Gov. DeSantis does Citrus no favors

Awoke Wednesday morning with a blog idea for today.

It changed by noon. And again at 4. By the time 7 p.m. rolled around I stared at a blank screen.

You know what that means, right? Rambling Thursday!

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— I wasn’t too thrilled back in September when Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek hosted Gov. Ron DeSantis through downtown in the days following Hurricane Idalia without telling anyone but a few select individuals. Governor comes to town after a storm, it's a media delight.

But, I figured, the governor no doubt wanted it that way. And, who knows, maybe it would help the city down the road.

Guess not.

It was disappointing to see that DeSantis vetoed the $10 million appropriation for a new City Hall, along with several other Citrus projects. (Here’s my Florida Politics story.)

These line-item vetoes are always a mystery to me. I never know the rationale. It does, though, seem like a kick in the pants to outgoing Rep. Ralph Massullo. DeSantis already railroaded Massullo’s political aspirations in 2022; now he’s denying the rep a final swan song in his home county.

— Commissioners periodically hear from residents who continue to believe John “Library Guy” Labriola’s fantasies about unsavory books in the county libraries.

A Beverly Hills man wrote them recently:

“As a retired school teacher of 20 years, I assure you that students, even in high school, are very vulnerable. They are confused about their life, their identity, and do NOT need to have ANY sexualized books in their library. Nor do we need them in our public libraries. It is pornographic, very inappropriate, and simply unnecessary.”

Commissioners continue to fend off these outrageous statements. Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach’s response: 

“I believe you are being misled. I have never and will never support pornography in our libraries. It is unfortunate that these lies are being spread, but as an elected official, it is par for the course.”

Chairman Holly Davis was blunt.

“You are listening to someone who lies as easily as he breathes. Have you gone to the library and found these books yourself? Please investigate things firsthand before believing nonsense such as this. This is a conservative county, and the government here behaves as such.”

The man said was not impressed.

“I will not vote for you,” he wrote to Davis. “Please let someone else be a conservative voice as a commissioner. I told Ms. Schlabacher the same.”

First off Mr. Retired Teacher, it’s Schlabach, not Schlabacher. Second, I direct your attention to this observation from 19th century English philosopher William Spencer:

“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

For crying out loud folks, VISIT THE LIBRARY! If someone is telling you about monsters under the bed…don’t you check for monsters? 

I don’t mind gullibility so much as blind indifference to logic. 

— Speaking of Library Guy, I left the Citrus Trump Club 47 candidate forum the other night a little early, missing the fireworks after Schlabach quoted Labriola making crude remarks regarding men with breast cancer.

I mentioned Schlabach’s comment in a Tuesday blog and heard he reacted rather poorly later when Schlabach showed the video clip to some attendees. I won’t repeat what I heard and apparently, no one recorded it.

Schlabach, a breast cancer survivor, sent me the 17-second clip from a podcast. Someday I’ll have the technological brainpower to link it, but not today. Library Guy’s words of wisdom:

“If they’re getting breast cancer it’s probably their own fault for pumping their chest full of silicone, which doesn’t belong in a body at all.”

Tell me: How, exactly, does this guy get people to believe him? 

Done rambling. Have a wonderful Thursday, friends.

Mike note: This blog was edited to say that John Labriola's crude remarks were aimed at men, not women, with breast cancer.

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