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April 30, 2006

Sunday Funnies





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Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 28, 2006

Sheila Jackson Lee Arrested at Sudan Protest

Congress Members Arrested at Sudan Protest

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Photo by Brian Steidle

By ANDREW MIGA, Associated Press Writer

Five Congress members were willingly arrested and led away from the Sudanese Embassy in plastic handcuffs Friday in protest of the Sudanese government's role in atrocities in the Darfur region.

"The slaughter of the people of Darfur must end," Rep. Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., a Holocaust survivor who founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, said from the embassy steps before his arrest.

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Four other Democratic Congress members — James McGovern and John Olver of Massachusetts, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Jim Moran of Virginia — were among 11 protesters arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor subject to a fine.

"We must hold the Sudanese government accountable for the attacks they have supported on their own citizens in Darfur," Olver said.

Dozens of demonstrators carried signs, some reading "Stop the slaughter" and "Women of Darfur suffer multiple gang rapes," in front of the embassy Friday morning.

The protesters cheered as the Congress members and others were cuffed, hands behind their backs, with plastic ties and quietly led to a white police van by U.S. Secret Service uniformed officers.

The arrests were expected. Lantos' office issued a news release about them in advance.

The protesters called on the Sudanese government to accept a U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur and allow humanitarian relief organizations full access to victims.

The three-year-old conflict between rebels and government-backed militias has left at least 180,000 people dead, mostly from war-related hunger and disease, and some 2 million homeless.

President Bush has voiced support for a stronger international presence in Darfur, and the United States has authorized more than $300 million for victims of the violence and to support peace talks.

Rallies against the violence in Darfur are planned in more than a dozen U.S. cities this weekend, including on Washington's National Mall on Sunday.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

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Invisible Children, Inc. is dedicated to providing financial resources to invisible children by documenting their true, untold stories in a creative and relevant way, resulting in positive change. On April 29th in more than 130 cities across the country, thousands will participate in The Global Night Commute to put an end to child abduction, the need for night commuting, and war in northern Uganda. APRIL 29 EVENT DETAILS: Download the PDF for event details and instructions. EVENT LOCATION: Rice University Intramural fields 6 & 7, 6100 Main St. 77005.

For more information, please visit www.invisiblechildren.com.


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Creative Visions' The Name Campaign seeks to end the conflict in Northern Uganda through awareness. They have collected the names of thousands of children abducted by Kony and have imprinted each one on a distinctive silver dogtag with a green band. All profits from the sale of the tags go to programs that support the children of Northern Uganda.

For more information, please visit www.creativevisions.org.


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The International Rescue Committee is a global leader in emergency relief and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by conflict and oppression. The IRC is providing help to thousands of uprooted people fleeing ongoing violence in Darfur, Sudan. The conflict has driven more than 2 million people from their homes and into overcrowded camps, and as many as 400,000 people are now dead or have disappeared from Darfur.

In addition, the IRC works in all four conflict-affected regions of Uganda aiding victims of violence and providing assistance to the most needy. A total of 5 million people are estimated to benefit from the IRC's programs in Uganda.

For more information on the IRC, please visit www.theirc.org.


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800-224-2084

The Save Darfur Coalition's mission is to raise public awareness and to mobilize an effective unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of 2 million people in the Darfur region. The Rally to Stop Genocide will take place in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2006. It will feature leading voices in the effort to stop genocide in Darfur.

Darfur Rally in Austin, TX
Date: April 30, 2006
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: South steps of the Capitol building
112 East 11th Street
Austin, TX 78701

For more information on the Rally to Stop Genocide and more, please visit www.savedarfur.org.


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The Genocide Intervention Network envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities. Its current mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide.

For more information, please visit www.genocideintervention.net.


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World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.

For more information, please visit www.worldvision.org.


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For two decades, the Acholi people of Northern Uganda have been caught in a civil war between a rebel group whose main objective is inhumane terror and a government whose military response has often increased misery and suffering. Over one and a half million people have been displaced into camps and over 25,000 children have been abducted to be used as soldiers and sex slaves. And yet through it all, every day across Acholi-land something remarkable happens. Against a backdrop of dismal statistics, miniscule opportunity and unpredictable terror, in a part of Uganda forgotten by the world, children who have never known peace, face the day as if to live this way is normal, as if they still believe in the future. These children are the embodiment of resilience and hope. This film is the story of Uganda, her stolen children, and the fight to be free.

