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November 30, 2005

Stop By HCDP Saturday

HCDP OFFICE OPEN SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 TO ACCEPT

APPLICATIONS FOR MARCH 7, 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOT

AND MEET NEW DIRECTOR OF PARTY ADMINISTRATION

The Harris County Democratic Party headquarters will be open Saturday, December 3, 2005,from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. for candidates wishing to file applications for the March 7, 2006 Democratic Party Primary Election to do so. Potential candidates may also get answers to questions concerning running for office at that time.

The new Director of Party Administration, Melissa Taylor, will also be present at the HCDP headquarters throughout the day Saturday to meet and greet Democrats who want to stop by.

Applications for a place on the primary ballot can be obtained at the HCDP headquarters at any time (including Saturday, December 3) or downloaded from the Texas Secretary of State’s Elections Division’s web site (http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/index.shtml) (Select “APPLICATION FOR A PLACE ON THE _________ PARTY GENERAL PRIMARY BALLOT”). This site can also be accessed from the Harris County Democratic Party website (www.hcdp.org) by navigating from the “Useful Links” link on the panel on the left side of the home page to the “Government Links” - State - Secretary of State Elections Division - Index of Forms link.

Applications must be notarized and accompanied by the applicable filing fee for petition in lieu of filing fee. Notaries will be available on Saturday, December 3, too. A schedule of applicable filing fees (or signatures needed in lieu of a filing fee) is attached to the application.

The Harris County Democratic Party is also accepting applications from individuals wishing to run for precinct chair in the March 7, 2006, primary election (including on Saturday, December 3). Application must be received at the party headquarters or the county chair personally by 5:00 o’clock p.m. on Monday, January 2, 2006 for an applicant to be listed on the March 7, 2006, primary election ballot for a person to be elected to serve in this position (precinct chair) for the period between May 1, 2006, and April 30, 2008.

Application forms for precinct chair are available at the HCDP headquarters or by following links from the HCDP website (www.hcdp.org) described above, but downloading the “APPLICATION FOR _____ CHAIR ON THE ___________ PARTY GENERAL PRIMARY BALLOT” document, or by being picked up at the headquarters from the Harris County Democratic Party (1445 N. Loop W., Suite 110). They can also be downloaded directly from the Texas Secretary of State’s Elections Division’s web site (http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/index.shtml).

Harris County Commissioners Court has recently changed 179 precincts. They have either been split, combined with other precinct, deleted, redraws, or renumbered. It is important that an application designate the new precinct number, since that is the one which will be in effect on primary election day. Most changes are simple re-numbering and the party headquarters can tell you the new number. Some (about 50) actually have lines re-drawn. Neither maps nor new voter registration cards will be distributed by Harris County until after the City election runoffs in mid-December; however, the HCDP headquarters does have information about the new lines. Martha Cottingham can help you figure out what your new precinct number will be (if it has changed). You can contact her at 713-802-0085.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fundraising Party For Janette Sexton Saturday


You are invited to a fundraising party for

 

Janette Sexton

Democratic Candidate for State Representative

District 144



 

Saturday, December 3, 2005

From 7:00pm – 8:45pm

At The Latino Learning Center

3522 Polk Street

Houston, TX 77003

 
The Latino Learning Center is located at the intersection of Scott and Polk, just east of downtown Houston.
 
* Live Musical Entertainment!
 

* Light Refreshments!

 

* Candidate Q&A!

 

* Social Hour!

 

Janette Sexton is a socially progressive, fiscally accountable candidate who will stand up for TRUE democratic ideals and bring a fresh perspective to the Texas legislature. Your involvement and donations will help us raise the funds necessary to drive out a divisive Republican incumbent who has failed to represent the interests of the people of District 144.

 

We encourage you to come mingle with fellow activists & help get our campaign going!

Posted by Lyn Wall at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

SDEC Passes Iraq Exit Resolution

This very subtantive resolution was passed unanimously by the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee on Nov. 11. We should all be proud to be Texas Democrats.

Thanks to Stan Merriman Houston Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Populist Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party for alerting us to this important resolution.


RESOLUTION TO END THE U. S. OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

Whereas the very presence of 150,000 Americans in Iraq has become a rallying point for dissatisfied people in the Arab world, and has both intensified the rage of the extremist Muslim terrorists and also ignited civil hostilities in Iraq the have made United States Troops and Iraqi civilians substantially less safe;

Whereas the removal of the United States military from Iraq will help diminish one of the major causes of Iraq's growing insurgency;

Whereas the best way to truly support members of the United States Armed Forces from Iraq before the United States becomes further embroiled in an unnecessary and dangerous international conflict; Now, therefore be it


Resolved that the President should —


(1) develop and implement a plan to began the immediate withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Iraq;

(2) develop and implement a plan for reconstructing Iraq's civil and economic infrastructure;

(3) convene an emergency meeting of Iraq's leadership, Iraq's neighbors, the United Nations, and the Arab League to create an international peacekeeping force in Iraq and to replace United States Armed Forces in Iraq with Iraqi police and Iraqi National Guard forces to ensure Iraq's security; and

(4) take all steps necessary to provide the Iraqi people with the opportunity to completely control their internal affairs.

