friendly social rides.

Video begins with videographer arguing with a DeSantis, pointing out that DeSantis (as a theocrat) is to the right even of the Nazis, and that an attempt to impose a Christian Nationalist theocracy would end in civil war. Right-wingers were later reminded by the same videographer that they would be fighting a war of choice with nothing even to gain, while their opponents fight a war of survival.

The proposal to eliminate ALL proclaimations from the Polk County, FL school board passed with the extreme right supporting and LGBTQ+ activists objecting. LGBTQ+ activists called out the hypocrisy and religious bigotry of those favoring the vote to abolish all proclaimations so as to avoid the Pride proclaimation. One also called out the felony committed by School Board member Rick Nolte. He accepted a $5,200 cash campaign contribution. More than $5000 is a 3ed degree felony in Florida. As expected with ruling class “just-us,” his punishment was a $1250 fine.

One of the hard Fascists was photographed in the seats wearing Nazi Germany’s 1939 Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Probably the Nazi equivalent of a store bought SEAL trident as the actual medal was awarded only ONCE and five more captured by US troops. While the wearer did not speak, the swastika in the center of the Iron Cross in this medal makes his loyalties clear.

On the 17th of August, protesters once again showed up at the entrance to the posh private community so-called “Justice” Clarence Thomas lives in.

Protesters called out his corruption and pay for play politics as making him unfit for office. Can you say “billionaire Republican megadonor Harlan Crow” and “Clarence Thomas” together?

The cops must have been caught by surprise, it took them nearly an hour to show up.

(video liberated from X/Twitter. Note that Elon Musk with his 1mpg private jet may remove the original at any time!)

On Saturday the 12th of August, Climate Defiance managed to obtain tickets to a closed Biden fundraiser featuring Kamela Harris in Massachusetts. As she spoke, Climate Defiance activsts stood up and interrupted her. They reminded her that the Biden administration is expanding “expanding fossil fuels faster than TRUMP!”

They demanded Kamela and Biden keep their promises on climate change, but the hypocrisy of the Biden administration on climate is obvious.

On the 13th of August, one of Momma Rose’s drag shows proceeded unobstructed in spite of attempt by two Christian nationalist groups to besiege and halt it.

Defenders held the property line, forcing the police to keep the attackers at bay on the sidewalk. One was using a bullhorn, unlike others using bullhorns at protests in Lakeland he was NOT arrested, only ordered to shut it up.

Two main groups of would-be attackers showed up: some out of town Fundies from Oklahoma, and the same Christian nationalist cult that assaulted a child at Pasco Pride back in February.Some of the latter have a considerable history of violence, including an open sexual assault case. One said “I like pushing people” and proceeded to do exactly that. Also present was a 3%er militia member who admitted to being present at the J6/2021 assault on the US Capitol.

Florida’s climate change amplified heat and sun proved more powerful than their alleged faith, and they soon began to melt away. When the last of them left, the drag show was still going on strong, with none of them getting in. All of the drag show attendees and the Queen got in and out totally unopposed.

Christian Nationalists threw everything they had at this drag show short of bats or firearms, and they were utterly defeated. Their objective was to halt the show, the show was totally unobstructed, so they lose and we win.

On August 10, a substantial crowd protested outside Orlando City Hall against DeSantis sacking his SECOND elected prosecutor. This is not about someone losing their job, but rather about the dangerous fascist being appointed to take her place.

On Aug 9, Florida dictator Ron DeSantis “suspended” the Orlando area’s elected reformist prosecutor Monique Worrel. He installed far-right, Federalist Society affiliated judge Andrew Bain as her replacement. Andrew Bain is promising more holds without bond, a refusal of all diversion programs, and more. He is a Fascist just like DeSantis and represents police warfare against all communities that are not rich, white, and Cishet.

Fl Rep Anna Eskamini pointed out that it is another DeSantis-appointed, unelected prosecutor in Tampa who is responsible for the Tampa 5 felony charges against peaceful protesters.

Monique Worrel herself spoke at the rally-and pointed out that the day after she was sacked, “investigators” showed up at her house whining about her allegedly being too slow to return every last piece of Fl state property she had accumulated in three years in elected office. She warned that if this is how DeSantis treats a former prosecutor, how will he treat those his police arrest in the community?

On the 3ed of August, Climate Defiance got inside the Citibank-sponsored Citi Open tennis match in Washington DC. Once inside, they unfurled banners and tossed oversize mock tennis balls painted in flames onto the field. The entire event had to stop and wait while the mock tennis balls were removed, and security got quite rough with Climate Defiance.