Thanks to fellow Tampa Bay Blogger Michael Hussey and his Last Day of My Life for the heads up on the latest nimkimpoop idea by Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman; a new take on the "Three Strikes" theory: Three criminal convictions, lose your eligibility to the county's indigent health care coverage.

The St. Petersburg Times featured the story this morning. Norman, who has previously championed the morals of Hillsborough County (for those who choose to call it that) by attempting to block public access television and eliminate strip clubs, is saying that his proposal would also include some people convicted of some misdemeanor offenses.

Sorry, Jim. It doesn't quite work that way. All any people eliminated from the program would do is simply wait until their problems became severe, then go to the hospital emergency rooms. That, in turn, would eventually cost everyone and defeats the purpose you say by trying to save costs for law abiding people. DO THE MATH...DUH! And besides, it's the MORAL thing to do, helping your fellow person, regardless of wheather he/she is a criminal or co-worker.

Back to hurricane recovery business...

Polk County Schools announced today that students will not have class at all this week. Friday will make 14 days total in which classes have been cancelled for weather related issues. I heard Lt. Governor Toni Jennings mention in an interview on WUSF-FM this afternoon that the Legislature had no plans at this point to address the school calendar issue, which would be required for Polk and other affected counties to extend the school year into the summer. Polk has already attempted to adjust it's calendar by cutting scheduled holiday time and eliminating a couple of teacher work days.

And be extra kind to your spouse during this troubling time. There has apparantly been a sharp rise in the number of cases of domestic violence since Hurricane Charley, according to the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

This afternoon, my hometown newspaper, the Hattiesburg American (MS) and the Associated Press agreed to settle their lawsuit against the U.S. Marshals Service over an incident that occured in Hattiesburg back in April.

During a speech at Presbyterian Christian High School, a marshal accompanying Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia confiscated audio recordings that reporters for the American and AP were making of the event and either erased the recording or ordered they be erased before they could have the tape back.

Scalia, who reportedly does not like recordings made of his speeches, did send a written apology to the reporters. The Marshals Service, as part of the agreement, will pay reasonable legal fees incurred by the AP and the newspaper as a result of the lawsuit, as well as $1,000 each to the AP, the American, and the reporters individually.

The speech, by the way, was on the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution.

And to end on a...somewhat...lighter note:

Godly men fighting each other??? Check out this story.

JERUSALEM — Greek Orthodox and Franciscan priests have gotten into a fist-fight in one of Christianity's holiest shrines.

The fight broke out today in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is built on the spot in Jerusalem where tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried. Israeli police officers, wielding clubs, had to break up the brawl.

The fisticuffs came after the religious leaders got into an argument over whether a door should be closed during a procession.

A dozen people, including some Israeli police officers, were slightly injured. Four priests were detained.

Hundreds of Greek Orthodox worshippers were taking part in the procession that commemorates the fourth-century pilgrimage by the mother of Emperor Constantine to Jerusalem.

Here's the link to that, and a few other interesting bits, thanks to WBBH-TV2 Fort Myers