Submitted to the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee on November 11, 2005 and passed unanimously.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack

David Van Os and Molly Ivins on AAR with Al Franken Friday, 12/2

Air America Radio's Al Franken takes his show on the road to Dallas this Friday, December 2 at the Hard Rock Cafe (2601 McKinney, 75204 for those of you in Big D). Guests include Texas Attorney General candidate David Van Os, US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, and columnist Molly Ivins.

Since Clear Channel hasn't yet been convinced to bring AAR to Houston, you can stream the broadcast live through your computer by clciking on the link above. David's interview with Al is scheduled to air at just after noon -- but since it's live radio that could change.

David's Whistlestop Campaign Kickoff party is also Saturday, December 3, at Austin's Barr Mansion. Jim Hightower is featured speaker. Music by Tres Lunas. Tickets are $50 and include a dinner buffet.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 29, 2005

"Rally for the Ethically Challenged" a bust for DeLay

exterminate.jpg Congressman Tom DeLay stooped to yet another low in the mist of indictments and the looming federal investigation linked to Tom Abramoff, and called a self promoting rally of supporters in Bay Area Houston community. The self serving promotion attracted at most 75 people with 25 protesters outside. Some of the ethically challenged included State Representative Larry Taylor an insurance salesman, who by chance, is also on the Insurance Committee in the State House of Representatives. He authored the insurance welfare bill which doubled our rates and provided less coverage to homeowners.

Missing from the event was other elected officials such as State Representative John Davis, State Senator Michael "Missing in Action" Jackson, and City Councilman Addie Wiseman.

Unfortuantely, his self serving promotion of himself was met with enthusiastic protestors from the Bay Area New Democrats with signs that directed attendees "Rally for the Ethically Challenged" and "Save America Without Delay!".

The rally outside of the event was covered by three local TV stations, two local newspapers and the Associated Press.

elefants.jpgThe highlight of the evening was when in desperation the Delay camp set out the marching elephants (all eight of them) with printed DeLay campaign signs, all dressed up in suits to challenge the protestors. Three minutes later, after being shouted down with facts and figures, they left. Humilitated and unable to defend DeLay in any type of reasonable discussion.

One of the attendees of the rally had to get in the face of the protestors when confronted with the fact that no WMDs were found. He was eventually led off by a fellow wacko when he was about to bust a gasket.

The Nassau Bay police once again attempted to corral us into a small area out side of the area, in a failed attempt to act like they were helping us, but we stood our ground and stayed on public property across the front of the hotel. The poice attempted to force us to a small area "like we agreed" but backed down quickly when we reminded him that we were on public property and he had no right to direct us in any direction. The police was clearly a supporter of Tom DeLay.

All in all , a GREAT event.

Posted by John Cobarruvias at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack

November 28, 2005

Melissa Taylor named Director of Party Administration

I am thrilled to report that Melissa Taylor has been appointed Director of Party Administration for the Harris County Democratic Party.

I've known Melissa since we both rode the bus to Crawford on the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (March, 2004). She was *ahem* slightly active in Howard Dean's presidential campaign, was the volunteer coordinator for Richard Morrison's congressional run in 2004, and has recently served on the board of Democracy for Houston.

Congratulations, Melissa! Now let's get busy getting some Democrats elected in 2006!

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack

What we know about ScAlito (so far)

» Sometime between 1981 and 1985, Alito was involved in the legal analysis which became the basis of the Reagan administration's attempt to overturn Roe V. Wade.

» Alito voted to approve a ruling in 2004 that a strip-search of a 10-year-old girl during a police raid of her father's house did not violate the Constitution.

» In 1997, Alito found the claims of racial discrimination in the hiring practices of a hotel to be unfounded. The majority opinion rejected Alito's reasoning and found in favor of the plaintiffs.

» Alito ruled in 1996 on the side of gun dealers selling outlawed machine guns in Pennsylvania.

» In a 1985 job application to become deputy assistant to the U.S. attorney general, Alito wrote that he was against particular affirmative action programs and that "...the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion." He added, "I personally believe very strongly" in this legal position.

» In Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, Judge Alito expressed support for a Pennsylvania law that required most married women, including many abused women, to notify their husbands prior to obtaining an abortion.

That's enough. Senate Democrats should filibuster this nominee.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (48) | TrackBack

November 27, 2005

Sunday Funnies



More on the flip...




Posted by Perry Dorrell at 07:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 26, 2005

Early Voting Begins Wednesday 11/30

The City Council runoff elections will be held on December 10. Early voting will be held:

for locations, click here (pdf)

On the ballot:

Posted by Lyn Wall at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December Event Calendar

Texas Committee on Natural Resources Honors
Bob Eckhardt
Thursday December 1 | 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Lamar Towers Garden Room, 2929 Buffalo Speedway (between Westheimer & Alabama)

Please join Sissy Farenthold and TCONR in honoring the late Bob Eckhardt, esteemed member of Congress from Houston and champion of the environment. A donation of $50 is suggested.

