A state of mind?

In Tallahassee recently, young lawmakers voted to legalize gambling and allow the guillotine as an execution method.

Welcome to Boys State, where kids run the House — and Senate.

Bobby Graham and Caise Vickery of Mary Esther and Jayce Holley and Dane Carter of Destin recently attended the Florida American Legion Boys State 65th Session at Florida State University in Tallahassee over the week of June 22 to 28.

The week was a flurry of campaigning, elections, and legislative liaisons. In essence, the boys built the government of a fictional 51st state from scratch.

And it all took place in the real life setting in the Florida capitol building.

Graham, who received recognition as the best senator, wrote bills to impose a Sea Farms Act that would cultivate manatees, modeled after the livestock industry. He also called for insurance reform to make the state more liable for being the sole provider of “low quality insurance.” These bills never came to fruition.

Graham, however, didn’t head home to his constituents empty-handed.

He received unanimous approval to OK the guillotine as an option for the death penalty.

“I explained that when done properly, it has never failed,” he said, adding that this form of execution is free, effective and not “cruel and unusual punishment” because it would not be forced upon an inmate who has been sentenced to death.

Finally, Graham passed a motion to legalize gambling in select cities to pad Florida’s education budget. The chosen cities would target tourist dollars. In fact, this bill will make its way to the attention of Gov. Charlie Christ.

“One of the coolest parts was sitting in the real House of Representatives, passing bills and acting like the real House,” said Vickery, who was elected to the House under the Boys State Legislative Branch.

A stellar grade point average and a strong extra-curricular record are required to stand apart in the application process and to be considered for the prestigious program.

The young delegates formulate their own platforms by electing representatives to fill the functions of the Boys State Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. Others play the role of the media side of the political process.

Along with learning the legislative procedures, delegates also learned more about Florida’s political history and took mock bar exams.

Of the 530 or so delegates that attended the function, all came from different professional aspirations and were there for the common goal of learning Florida’s legal system and picking up leadership experience.

“It taught us leadership qualities that you can’t learn from anywhere else,” Carter, who acted as State Attorney for the Supreme Court, told The Log. “The chance to participate in self-government is something that you can only come by once in a lifetime.”