There are a few states that are regularly held up for ridicule by the mainstream media, California and Massachusetts come to mind, but I'd like to nominate another:  Florida.  Yep, time to lower the bar and finally admit that Florida is truly one of the more screwed up states in the Union.  Why do I say this?  Well, for the past five to ten years we've been regularly afflicted with any number of controversial national news stories all tied to the Sunshine State.  Elian Gonzalez,  Election 2000 recount shenanigans and of course the most recent outrage, the Terry Schiavo ordeal.  What else?  How about the Florida 9/11 connection via writer Carl Hiassen on 60 Minutes:

I was watching in the living room, and they started showing the pictures of Mohammed Atta and then the others in those photographs," says Hiaasen. "I said, 'I swear to God, those are Florida driver's licenses photographs.' At least nine of them, I believe, and possibly more had lived and worked and trained for their suicide mission here in Florida.

And I always tell people, 'You think that was an accident? Where's the one place in the United States where the bar of bad behavior is so high that nobody's gonna notice these guys?'" adds Hiaasen. "Nobody's gonna think twice when they walk into a flight school and say, 'I'd like to get on a 757 simulator, but I don't need the part about where you land it. Just teach me how to fly it around.' And pay it in cash, and they say, 'Oh, right this way, Mr. Atta. Sit over here.';

I can't say why it is in my 34 years of life that its only been in the last 10 years or so that Florida has worked itself into the national consciousness in such a twisted way.  Maybe its because CNN is stationed in nearby Georgia, but oddly enough I think that much of the attention comes from the actions of one man, Governor John Edward Bush, aka JEB, although for the purpose of this post we'll call him John.  Seems Governor John has a knack for inserting himself into private family situations in a disgusting and incredibly self-serving way.  After all not many politicians would think to intervene to prevent a severely disabled women who was raped from getting an abortion.  Or how about that thirteen year old girl, who your Children Services department frequently lost track of, ending up pregnant and then becoming the focus of another state attempt to force someone in its care to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.  Well can't say it didn't work with the severely mentally retarded woman.  At the same time you were catering to the anti-abortion fringe, you shored up the NRA vote by signing a bill that encourages gun violence by loosening up the legal interpretation of self-defense.  Basically, Florida took a page out of the Texas handbook of bad government and said if you feel threatened, go ahead and shoot and law enforcement will have a tough time doing anything about it.

Although it looked like he shot himself in the foot during the Schiavo mess, the media in general were too afraid to say anything bad about the guy so Governor John decided when the subsequent autopsy really made him look like an ass, there was only one thing to do:  yep, go after the ex-husband one more time. 

When you're next in line in the Bush Dynasty I guess it just pays to keep your name in the papers, but in the meantime, we, the people of the United States, don't have to be bombarded with all the crap coming out of Florida.  Its high time that we at the Ironmouth do our best to heap abuse on the Sunshine State and do everything to make it the butt of everyday jokes that it really is.  Feel free to share with us any examples you have of dysfunction in the Sunshine state and we'll be sure to post it.  Thank you, and God Bless America....except Florida.