To RSVP and for further information, contact www.tconr.org or call 512-441-1122. Co-hosts: U.S. Reps. Al Green, Gene Green, Sheila Jackson Lee. State Sens. Rodney Ellis, Mario Gallegos, Jr., John Whitmire. State Rep. Hubert Vo, Hon. Gordon Quan, Ed Cogburn, Terry Hershey, Brandt Mannchen, Robert Moore, David Todd, Mary Van Kerrebrook


2005 Houston ACLU Gala featuring Al Franken
Friday December 2 | 7-10 p.m.
First Unitarian Universalist Church
6200 Fannin @ Southmore
$75.00 per person


For more information visit www.aclu-houston.org/2005Gala Purchase online or send a check to ACLU of Texas, PO Box 132047, Houston 77219. Space is limited.

HCDP Brown Bag Lunch: Meet the Executive Director | Tuesday, December 13 | noon - 1 p.m. | HCDP headquarters, 1445 North Loop West, #110 (exit Ella Blvd.)

Meet and greet HCDP's new Executive Director, who will discuss plans for the future. Brown Bag is a monthly event of the Harris County Democratic Party. Bring your lunch; we provide the soft drinks.


BAND Holiday Dinner | Tuesday December 13 | 6:30-9 p.m.
Mogul's Restaurant (corner of Bay Area Blvd. and Space Center)

Social will begin at 6:30, dinner at 7:30. Comedian to provide entertainment. Please RSVP to john.cobarruvias@bayareanewdemocrats.org or 281-486-5203. Cost is $18.00 which includes a buffet, drink, dessert, tax and tip.


HCDP Holiday Party sponsored by Sen. Rodney Ellis

Thursday December 15 | 6 - 8:00 pm | CWA Hall, 1730 Jefferson, downtown Houston


West Houston Democratic Club features Dr. Richard Murray
Saturday December 17 | 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Tracy Gee Community Center, 3599 Westcenter (off Richmond just east of Beltway 8)

Dr. Richard W. Murray of the U of H political science department will discuss and answer questions about the recent election results. For more information contact Joy Demark at (713)467-3056.


Find many more local and club events here.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

November 23, 2005

When you can't debate the facts........

Zero.jpg When you can't debate the facts, resort to personal attacks. --Karl Rove Playbook on Dirty Politics. The president of the Clear Lake Republicans in south Houston has responded to our challenge to accept the debate on Iraq sponsored by the Clear Lake High School Debate Club. Instead of debating the facts, Mr. Tobin has decided to resort to personal attacks.

"The Bay Area New Democrats’ organization has repeatedly proven itself to be a hateful and deceitful group. Most recently, you have been running a cartoon on your home Website (http://www.bayareanewdemocrats.org/) that compares Christians to the Ku Klux Klan. You have clearly shown that your organization is anti-Christian and seeks to attack the Christian faith. I find this depiction of Christians abhorrent and typical of the kind of repulsive behavior you choose to promote through the BAND organization."

The complete letter can be found at:
http://www.bayareanewdemocrats.org/files/response.pdf. Our original letter is at: http://www.bayareanewdemocrats.org/files/tobin.pdf

This is just so typical of the Republican party. Instead of debating the facts, or standing up and taking responsibility for your parties actions, or being willing to defend their actions, they resort to personal baseless attacks. This is just so typical of the republicans.

They have absolutely nothing to be proud of. As the President of BAND, I have found their response insulting and very typical of a party with failed ideas and leadership.

John Cobarruvias
Bay Area New Democrats

Posted by John Cobarruvias at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (29) | TrackBack

November 21, 2005

To stop the war, start the draft.

Draft_Notice.jpgMost American families have not felt the pain of the Iraq war. They haven't paid a single cent for the war, instead passing it on to their grandchildren through growing deficits and debt. Most Americans haven't lost a family member, or felt the financial and mental burden of sending a loved one to multiple tours in Iraq. And yet Congress is caught in resorting to personnel attacks on the House floor in deciding how and when the war should be stopped. If Congress was serious, they could stop this war by starting the
draft.

Our Reserve forces have dwindled. Our National Guard is struggling to meet recruitment goals. Our soldiers in Iraq are worn thin serving multiple tours. Whether this war was necessary or based upon faulty or manipulated intelligence is not the issue at this point. The brave and honorable soldiers in Iraq that Congress refers to when it is convenient to their arguments are in need of replacement and the only way to provide this relief is to start a draft

Congress should give every single red-blooded American family the opportunity to defend their country against the terrorists, serving with honor, and feel the pain of war, by immediately instituting the draft for
all able men and women. This draft should include absolutely no deferments. If an eligible American is in college, they can complete the semester, then join their fellow American Patriots to replenish our troops in Iraq and allow those who have served multiple tours to return home to their families.

With a draft and no deferments, every American regardless of wealth or social prestige would have the opportunity to contribute to the war effort. All American families will have the same opportunity to feel the financial and emotional pain the current soldiers and families are experiencing.

A draft of this type would not only provide relief to our troops in Iraq, but it would immediately stop the chest pounding and fist pumping, of the self proclaimed American patriots who have supported this disaster in Iraq without making one single sacrifice. Many of these, with the threat of sending their own sons and daughters to combat, would rethink, or better yet, would begin to think about the consequences of rushing to war.