Uganda Rising is a Mindset Media Production. It will world premiere at HotDocs International Film Festival, May 4th, in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit www.ugandarising.com.


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800-4-UNICEF

Contributions to UNICEF's emergency relief efforts can help provide education, health care, nutrition, protection, clean water and sanitation to the children and women affected by the Pakistani earthquake disaster.


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Get connected to a woman in need through Zainab Salbi's organization. The goal of Women for Women International is to take women from victim to survivor to active citizen. With the Emergency Response Fund, Women for Women International can move quickly to help women in post-conflict societies.

For more information, please visit www.womenforwomen.org.

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack

April 27, 2006

Is Bell in 4th place?

The results are not pretty. Altho at this stage in the election things are pretty much just running on name ID, Chris Bell placed last, dead last, in a recent poll conducted by Survey USA. The results were:

Goodhair: 39%
Strayhorn: 25%
Friedman: 16%
Bell: 15%

Now, a couple of caveats should go with any poll. Beside things being in the name ID stage of the game, there's also the 4% margin of error in this poll, if this poll were truly a random sampling. The other thing to be aware of with this poll is that it looks like the Survey USA pollsters weighted their sampling. It looks like Kinky Friedman's support was exaggerated, but Perry's vulnerability may also have been exaggerated, too.

I've worked in market research for many years and I can tell you that when pollsters start weighting their results to match what the demographics are, there's a very good chance that their demographic sampling itself is skewed--that is, there's too many people in one geographic zone, or too many of one race or one age group--and this sampling may be providing distorted results.

When that's the case, the margin of error is going to be bigger than the statistical probability models would give you for a truly random survey. That said, the other thing I've found out about the science of statistical sampling is to trust the randomness. You can really sloppy in methodology in telephone sampling and still count on getting results that are a pretty close representation of the universe.

In other words, even if Bell is a bit above 15%, he ain't a lot above 15% and we've got our work cut out for us this year.

Looking closer at the demogs, you can get a good feel for where the candidates' bases lie. Perry and Friedman are stronger among men. Bell and Strayhorn do their best among women (but the Hair is still pulling a plurality of women's votes here--thanks, ladies!)

Perry is also strong among Hispanics, earning 45% of the polled Hispanics' support. Bell leads only among black voters, but only with 40% of this key Democratic base. Neither Bell nor Strayhorn's support correlates to levels of education; there's little drift in support for them as voters slide up and down the key socioeconomic scales of education and income. For education, Strayhorn and Bell supporters tend to show the same balanced profile.

In contrast, Friedman is more likely to get Texans' support based on how much schoolin' they got. He has 21% support among people with post-baccalaureate degrees. One sign of this survey's bad demographic skew is shown by the fact that 24% of respondents had graduate degrees--hardly representative of Texas voters. Perry has the opposite problem. He has 47% of the vote among people who've never been to college. As education levels rise, support tends to drop away from Mr Handsome. Go figure.

But if this survey is undersampling people with lesser education levels and not correcting for that in the weighting, then Perry's support may be stronger than the 39% that Survey USA is reporting.

Party and ideology carry few surprises. One of those surprises is that the survey found Bell with 32% among Democratic voters vs Strayhorn's 30% among Democrats. Friedman has a slight plurality of 32% among independents. Strayhorn also has 30% among self-identified moderates (who make up 35% of the electorate, according to Survey USA).

From the looks of this data, I'd say that Bell's real race right now is against Ms Strayhorn, not Kinky Friedman and not Rick Perty. She's soaking up the rural, moderate, and North Texas votes that a Democrat would normally pick up. She's pulling a statistical tie with Bell among our own party. She's sucking up the money that would normally go to our nominee.

Friedman, whom more progressives are worried about, is mostly pulling new voters into the system; he's not robbing us. He's doing okay among liberals (25% compared to 28% of liberals who are supporting Bell), but that is a self-declaration and may reflect social liberals who are apathetic or uninformed about the role that government plays in providing economic opportunities and growth. Friedman's campaign still looks like an ego trip, a cutesy marketing campaign for his current overstock of unsold CDs, a bid for a regular gig at Branson, Missouri, or perhaps the next FarmAid concert--as if the yuppie dilettantes who think Kinky's gravely mumbles are real country music give a rat's patootie about family farms. And his books suck, too.

