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For their own good Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
There's a question from Santa Claus. There's a question from Mr. Potato Head.
And yes, there's another question about global warming from a snowman.
But of the close to 2,000 video questions already submitted for the Republican presidential candidates coming to St. Petersburg this fall, the vast majority are asked by regular people sitting in front of a simple camera.
The St. Petersburg GOP debate and its unusual format caused an immediate ruckus in some Republican circles.
They feared a political ambush. Or some Web-savvy attack. Or just the unexpected.
But, so far, there appears little reason to worry.
A review of the videos submitted on the Web site YouTube reveals there's not much that the candidates aren't already asked on a near daily basis.
A former Navy officer talks about the military's "don't ask don't tell" policy. A grandmother questions her taxes. A high school senior speaks of the rising costs of college.
"I think the immediate reactions are proving to be unfounded," said David All, a Republican online strategist and founder of TechRepublican. "When you trust the American people, you find out the American people have interesting questions."
Debate organizer CNN will not reveal which 40 or so questions will await the candidates, but officials said the format largely would mirror what Democrats faced in a YouTube debate this summer in South Carolina.
There, the questions bounced around familiar themes: the war in Iraq, health care, the environment.
Don't expect significant deviations.
A man from Dallas wearing a cowboy hat asks the candidates if the United States should re-evaluate its support for Israel.
Tommy Bailey of Oklahoma City wants to know how Republicans can be pro-life when it comes to abortion, but in favor of the death penalty for criminals.
"How can you reconcile being pro-life on one end, and not the other?" Bailey asks.
And a political video blogger, James Kotecki, submitted a question criticizing domestic air travel. His video was shot on a flight from Raleigh to Washington.
"It's not the most pressing question I wake up everyday thinking about," said Kotecki, 21, of Washington, on Wednesday. "I want to get it on CNN."
Kotecki said he almost had his moment of fame during the Democratic debate in July. CNN producers told him his question about Hurricane Katrina was bumped at the last minute by someone who had a better one. "I was a little bit peeved," Kotecki said.
The St. Petersburg debate was originally scheduled for this week.
But candidates worried about the format, and some said they wouldn't come. After feeling much pressure to reconsider, the event was rescheduled for Nov. 28.
Of the GOP's leading candidates, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have said they'll be at the Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg. Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson haven't said yes or no.
While most of the questions are predictable, there are outliers. Only CNN knows if any of them will see the air. Of the nearly 3,000 questions submitted for the Democrats, only 37 were selected.
In this latest round, one man asks for an investigation into government cover-ups of UFO activity. Several folks question Rudy Giuliani's politicizing of the Sept. 11 tragedies.
And then there's Billiam the snowman. The winter character, which was created by two Minneapolis brothers for the Democrats, became the lightning rod for Republicans who criticized the different format. Romney and McCain said the character trivialized the importance of a presidential debate.
The brothers who created him, Greg and Nathan Hamel, are back, sticking with the issue of global warming.
"There's no way they'll choose it again," said Nathan, 26, aware of the controversy surrounding the character.
Whether or not it makes CNN, Billiam and all the other questions are available for everyone -- even the presidential campaigns - to see. The videos are available at www.youtube.com/debates.
How to participate Want to participate in the YouTube politics revolution but don't have access to a camera? Let the Times help. From now until mid November, the St. Petersburg Times will videotape your questions for the Republican presidential candidates and submit them to YouTube for consideration in the Nov. 28 debates in St. Petersburg. On Sept. 26, our first YouTube question station will be set up at 5:30 p.m. at Pinellas Park High School, 6305 118th Ave. N, just before the Pinellas County School Board's meeting. Contact Catriona Stuart at cstuart@sptimes.com.
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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