Of course Congress would never consider a draft without protecting their own with various deferments, leaving the poor who could not hide in a college environment, to fight the war on their behalf. Congress would rather continue using our soldiers in Iraq to prop up their own flag draped patriotism on the floor of the House and Senate, instead of providing real relief so they could return home to their families after serving their country.

But if a draft was proposed, the so-called "patriotic" Americans, who support the troops by sporting a yellow ribbon on their SUV, would begin passing petitions to stop the draft, taking to the streets along side of the liberal peace protestors, and contacting their Congressman calling for an end to the war. Once they have a personal stake in this Iraq disaster, their attitudes would change and they will join those who are calling for an end to this stupidity and a beginning to a real foreign policy based upon intelligence, not simple minded one-liners like "Bring em On!".

And this is exactly how we can stop the war by starting the draft.

John Cobarruvias

Posted by John Cobarruvias at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (48) | TrackBack

November 20, 2005

Sunday Funnies




More on the jump...



Posted by Perry Dorrell at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 18, 2005

Bring the Troops Home Rally - Saturday, November 19th

Bring the Troops Home Rally - Saturday, November 19th in Market Square, followed by a march to City Hall.

Details here (pdf)

The American people are starting to realize what we have known for a long time. Let's honor Congressman Murtha's courageous speech yesterday by showing our support for bringing the troops home.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Hittner, Clutterbuck, or neither?

This is a shout-out to our conservative readers (and bloggers).

Though Houston's municipal elections are officially non-partisan, everybody who does a little research can figure out where the candidates stand. And I don't live in District C, so the runoff election on December 10 between George Hittner, who's been a GOP staffer and activist for various Republicans and Anne Clutterbuck, who worked for both Bill Archer and John Culberson isn't one I get to have a say in (at least at the ballot box).

But I'd like to hear why those of us on the left should vote for one of these two candidates -- without the tired platitudes, please, about potholes or flooding being non-partisan.

Personally, if I had a vote in this race I would be inclined not to cast it -- and I will be voting, because two good Democrats, Sue Lovell and Jay Aiyer, are in the runoff for At-Large 2.

There hasn't been much talk about the race in the conservative blogosphere that I can find: my Yahoo search of "hittner clutterbuck" produced just over a hundred hits, the first ten of which were four of Houston's lefty blogs (with multiple hits), including this one you're reading; two Chronicle articles on the race, one non-partisan political analysis website and one right-wing blog with a post made in in May, six months ago. Google produced a similar result.

I also remember that when Kuffner and Wyeth and Wall and others hosted all candidates in a face-to-face forum, that the righty bloggers were MIA that day. I thought that was puzzling then, and I think it's odd that there still aren't many posts from Republicans on this election, but no matter...

All the good folks who voted for Mark Lee and Herman Litt might want to know who to vote for on December 10th. Would someone like to give them a reason to?

(And as always, be polite.)

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 17, 2005

Texas Republican Party Gets Caught, Agrees to Stop Breaking Law

Texas GOP agrees to stop some campaign practices

The Austin-American Statesman is reporting that the Texas GOP:

avoided prosecution Thursday by agreeing to stop using corporate money in several ways being investigated by Travis County Attorney David Escamilla.

Escamilla's investigation, which is similar to allegations being pursued by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay and the Texas Association of Business, is put on hold through March 31, 2007. In return, the Republican Party agrees to stop using corporate money the way it did during the 2002 election. The party's administrative expenses spiked five-fold to about $5.6 million that year.

The illegal practices under investigation:

•To pay for political consulting.

•To pay postage for voter registration materials that include the slate of GOP candidates.

•To produce a mailer urging voters to cast ballots early.

More here...

The GOP has agreed to stop these practices. It's good to know we can count on some Republicans to do the right thing when they are threatened with prosecution.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 16, 2005

Our candidates are making news

Chris Bell's position on non-partisan redistricting reform was echoed by the Fort Worth-Star Telegram in an editorial this week.

Barbara Radnofsky has made official her run for the United States Senate, challenging incumbent Kay Bailey Perjury Technicality. You can attend her public announcement tomorrow at noon at The Monarch School, 1231 Wirt Road (located on the campus of the Houston Mennonite Church).

David Van Os picked up the endorsement of Jim Hightower, and will host a filing party on Saturday, December 3, in Austin with Hightower as guest speaker.

Nick Lampson will hit a million dollars in campaign contributions today.

Whose news did I miss? Leave us a campaign update in the comments.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 15, 2005

Local Democrats Challenge Republicans to a debate on the Iraq War

chickenhawk.JPG

The Bay Area New Democrats, an active club in Tom DeLay's district, has challenged the local Republican club to a debate on the Iraq War. The debate has been organized by the Clear Lake High School Debate team with invitations sent to the Presidents of the local political clubs. The President of BAND (me) has already accepted the invitation, but the counter part of the local Clear Lake Republican's Club has declined.