But I digress.

The point I'm staggering toward is that Strayhorn is the candidate holding Bell down in the teens. Maybe people are nostalgic for an Ann Richards type of governor. Maybe Bell is projecting too urban an image. Despite the fact that Texas is a large, mostly urban state (moreso than California or New York, where small cities form counterweight voting blocks to offset their metropolises), Texans still want to think of themselves as small town, rural folk. That's our mythos and that's a base, this survey suggests, that Chris Bell is not reaching.

November's a long ways away, of course, and the survey, I suspect, overweights Friedman's base. But the results are sobering and a challenge to all of us this fall. Bell's message must be tailored to the voters he's not reaching and Strayhorn's substance-free feel-good campaign must be exposed for the empty shell that it is. We can all make history here, but the clock is running on us.

Posted by Bucky at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jim Henley for U.S. Congress - TX 7th

Volunteers and Supporters:

Please join us at the opening of the Henley for Congress Campaign Headquarters in Rice Village!

When: Sunday, April 30th, 2 - 5 p.m.

Where: 2482 Bolsover Street at the corner of Bolsover and Kelvin (just across from Walgreens).

Come and talk with fellow supporters, and find out how you can help our grassroots campaign!


Posted by Jon Boyd at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Can a radio ad be an in-kind benefit to Perry?

This is the question Chris Bell raised in a letter to Ronnie Earle. For background, see Off the Kuff and Red State.

In his letter, Bell wrote:

Texas Weekly has reported that Texans for Taxpayer Relief is airing radio ads in Houston apparently paid for by corporate money. These ads might constitute an in-kind officeholder and/or political contribution to Governor Rick Perry paid for by illegal corporate contributions that he and his representatives appear to have helped raise in possible violation of Election Code Section 253.094. We, therefore, respectfully request that you start a criminal investigation.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 25, 2006

Houston Social Forum April 29-30

The Houston Social Forum is:

* a regional event that addresses local as well as global issues
* comprised of diverse groups building from common values
* nongovernmental and non-partian
* supportive of true participatory democracy
* nonviolent resistance to the world's injustice
* working toward mechanisms that value people over profit

Registraton for individuals: $25 (Covers both days) at http://www.houstonsocialforum.org/

At
Texas Southern University
3250 Cleburne Street
School of Education & Behavioral Sciences Building
Houston, TX, 77004

Many local progressives organizations will be represented:

Posted by Lyn Wall at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Calvin Trillin joins Molly Ivins for Evening To Benefit Texas Observer in Houston Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Houston, TX - April 19, 2006 - The Texas Observer, the state's leading light in investigative reporting, will bring its own former editor, nationally syndicated columnist Molly Ivins, and Calvin Trillin, author, journalist, and humorist, to Houston May 23 for an evening of conversation at Hamman Hall on the Rice University campus. 

Proceeds of the event will go to the Observer's Maury Maverick, Jr. Fund for Cantankerous Journalism, which has made possible such revelations as the unlawful drug busts in Tulia and the casino machinations of Grover Norquist and other Tom DeLay cronies. 

Sissy Kempner and Olive Hershey of Houston, chairs of the event, described the evening as "a roasting and toasting of everyone on the political and social scene."   

Molly Ivins is the celebrated author of:  Bushwacked, Life in George Bush's America, co-authored with Lou Dubose; Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?; Who Let the Dogs In?; and other books of political humor. Her articles have appeared in Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, and Mother Jones. She has been a commentator for NPR, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and 60 Minutes. 

Calvin Trillin has been hailed as "perhaps the finest reporter in America," and "a classic American humorist." While he is perhaps best known for his antic books on eating (The Tummy Trilogy; Alice, Let's Eat), Trillin has also written serious journalism, comic political verse, and fiction. He writes for The New Yorker, Time, and The Nation, and has appeared on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman. His forthcoming book, A Heckuva Job: More of the Bush Administration in Rhyme will be released later this year.   

Since 1954, when Houstonian Frankie Randolph founded The Texas Observer, this feisty little magazine has pilloried fat cats and tycoons, winning national awards for its fearless reporting. As Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle said, The Texas Observer "gets it."   

Tickets are $25 for general admission and available through the Observer at www.texasobserver.org or at 512-477-0746 through May 19, and at the door beginning at noon on the day of the event.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2006

Appalachian Treasures

In the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia & Tennesee, there is a ticking time-bomb that threatens a rural population with enormous tragedy as a result of mountaintop removal coal mining. 

