Talk:Betty Castor

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It should be noted that Betty Castor did not have any professor experience upon getting the head job at USF; as such, it made many of the faculty members nervous. Mike H 19:03, Aug 25, 2004 (UTC)

On the other hand, some professors started an effort to recruit Castor when the quest for a new president started. The overall reaction was relatively enthusiastic IIRC, as opposed to the reception to the current president. [[User:Gamaliel|Gamaliel Image:Cubaflag15.gif]] 19:29, 25 Aug 2004 (UTC)
From what I understand, they did not know what to expect with Castor, but as soon as her changes became evident, everyone supported her. It just wasn't right away and not at the beginning. Mike H 19:38, Aug 25, 2004 (UTC)


Contents

[edit] NOW Has Not Endorsed Betty Castor

Betty Castor was not recommended for endorsement as U.S. Senator from Florida by Florida National Organization for Women (NOW)PAC/CCE to the National NOW PAC. She was recommended for "support," one category below "endorse," on July 31, 2004. This is contrary to the Wikipedia article on Castor's endorsements.

The reason for the recommendation is that Castor had weakened her support for reproductive rights and seeks to limit the right to choose. She wrote in her NOW PAC questionnaire that she would support a ban on the so-called "partial-birth" abortion if there were exceptions for life and health of the mother. The alternative would be to force grieving women who are carrying fetus with fatal birth defects to carry to term or have a C-section. The vague definition of the term "partial birth," which is not a medical term, could make illegal even abortions in the earlier trimesters. When George W. Bush signed the federal "partial-birth abortion" ban, there were no women there. He was surrounded in the Oval Office by only older men in suits. The law, later enjoined by various courts, is not woman-friendly.

While Castor stated in the NOW PAC questionaire that she opposed parental notice laws, she was quoted in the Miami Herald August 29 as favoring them. The Florida Legislature placed a proposed constitutional amendment permitting a mandatory parental notice law on the November ballot. While most girls tell at least one parent, parental notice laws are dangerous for young women. In the minority of cases. girls who give notice are in danger because the pregnancy was caused by incest or because they face physical abuse. In the case of honor student Becky Bell, whose parents came to Tallahassee and other state capitals in the mid-1990s to tell her story, she was simply embarrassed to tell her parents. She tried to abort herself and contracted sepsis from puncturing her uterus. When her parents found her, they rushed her to the hospital with 105-degree fever. They said her last words to them were, "I'm sorry."

Further, on Sunday, April 25, the day of The March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC, which attracted more than a million activists, Castor was in Tallahassee, campaigning and fund raising with insurance executives.

Betty Castor is indeed a role model and a pioneer for women, but her views on reproductive choice are disappointingly restrictive to women. We of Florida NOW wish her the best and tried to recognize her with our recommendation for a "support" designation.

Linda Miklowitz
 President, Florida NOW
 Tallahassee, FL
 LMiklowitz@aol.com
 850 656-0012

[edit] Role of Al-Arian Case in 2004 elections

I have moved from Sami Al-Arian the following material, and a lk following it, that are more about her races than about him. --Jerzy(t) 08:03, 2005 Feb 7 (UTC)

==Role in 2004 Senate election==
Betty Castor, the USF president who had suspended Al-Arian in 1996, later became a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate election, 2004. In June of that year, the American Democracy Project, a 527 group founded by attorney Bernie Friedman (a friend of Castor's rival, Congressman Peter Deutsch), launched attacks on Castor in Floridian print media, charging that Castor had not moved quickly enough to react to the Al-Arian problem. In response, the Castor campaign stated that no information provided by the FBI was sufficient to allow Castor to fire Al-Arian.
ADP launched a website in July, castortruth.com, with documents allegedly proving Castor's indifference toward Al-Arian. The Castor campaign launched a Web site on the same day in an attempt to debunk these claims. Castor won the Democratic primary despite the ADP's efforts, and the organization ceased its operations shortly afterward.
Castor's Republican rival, former HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, brought the issue into the general election by producing television ads that attacked Castor's handling of Al-Arian.

[edit] 2004 Campaign positions

Are her 2004 Campaign positions (which seem like it was lifted from campaign literature) important enough to keep, years after the election? -- Sholom 13:50, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Betty Castor

I am an assistant at the Patel Center for Global Solutions where Betty Castor is now the director. I have consulted with her about a variety of changes for her Wikipedia page which contain inaccuracies and other information that should just simply be removed.

All changes made by me are at the request of Betty Castor.

I have changed her background to include omitted details including her work in Africa and early political career.

I have added a section for her work at the Patel Center for Global Solutions (where she is currently Executive Director).

She requested that the 'Positions' section and material about her former campaign be reduced.


If you have any comments or questions, don't hesitate to contact me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tau.reanb (talk • contribs) 17:19, 17 March 2008 (UTC)