In a letter to the President of the Republican Club the members of BAND state "As President of Bay Area New Democrats, I have already accepted the invitation from the debate club and I am ready to debate at their convenience. As President of the Clear Lake Republican Club and of the party that initiated the war in Iraq, you should also be willing to accept the invitation and eager to defend the actions of your party and this Administration."

We are awaiting his response.

Posted by John Cobarruvias at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Alito admits he lied

... which is more than W can do, after all:

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito lied his ass off distanced himself Tuesday from his 1985 comments that there was no constitutional right to abortion, telling a senator in private that he had been "an advocate seeking a job."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., an abortion rights supporter and the only woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she asked the conservative judge about a document released Monday showing Alito in 1985 telling the Reagan administration he was particularly proud to help argue that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."

"He said first of all it was different then," she said. "He said, 'I was an advocate seeking a job, it was a political job and that was 1985. I'm now a judge, I've been on the circuit court for 15 years and it's very different. I'm not an advocate, I don't give heed to my personal views, what I do is interpret the law.'"

Guess what, Sam? You're seeking a job NOW. A political job.

If you lied then, how are we supposed to tell if you're speaking the truth now?

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 13, 2005

Do You Have What It Takes? - from a Gold Star Mom

For the last couple of weeks or so various news outlets have been reporting more and more about how we were lied to by our administration about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. Every day I hear the talking heads, with self-righteous indignation, verbally pummel the Bush administration for their lies. This began to happen right about the time that Scooter Libby was indicted by a grand jury.

While I am glad that the media has *finally* caught on and began reporting what so many of us knew long before now, I have to wonder what took them so long? The evidence was right in front of them a long time ago! The Downing Street Minutes came out and have been available for at least a couple of years now. Initially, these documents were completely ignored by the main stream media of America because they simply weren’t considered newsworthy at the time.

And what about the leaders of this country, the politicians that the American people elected to serve them? Why didn’t they pay more attention to the Downing Street Minutes and do something about it? Where were all those Congressmen and Women, where were the Senators who had heard about and read these documents? Why didn’t they step up to the plate and say something? More importantly, why didn’t they DO something? All of a sudden they are now coming out publicly in droves, tripping over one another as they rush to give interviews and state for the world to hear that they believe that the American people were lied to and that they were lied to as well.

I submit that they, too, have had this information available for the same period of time and they did absolutely nothing about it. Sure, there were a few Senators and Congressmen and women here and there that spoke up, but a vast majority remained silent.

All of this brings some pretty strong emotion to the surface within me and many other families who have lost sons and daughters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers to this war. We are now hearing what we have known all along, that we were lied to. We are now hearing that our loved ones gave their lives for nothing more than the lies of greedy people in Washington who don’t care about them.

Let me tell you, even for those of us who have been doing our best to call attention to the lies we were told, the absolute wrongness of this war, for those of us who have known the truth from the beginning, this is a hard pill to swallow. No one ever wants to believe that someone they love died needlessly. And now, finally after all this time, the media and the political leaders of this country are validating what we have been saying for months, even years.

I have to wonder, what took the American main stream media and politicians so long? Maybe if they had acted sooner we wouldn’t have over 2060 dead American soldiers or over 15,000 wounded. Maybe the innocent civilians in Iraq, numbering on the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, would be alive today if you had only listened to us and done your job sooner. They had the power to stop this, to call attention to this terrible injustice done to Iraq and to our country, but they didn’t do it.

Maybe, just maybe, my son wouldn’t have died an early and needless death.

So now we are beginning to hear the truth from the media and from the elected leaders of this country. What are they going to do about the war? What are they going to do about the veterans coming back injured and permanently disabled? Our elected leaders cut funds to the Veterans Administration during war time. What about the innocent civilians of Iraq? We have done so much damage there, not only to their homes, but to the very infrastructure of their country. Civil unrest and anger brews, begetting new terrorists every day and making the world a much, much less safe place to be for all of us.

So, dear leaders of this great country, what are you going to do now? Where do we, as a country, go from here? Are any of you ready to step up to the plate and show some courage? Because that is exactly what this country needs right now, the courage to take charge and turn this country around. The people of America are telling you it’s time for change. We are telling you we want this war to end. We are telling you that George Bush and his administration need to be taken from their seats of power.

Do you have it what it takes?

Amy Branham
Houston, TX
Mother of Sgt. Jeremy R. Smith
Nov. 1981 – Feb. 2004

Posted by Lyn Wall at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday Funnies




Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 12, 2005

HCDP Needs Volunteers for the Runoff Election

Are you a Notary Public in the state of Texas, have other special skills or are willing to work the run-off?

Notaries: From time to time, especially during candidate or Precinct Chair filing periods, the Harris County Democratic Party is in need of Notaries to assist with applications and other documents. If you are a Notary Public and are willing to volunteer your services, please contact Martha Cottingham, Precinct Chair Coordinator, at Martha@hcdp.org or 713-802-0085.

Special Skills: We are also attempting to update our records with other special skills you posses, which could be of service to our efforts. If you are bilingual (indicate language), know sign language, or are a Deputy Voter Registrar, please let us know.