Appalachian Treasures is a free multi-media presentation on mountaintop removal and its critical social & environmental justice impacts, including the opportunity to meet and talk with 2 Appalachian coalfield residents, Mary Miller and Pauline Canterberry, who will speak about daily life in the shadow of MTR mines.   The presentation will be featured at free open-to-the-public venues in the Houston area:

Spring Branch/Memorial: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 7:00 PM, Unitarian Fellowship of Houston, 1504 Wirt Road, contact Sarah at ufhsjca@sbcglobal.net or 281-813-0660 if you have any questions.

Inside 610 Loop: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 7:30 PM, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2515 Waugh Drive (intersection of Missouri and Waugh).  Contact Bridget at blj2@pdq.net or 713-417-2056 if you have any questions.

Although Appalachia may seem far from Texas, we are all deeply tied to the region. Not only does much of the electricity powering our homes and businesses comes from Appalachian coal, but the region’s history, music, and famed self-reliance remain a great influence in American culture.

As energy issues become increasingly pressing in America, it is crucial to realize how our neighbors in Appalachia suffer to supply the energy needs of the rest of the nation and to seek alternatives that do not destroy communities and cultures. 

In mountaintop removal mining, big coal companies literally blast apart the beautiful Appalachian mountains, removing up to 1000 feet of elevation to reach seams of coal. The dirt and rock that used to be the mountain are dumped into adjacent valleys, burying Appalachia’s clear mountain streams. 

Mountaintop removal leaves behind vast barren wastelands too remote to be viable for development and too disturbing in appearance to support a tourism economy like those flourishing in the non-coal regions of Appalachia.  To date, mountaintop removal mining has flattened at least a million acres across the Appalachian coalfields.  ‘Valley fills’, the term for the mining waste dumped into adjacent valleys, have already buried 1,200 miles of Appalachian streams and more are buried every day.

The Appalachian Treasures project is focused on ending this particular form of coal mining.  Over the course of years working with Appalachian coalfield residents, we realized that mountaintop removal will only continue if the American people remain unaware that such an unjust, destructive, and short-sighted enterprise is happening on our soil.  Most coalfield communities are rural and isolated.  In states where big coal companies hold overwhelming political power, the opposition of coalfield citizens alone is not enough to stop mountain top removal.

The Appalachian Treasures outreach tours are focused on talking with people in districts of federal Congressional Representatives in key positions to help pass the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2719).  The CWPA is a bill in Congress that will outlaw filling streams with the rock & dirt from these enormous coal mines & sharply curtail mountain top removal mining.

Thanks to Sarah Berel-Harrop for submitting this information

Posted by Lyn Wall at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 23, 2006

Sunday Funnies (Blinding Incompetence edition)







Sadly, there's more ...

I am me and Rummy's he Iraq is free and we are all together
See the world run when Dick shoots his gun, see how I lie
I'm Lying

Sitting on my own brain, waiting for the end of days
Corporation profits, Bloody oil money I'm above the law and I'll decide what's right or wrong

I am the egghead, I'm the Commander, I'm the Decider Koo-Koo-Kachoo
(turn up your speakers)

Baghdad city policeman sitting pretty little targets in a row
See how they die when shrapnel flies see mothers cry
I'm Lying. I'm Ly-ing I'm Lying. I'm Ly-ing

Yellow cake plutonium, imaginary WMD's Declassifying facts, exposing secret agents
Tax cuts for the wealthy leaving all the poor behind

I am the egghead, I'm the Commander, I'm the Decider Koo-Koo-Kachoo




Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 22, 2006

Did the RNC just buy the New York Times?

Democrats Try to Use Katrina as G.O.P. Used 9/11, by Adam Nagourney

I could spend my entire weekend enumerating all of the reasons which make this analogy fail, but here is a big one: Bush used 9-11 to smother any discussion about any national issue. Disagree with Bush and you are a traitor.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2006

Radnofsky Calls for Debates

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, "called for a debate on education to discuss Senator Hutchison's anti-education voting record." Hutchison voted against an amendment for college loans and grants, and job training. Radnofsky said, "I would have voted for the amendment." Then she pointed out that in addition to opposing new funding for higher education, "Hutchison voted against Head Start seven times." Hutchinson did not vote for Head Start the last time it came up in the fall of 2005.

