Before Selma: The Harry T. Moore Story by Florence Alexander

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


How the heck did author Alexander get a PhD if this is an example of how she approaches anything? What a disaster. Following three excellent books of Florida history, I stumbled into this mess in the stack. Unlike Alexander, who wants to present popular ideas than substantiated facts, I will back up my problems with this slight volume.

First and foremost is the vast inaccurate history presented. She starts with assuming the subject, Harry Moore, came from Africa and states that as fact. In that not all dark skinned people came from any one part or at all from Africa the assumption is further aggravated a few pages later as she uses the word “assumed” herself involving where his grandparents came!!! Augghhh!!!

But, wait! It gets worse!! Much, much worse!!! Throughout the entire volume Fort Mose is spelled as Fort Moses. Fort Moses!????!!! How the hell did that happen??? Quite clear she never went there, though there is a claim she did.

She entirely botches the history of dark skinned people and the Spanish conquistadors by, apparently, only referencing volumes involving Gary Mormino, the Florida revisionist “historian”. A tiny, tiny amount of real research would have had her discover the documents that refute the silliness she helps get repeated.

She writes of the Democrats working to undermine dark skinned people and then doesn’t note the irony of Moore then working to boost the very party that did that and was fueling the Klu Klux Klan. Of course, that has always been part of the speculation that Moore was working with the Democrat party as he undermined the NAACP and the party he helped create. Leading to the possibility that any of those could have also been responsible for the bombing. None of this is presented or questioned.

Her best effort is writing of Sheriff Willis McCall. Pretty clear she read ‘Devil in the Grove’ before this and repeated much of what she read there. She should have read of the other subjects I noted, including much, much more about Moore.

This goes on and on and on. And the book is only 84 pages long!!!! A third are a scattering of documents that were just stuck in with out explanation. And the rest is self promotion.

Beyond that, the writing is nearly juvenile. If I was in the position, I would question Alexander’s PhD. She could redeem herself by producing a serious book about this serious subject. Otherwise, there are now volumes covering this history and go to those, not this.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 1 out of 10 stars.



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Prop Roots Vol. II: Hermits The Mangrove Country of the Everglades by Everglades City High School

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Considering the very high quality of the writing and layout of this publication, it’s very unfortunate this isn’t 200 pages longer. This is very well written and thought out. Each person examined is given just the right touch of revelation and storytelling.

Particularly good is not just that the folks documented are hermits but the whys, hows and whens are answered well, too.

There is a scattering of photos they are rather unprofessional and add little to the volume. They should’ve added more to each story.

This is a rich little volume and, if you can find it, well worth reading.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of 10 points.



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A Florida political aside: An effort to get the governor to kill a bill.

As most know, I’m pretty involved with politics but post nothing of it here. Here I make an exception because I notice a bulk majority on all sides of the issue are against a ridiculous plan in front of our governor to approve a proposal by our legislature to approve 3 nebulous highways in our state of Florida.

There is no set idea where exactly the three go, how they will be built, what they might be designed as and – most importantly – the actual number of Billions to build three highways that only those that can make a cut of the project want. One of these highways extends to the Georgia border where there is no highway on the other side to meet it!

I hear environmentalists upset and they have reason. There has to be further damage to our water supply to build, specifically the redirected “Heartland” highway. But I think the REAL anger should be to what a sloppy mess this is and how it’s set up to cost us endless supplies of taxpayer cash to build these needless roads. Two of these highways are old projects the people rose against and killed. So, not to leave road builders and their ilk out of the cash flow, the politicians just moved the roads in a different direction! 

There are preposterous numbers being thrown around by the Chamber of Commerce of 4.5 million moving here by 2030. First, the average person who moves to Florida is indigent and aren’t buying a home anytime soon after moving here. Nevertheless, in the Chamber’s logic, we need to pay for these roads which have little residential development but land owners wanting to develop. The politicians and Special Interests want us taxpayers to pay for a mighty expensive driveway to developer yet-to-be-built projects. 

What’s not mentioned is that, by 2030, a good deal of Baby Boomers are gone and we have a far poorer tax paying population that doesn’t drive as much. Something we saw coming 30 years ago. 

The governor has until the 28th, I learned today, to sign this boondoggle. Usually the deadline is later in June, but obviously there are those with hands out waiting for checks to start being written.