Run-off Elections: If you are willing and able to work this election, please notify us so that we can add you to our list of potential Election Judges, Alternate Judges, and Clerks. All Precincts within the State Representative District 143 and City Council Single Member Districts requiring a run-off will probably be open on Election Day; other Precincts within the city will probably be combined. The run-off election will likely be held on Saturday, December 10th. When we are notified of the official date and locations, we will pass this information on to you.

Visit HCDP.org or email hcdp@hcdp.org to volunteer.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Denounce Torture Forum - Sunday November 13

Sponsored by Amnesty International, Houston ACLU, Unitarian Universalists and Humanists of Houston.

Date: Sunday, Nov. 13 Time: 2:00pm


Place: Unitarian Fellowship, 1504 Wirt Rd., Houston


Program: 90-minute program with speakers for the first hour and questions from the audience for 30 minutes. Refreshments will follow.


Speakers:



For more information, contact Jimmy Dunne, Coordinator at jimmydunne@sbcglobal.net 281.584.9707

Posted by Lyn Wall at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 11, 2005

In honor of my father who served his country for 21 years.

I have been thinking about my father a lot lately. It seems like every time we pass another milestone in the Iraq War death count, I think about my dad. No, he didn’t die in a war, but I still believe that war killed him… slowly.

It really saddens me to hear about every new life lost, but for each one of them, how many others’ lives have been irrevocably changed? I was too young to know who my father really was before Viet Nam, but I still realize how it changed him. I was 17 when that realization sunk in.

I was in an advanced history class in high school, which encouraged unusual class projects and different perspectives, as opposed to memorization of names and dates. When we reached the Viet Nam era, I had the idea to do an interview with my father about his experiences and how they affected him. He agreed. I had two weeks to write the report. Somehow the weeks passed with him managing to put me off several times.

Finally, the day before it was due, he sat down with me. I asked him to tell me about what it was like. He stared across the room and did not speak. His eyes welled up a bit. He shook his head gently and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t.” He stood and left the room.

Initially, as a rather normal selfish teenager, I wondered, “How the heck am I gonna do this report?!” But then I realized the importance of those two short sentences. It had been almost 17 years, and all he could say was “I’m sorry. I can’t.” That spoke volumes about the horror he had been through. I ended up doing a report on PTSD in Viet Nam veterans and made an A.

In addition to the weight of the terrifying memories, my father also suffered from numerous health problems. Some he believed were related to chemical exposure, most were from alcohol abuse and smoking, both habits he picked up during the war. He would eventually die from cancer, with little treatment options due to damage to his heart and liver.

I often feel like I was cheated. We had a tumultuous family life. Beer was the wall between him and us. At times I thought he hated me because it made him so moody. I was cheated out of having a closer relationship with him, and I was cheated in years as he died in only his 50s. I believe it was war that cheated me and him. I believe that the horrors he experienced changed him forever, and he was unable to cope with it in any other way than by staying numb.

The scene from Fahrenheit 911 that moved me the most was of a young, fresh-faced kid with a hollowness in his eyes talking about his experience. He said, “Every time you kill someone, you can't do it without killing a piece of yourself.” I wondered how many pieces of himself had died already.

I was raised to be patriotic. I even won a scholarship for an essay on patriotism. I love my country, warts and all. I respect people like my father who devote their life’s work to serving their country. I respect them regardless of what mission they are sent on. More than respect. I stand in awe of their commitment. But I respect and love them so much that I can’t bear the thought of them risking death, injury, and emotional trauma for a cause that is not just. They are precious, a resource not to be wasted. It is an INSULT to their honor to use them in an immoral war based on lies and manipulation.

MY troops deserve more respect than that!

My father deserves more respect than that!

Every soldier who has ever served his/her country deserves the knowledge that they and all who come after them will be serving NOBLE causes. It is our duty to ensure that for them.

That is why I march. Justice, to me, is to hold this administration accountable for disrespecting our armed services by committing them to a cause that is beneath them.

I want justice in honor of my father, who gave his life for his country. It just took a long time to happen. I want justice for the men and women we have lost in this war. I want justice for the ones who will come back and never fully recover. I think this justice is also a way of paying respect to the veterans who have served us over the ages. It says “The country you protected strives to live up to your honor.”

Thank you, Dad. I know I didn’t say it enough while you were alive. And thank you to all of you who have committed to protecting me.

Posted by Lisa Devereaux at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Veterans Day - Jim Rine of Veterans for Peace to Appear on PBS' Connections

The HoustonPBS channel 8 show, Connections, has invited our local Veterans for Peace chapter to debate the topic "Iraq through Veteran's eyes" on this week's show. The show will air this Friday, Nov 11th at 8PM and re-air the following Sunday at 5PM.

Jim Rine will be representing our organization on the show along with another local Veteran, Lt. Col Vince Ryan. They will be debating the war with Col. Austin Bay and Maj Robert Moore.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Who is Your Choice For Texan of the Year?

