Terry Lyon makes the mistake of thinking that what I believe will happen is what I want to happen. ...more

November 2, 2009

Two sophomore girls have sued their school district after they were punished for posting sexually suggestive photos on MySpace during their summer vacation. ...more

October 30, 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up the cause of Herb Quintero, the tackle shop owner who was fined by the city of Clearwater after he had a mural of game fish painted on his shop. uintero said he was threatened with additional fines after he covered the mural with a banner-size copy of the First Amendment. The ACLU filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tampa this morning, claiming the mural is a work of art and exempt from city codes dictating commercial sign requirements. The $690 Quintero has paid in court costs and fines stem from the city's position that the mural is not art but rather a sign related to his business. ...more

February 24, 2009

Tommy DeFoe wore his Southern pride on his Confederate flag belt buckle Wednesday as he argued in federal court that a school dress code banning such items violated his free speech rights. ...more

August 14, 2008

On a sunny May afternoon, teenagers dismissed from a Beverly Hills middle school gathered outside a restaurant four blocks away and gossiped about their friends. ...more

August 4, 2008

Boisterous people are often told to sit down or risk ejection from local meetings, but now, with the shooting deaths of five government workers during a meeting in Missouri, some Tampa Bay area officials are checking whether that's enough. ...more

February 9, 2008

TAMPA - Local government meetings can get contentious, and occasionally boisterous people are told to sit down or risk ejection. But never, at least around here, has anyone done what a disgruntled person did in Missouri on Thursday night. ...more

February 8, 2008

Recent op-ed articles imply that partisan political party objectives are more important than national security. One chastised a general for wearing his military decorations. Another protested some restrictions of expanded interpretations of constitutional free speech rights. Specifically government tapping or telephones intended to learn whether or not callers were involved in plots against our country. As a war president, F.D.R employed far more drastic measures to curb espionage efforts to exploit freedom of speech. Japanese-Americans, including Japanese spies, were interned, fed and cared for during hostilities. Espionage was effectively stifled. I believe the great majority of Americans are willing to accept the possibility that their telephones could be tapped in efforts to apprehend the enemy that have infiltrated our un-enforced immigration laws. That great majority of Americans have nothing to hide from a telephone tapping. ...more

January 12, 2008

Regarding the Tribune editorial, "Bright House Snubs Public Good" (Our Opinion, Dec. 13): ...more

December 25, 2007

A private school claims the mother of a former student crossed the line in a critical Internet blog she wrote about her daughter's experiences there. ...more

November 19, 2007