Robert Redford talks

Originally uploaded by artfuldodger9.

Every year in January, Carl takes his students from Countryside High School to the cold, snow-covered mountains of Utah in a pilgrimage to the independent film Mecca known as the Sundance Film Festival. This
festival has been the launching pad for such renowned directors as Steven Soderbergh, Kevin Smith and Alexander Payne among others. The students then have the life-changing experience of meeting and talking with the directors and actors direct after viewing the world premiere of their cutting-edge movies and documentaries. For TV production students aspiring to have a career in film and television, this is as real life as it gets.

We’ve got a few photos from Sundance uploaded at current, and more are on the way, yet among the six that have been uploaded is a surprise story from the festival.

Carl and company attended a special discussion segment early in the festival entitled “Where is the Media?” The king of Sundance himself, Robert Redford, dropped in on the discussion and took a special seat during the show. I’ll let the pictures do the talking on this.

As a Candidate for House District 48, I want to let voters know my position on the Equal Rights Amendment.

“Equal rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

When our Founding Fathers drafted the wording for the United States Constitution, they first established a republic based on a democratic form of government. Then they created the first ten amendments — the ones we refer to as the Bill of Rights — to protect us from that government.

In the late 1700s, women were a class protected by their fathers, brothers, and husbands. The social order of that era did not envision women as CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, astronauts, or even working moms. Under the original Constitution, women were not granted the right to vote. Today, women play a major role at all levels of our federal, state, and local governments.

Numerous federal, state, and local laws have been passed addressing equality issues involving gender. At the federal level we have Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Equal Pay Act of 1963, and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. …And, yet, inequities still exist.

According to recent polls, most Americans think that ERA has been ratified and that equal rights for women is already included in our Constitution. In Florida, all 67 County Commissions have expressed support through their County Commissioners’ Association. In the legislature, the measure has been co-sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats on a bi-partisan basis. Unfortunately, Republican leadership did not support this measure.

Only three states are needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment for adoption in the United States Constitution. I strongly believe that Florida must be one of them! As the only son growing up in a single parent household with my mother and five sisters, I feel very strongly about guaranteeing the rights of women and support the ERA. Continue reading →

Hi folks, my name is John — I’ll be going by J.P. on here — and over the last several weeks I’ve been posting and helping set things up here on Zimmermann 2006. In the coming weeks and months. I plan to highlight different volunteers on the Blog in order to give people more insight on the inside of Carl Zimmermann campaign.

In late November, I received a political ad through the US mail from Carl’s campaign. I had been aware of him and his run for District 48 since his initial announcement in March 2005. I knew then, just as I knew when I got that advertisement, I wanted to help him any way I could. The need for change in Florida’s legislature is just as big as the need for change at the federal level. I’ve seen so many people on both sides of the political aisle get caught up in the federal political scene but it starts at home – literally - in your neighborhood, in your community, town, county and state. It’s very easy to get lost in other concerns about the government, but change starts at home.

I read through Carl’s pamphlet and found myself nodding in agreement. Abuses are coming up at all levels of the government with regards to our rights and how we are being ignored while our elected officials sell support to the highest bidding special interest group. I visited Carl’s old web site and found it in disrepair and offered my services to him to repair or redesign the page on a volunteer basis…

I think I got the job but I can’t be sure yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Seriously, Carl was receptive to the offer and lo and behold what has come from it. The web site is designed in a non-traditional way placing Carl’s blog on the front page an an introduction to him elsewhere. The campaign is a living, breathing thing after all and needs to be kept fresh… Just like the news from the campaign on the site itself.

This is my first time volunteering for a political campaign. I’ve supported previous candidates and made campaign contributions but I’ve never gotten this involved in the process before… But the need for change is so great and need for commitment from the little people to bringing about change is so necessary, how could I not get involved?

I ask those reading the site and agreeing with Carl’s stances to follow my lead and pledge to help out in any way you can. Maybe can spare a some change, or a few dollars to support the campaign? Perhaps you have enough time to walk your neighborhood with Carl? Maybe you just want to show support by putting up a yard sign or putting a bumper sticker on your car… Whatever the case, you’re needed.

In my case, I’m helping Carl’s online campaign and that’s a start. Not too bad for a first time political volunteer.