TOYbutton.png

What a long, strange trip it's been. The Texas Bloggers have banded together to ask our readers to nominate a Texan for our very own blogger version of the mainstream media's favorite attention grabber, the "Person of the Year" issue! Join us by nominating a Texan that has made the most
impact this year, be it good or bad, evil or embarassing. We're all accepting
nominations from you through November 23 and we'll post your Texan of the Year
by December 1st. Email your nominations to: Texanoftheyear@gmail.com

Your favorite political blog is participating (Left and Right!). Each blog will write their own post about the person so on December 1st you'll have lots of different opinions but they'll all come from the same source, you..the smartest people in Texas.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Barbara Radnofsky goes to Washington

On Election Night, while my fellow New Jerseyans were celebrating a well-deserved victory for Jon Corzine and Virginians were rewarding Tim Kaine for his service, I was in our nation's capitol. I had the honor of attending a fundraiser for my dear friend and Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky, who's running for the US Senate against Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Birdbrain). The event was held at the Mott House, across the street from Capitol Hill, and it certainly was worth the four-hour drive to attend. I hadn't seen Barbara in person since the DNC in 2004, so getting to talk to her and her wonderful guests was a true pleasure. Read on if you want to know what happened, and what Barbara Ann will do as Texas' next US Senator.

Continued here.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 10, 2005

A picture is worth a thousand words

Posted by John Cobarruvias at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 09, 2005

This Holiday Season - Give a Goat

Give a goatOr part of a fruit tree in someone's name. These are just a couple of examples of the donations you can give at the World Vision Online Donation Gift Catalog.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

John Hope Franklin at TSU - November 14

Texas Southern University

and Brazos Bookstore

cordially invite you to hear

JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN

in a conversation about his new memoir

MIRROR TO AMERICA

The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin

Granville M. Sawyer Auditorium at TSU

Monday, November 14, 2005

7:00 p.m. 3100 Cleburn

One of our nation’s most admired and influential historians, John Hope Franklin has helped redirect the social and political course of our nation. Mirror To America: is at once a unique historical document, and testament to Franklin’s courage and determination throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.

At TSU, Dr. Franklin will be joined in conversation by The Rev. William A. Lawson, Pastor Emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, and founder of The William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Books will be available for purchase and signing before and after the talk. John Hope Franklin will only sign books purchased at the event or in advance from Brazos Bookstore.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A pretty sweet night for us

** Bill White is re-elected with 91% of the vote, breaking Bob Lanier's mandate-record. Rumors -- and not just the ones on the internets -- have him running for something statewide next. (I'm hoping it's against Senator "Torture Box Turtle".) Oh, and Matt H. live-blogged the parties at the Rice.

** Say congratulations also to Councilman Peter Brown. Sue Lovell and Jay Aiyer are both in the runoff for At Large 2.

** But neither Herman Litt nor Mark Lee in C. :^(

** Democrats handily won governorships in Virginia and New Jersey. A gay marriage referendum actually failed (in Maine). And Californians hate their governor (again? So soon?).

Greg's got the snapshot of the Houston races.

Annnnd...


Texas Bloggers have banded together to ask our readers to nominate a Texan for our very own blogger version of the mainstream media's favorite attention grabber, the "Person of the Year"! Join us by nominating a Texan that has made the most impact this year, be it good or bad, evil or embarassing. We're all accepting nominations from you through November 23 and we'll post your Texan of the Year by December 1st. Email your nominations to: Texanoftheyear@gmail.com

Your favorite political blog is participating (left, center, and right). Each blog will write their own post about the person, so on December 1st you'll have lots of different opinions but they'll all come from the same source, you...the smartest people in Texas.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 07:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 08, 2005

I'm Sure I Don't Have to Tell You This

But if you didn't take advantage of early voting, vote today. If you don't know where to vote, call HCDP at 713-802-0085 (you may even get to talk to me) and we'll help you out.

Tell everyone you talk to today to vote against Prop 2!

Posted by Lyn Wall at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apologies to Readers Who Have Tried to Comment

Over the last few days, the plugin that is supposed to reduce spam has been on a little power trip. It has been rejecting comments for no apparent reason, so I am going turned it off. My only other option is to moderate all comments, which I will try to do.

If your comment doesn't appear immediately, it will be because I have been away from my email and will get to it as soon as possible. I apologize in advance for the delay.

When I get a chance, I will attempt to reconfigure the plugin so that comment moderation is again unnecessary.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 07, 2005

US Consumer: Sick As a Dog

Consumer spending comprises about 70% of the US economy. It’s continued health is vital to US economic expansion. However, the US consumer’s health – and his ability to drive economic growth -- is becoming an item of concern for more economists.

You aren't buying as many cars as you used to — October auto sales were the weakest for any month since mid-1998.

US car companies employee’ discount pricing strategy was hugely successful, bolstering car sales. However, this promotion is now officially over. Third quarter GDP was 3.8%. Car sales represented .62 of this increase, or 16%. This surge in sales volume won’t be available for the 4th quarter numbers.

Your interest in home buying has hit its lowest level since 1991.

The housing market is clearly slowing. Interest rates are increasing. Inventories have increased for 6 of the last 7 months and are almost 20% than last year. Median and mean home prices both dropped last month. Rental vacancies are near 10-year highs.