So, today i put a call to my pal Ken Culotta and started hammering out some good gag ideas and tonight, with pen in hand, have started drawing the lot. Hope to get these out before Friday and hope others will help get these around.

The push is to encourage Governor DeSantis to kill this bill and not blow Billions for needless highways for special interests when we have hundreds of current existing roads in need of help first or how about some REAL help to those still in tent cities in the Panhandle after Hurricane Michael ….or, better yet, with all that money saved, we all get a tax break!??!!

(By the way, I’m giving just the briefest argument. I can get real nitty gritty as to why these projects are Florida Swamp projects and just how needless they really are.)

#MerMay has two mermaids! This contributed byPaula Mendoza. 
Them manatees are almost as plentiful as love bugs, but they don’t fly….. yet.

Feel free to leave your suggestion as to where you’d like to see a mermaid in Florida below!

Later Tuesday took a couple of trails at Silver Springs State Park. 

Trying to get a bit more fit to be ready to put my all into my time at the Florida Parent-Educators Association – FPEA convention next week at Rosen Shingle Creek.

More photos at my Swampy’s Florida.

#MerMay! Here’s my illustration of Terisa Glover’s entry as to a Florida location for mermaids. A mermaid saddles a swan at Lake Morton in Lakeland, Florida!

Feel free to mention below where you would like to see a mermaid in Florida!

I’m a huge fan of, what are considered, old movies. Since elementary school I have taken any and all in. I doubt many, if any, in my high school in the ’70s had seen as many Bing Crosby films as I had at the time. These days i just can’t find a film made today that isn’t inferior to films made prior to 1960 or so.

There just aren’t happy movies any more. Or happy music.Or happy much of anything. Seems to me that’s why so many are so unhappy these days. We need what Doris Day brought out in so many!

Those film stars I saw since my earliest memories include Doris Day. Seeing Doris Day from her television program to her many films to her efforts to help critters.

I’ve been so tickled that Day has still been with us for so long and hate seeing her go. The history she carried with her!

One of my favorite of her films is the great fun of her second film, ‘My Dream is Yours’ with Jack Carson, Eve Arden, Adolphe Menjou, Lee Bowman, “Cuddles” Sakall and an adorable little boy caught in the fun.

Here is great fun in music with Day, too. This is a clip from the film of Day’s ‘Cuttin’ Capers’ with Edgar Kennedy (In his last film role) tending bar, Johnnie Berkes tending the other side of the bar, Sandra Gould working with Day juggling albums and Franklin Pangborn fuming again.

On the cartoon side: Notice the caricatures decorating the bar room!

For the first time in too long I got back along a hiking trail. Or whatever Lake County calls what I walked across. I’ll post more at my Swampy’s Florida later.

This is photograph was taken along the north side of Lake Griffin.

Manatees: Our Vanishing Mermaids by M. Timothy O’Keefe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tim O’Keefe’s ‘Manatees: Our Vanishing Mermaids’ is an excellent overview of our Florida manatee. Covering history, food, reproduction, locations, etc. This is a simple over view.There is nothing extensive included. Perfect for anyone who just wants to understand what all the hub bub is about the manatee.

A good part of the book includes O’Keefe’s excellent photography. Though, all, except the cover, are black and white.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.



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Four Centuries of Florida Ranching by George H. Dacy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was published in 1940 before two significant happenings took place. One was World War II which led to the other, the Florida Legislature in the 1950s aiding realtors and builders by raising property taxes of land not available for residential construction for all of the former WWII military wanting to move to Florida. Both undermined the cattle industry that, author, Dacy could not have foreseen.

So Dacy lays out the history and conditions of the Florida cattle industry through 400 years and writes of only success in the future. Most of his focus is the 50 years prior to 1940. That 50 years saw a cattle industry in Florida take off like a rocket with few sputs and sputters.

With that in mind Dacy’s overall chronicle is the best written with an enormous amount of details that i’ve read. I love Joe Akerman’s books of Florida’s cattle industry, but his are much more exhaustive into vast information. Dacy’s is more concise and focused full of wonderful details and insights.

The book is broken into chapters. The problem is that the chapters are not all logical with Considerable space is used about the tick problem left without conclusion as the legal battles continued after publication of the book.

Dacy is also a very good writer. This book has a lot of life in many parts.

Bottom line:I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.



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Performing for a wedding today in Winter Garden, Florida, at the rebuilt Tanner Hall. Started reeeeeeal slowly and finally took off st the end.