"Here we are, officially celebrating the fourth anniversary of this economic expansion, and the wage income share of the national income pie is south of 46 percent," fumed a research note by Merrill Lynch North American economist David A. Rosenberg. "At no point in the past 50 years has this ratio been so low so far into a business cycle." Historically, the ratio has been 3.5 percentage points higher.

The ratio is important because it looks at wages — your paycheck — instead of other sources of income, like the stellar Wall Street bonuses we saw last year and are almost certain to see again this year. Wage gains haven't kept pace with inflation, but total income continues to look good, thanks to those hefty bonuses.

Since January 2001, total hourly earnings of production workers increased from $14.27 to $16.27, or an increase of 14%. Over the same time, the inflation gage increased from 175.1 to 198.8 or an increase of 13.5%. This makes the real income increase .5% over 5 years. And this assumes CPI is a valid measure of inflation. (Considering home price appreciation is not included in CPI and health insurance represents .366% of the measure, CPI is a questionable measure of the inflation people really experience.)


Your debt has increased. Outstanding balances on credit cards have risen to more than $800 billion, or $7,200 per U.S. household. The United States debt-to-income ratio rose as much in the past five years as it did in the previous 15 years, according to Merrill Lynch.

Total consumer debt outstanding increased from 7.6 trillion in 2001 to 10.2 trillion in the second quarter of 2005. In other words, total consumer debt now nearly equals total US GDP.


At some point, the US consumer will be tapped out. His wages aren’t increasing, he already has a large amount of debt, and he faces escalating energy and medical costs. While there is no bright-line for consumer health, it appears that wherever the line is the US consumer is far below it.
Link


Posted by Hale Stewart at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 06, 2005

Democrats: the Party of Empathy

This idea has been floating around my mind for a long time: what is the realdifference between Republicans and Democrats? I am not referring to the differences at the national level as in between a Republican Senator and a Democratic Senator. Regrettably, there are more than a few times when the actual difference is hard to distinguish. I am referring to the difference at the constituent level – what makes a Democratic voter different from a Republican voter? The idea of an empathy gap between the two parties has been gelling in my mind for a long time. Below is my explanation of why I think this is the real, fundamental difference between Republican and Democratic voters.


Webster’s online dictionary defines empathy as:

the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for empathy

Several weeks ago, the Fox All-Stars had a discussion about the winter fuel price increase situation. Fred Barnes responded to the question with something to the effect of “I don’t see it.” Notice the use of the first person pronoun, I. Of course Barnes doesn’t see it; he has a lot of money. A 50% increase in heating costs won’t materially impact his income. Notice how there was no statement about the price increase on other people; not one word. Barnes described the scenario entirely from the first person perspective.

Last week, the Republican controlled house voted to cut Medicaid and Medicare spending. There was an article on RedState.com about the voting blocks for this proposal. A majority of Republicans voted for it and a majority of Democrats voted against it. The RedState author was chastising the Democrats because although we have been arguing for fiscal sanity for the last 5 years we were against this specific spending cut. There was no discussion in the RedState article about how this cut would affect people. There was no mention that many people depend on these programs as their sole source of healthcare. None. What mattered was the cut not it’s overall effect.

Let’s look at two professions. The right loves to rail against the national teacher’s union. But let’s think about what’s involved with teaching. Teaching is not about money. Teachers are not well paid; they could probably make a whole lot more money if they went into the private sector. There’s another attraction – the attraction of helping somebody learn. According to the American Psychiatric Association, over 90% of therapists are liberal. Why? The answer is therapists are about helping people overcome a problem. Both of these professions require empathy – the ability to see and feel things from someone else’s perspective – to be good at your job. The emotional fulfillment is just as important as the monetary compensation.


I have never heard a Republican talk about another person’s perspective. I have heard a tremendous amount of first person perspective. The debates about gay marriage presents this issue in all its complexity. The right’s argument is “Gay marriage threatens my way of life.” No one on the right has ever thought about what it would be like to be discriminated against because of who you are. No one on the right has ever thought “what would it be like…” No one on the right has ever sat down with a person who was discriminated against and asked them “what’s it like…”

Here is the bottom line: The right can’t see someone anything from someone else’s perspective.


Posted by Hale Stewart at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Sunday Funnies

Might've guessed he was a Cardinals fan...

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 04, 2005

Oct Newsletter on the Texas Homebuilding industry.

Get the scoop on homebuilders and the lack of consumer protection for new homebuyers. Download our quarterly newsletter at:

http://www.hadd.com/documents/texasnewsoct2005.pdf

In “Your Home Matters”

President’s Message
Perry Homes. They lost Again!
KB Homes Gets the Ka-Boom!
End Mandatory Arbitration
Centex Homes out of BBB!
Heidi Wanken: Home buyers, beware
The Many Levels of Texas Bureaucracy
Texans Homeowners United

Posted by John Cobarruvias at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More examples of fright-wing truth (Neocons Gone Wild, Part II)

"Consider one memo highlighted in a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday that (Michael) Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Tx., sent the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to describe his strategy for protecting the tribe's gambling business. In plain terms, Scanlon confessed the source code of recent Republican electoral victories: target religious conservatives, distract everyone else, and then railroad through complex initiatives.

'The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees,' Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public