University of Houston journalist Josh Delano reports today that Radnofsky is, "ready to debate [Hutchison] 'anytime and anyplace.'" As yet, there has been no response to the Radnofsky Campaign's request for a series of debates.

Click here to see how the candidates measure up on the issues.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Progressive Forum hosts Al Gore Weds., June 7


Al Gore, the 45th Vice President of the United States, will present a visually stunning multimedia presentation called “An Inconvenient Truth”, which focuses on the urgent need to solve global warming. His presentation is a personal distillation of his 30 years of involvement with the issue, an inspiring bipartisan message which confronts the impact of warming on our global civilization and offers solutions that strengthen our economy. Mr. Gore’s address in Houston, the world’s energy center, coincides with the launch of his new book, also called An Inconvenient Truth, which will be on sale at the event and which Mr. Gore will sign after his speech.


6:30 p.m. private patron reception in the Hobby Center Founders Club
7:30 p.m. program in Hobby Center, Sarofim Hall / 9:15 book signing in the Grand Lobby .

Music by Mood Indigo. For the hearing and sight impaired, instrumentation will be available at the box office.

Ticket prices $20 to $54. Patron seats at $100 include private patron reception, preferred seating location and autographed book. For senior and group discounts call 713-315-2525 option 1. Student tickets are $15 at the door.

Purchase online at http://www.progressiveforumhouston.org/

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 19, 2006

PPC Annual Meeting with David Sirota April 2006

Mark your calendar! The Progressive Populist Caucus' annual meeting will be held in Austin, this Saturday, details below. David Sirota, author of Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government--and How We Take It Back, will be the keynote speaker for this event. We hope you will join us in Austin on April 22, 2006. The day before, David will be doing a book signing event that will be the very first stop on his national tour!

PPC Annual Meeting - Keynote speaker David Sirota
April 22nd, 2006, 5-7 p.m., 4:30pm is the book signing
Texas AFL-CIO Building
1106 Lavaca, Austin, Texas
Map to location
For more information, please visit the PPC website and read the commentary on the Huffington Post.
In peace and tolerance ....

Posted by Sarah Gonzales at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Rolling Stone Mag: Bush Worst President In History?

April 2006 Cover Rolling Stone Magazine hits the news stands Friday, April 20!

Posted by Sarah Gonzales at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Meet Barbara Ann Radnofsky at Oil Patch Democrats Meeting Thursday

The Oil Patch Democrats cordially invite all independents, Republicans, Greens, Librarians--OK, Libertarians--and otherwise politically interested people to greet and meet the Democratic candidate for United States Senate, Barbara Ann Radnofsky (BAR) this Thursday, April 20th at Chatters (140 S. Heights).

When talking about her possibly coming to talk to our group back in November of last year, BAR said she would be delighted to meet with us, but she had one request: that we open our Democratic group up to other political folks as well.  Since I do not see the Green, Libertarian or even Democratic candidate easily beating out an incumbent Republican, it makes sense to open our meeting for others to get to know the Democratic candidate.  You are hereby invited and encouraged to come.  I explained to her that our group is always open to former-Democrats, prairie-dog Democrats, moderate and level-headed Republicans, and others, and she immediately agreed to stop by.  We hope you will do the same.  I know you will enjoy hearing what BAR has to offer all Texans, and, perhaps you may even consider joining our group as we continue our quest for a "reality-based energy policy."

Generally our meetings are on the third Thursday of each month.  In addition to a political speaker or candidate, we also like to have a technical presentation to better educate ourselves about the issues and the science on which they depend.  Should you chose to join us on Thursday, April 20, you will also be rewarded by a talk from Dick Viebig, CPA and distinguished Rice University lecturer on the effects of the present tax law on the common man.  Since this past Monday was the big tax day, I think this talk will be of interest to everyone.

To finish out the evening Dr. Christine Ehlig-Economides will give us an update on our Energy Policy initiative being conducted by the Oil Patch Democrats.  Anyone concerned about the price of gas to the availability of future energy sources has a direct involvement in this effort.

The meeting begins at 6:30 PM, this Thursday, April 20th at Chatter's Cafe, 140 S. Heights on the west side of Heights between Allen Pkwy. and Washington.  Our first speaker will be Barbara Ann Radnofsky at 7:00 PM for a quick look at the issues on which she will be campaigning (Barbara has another commitment for later this evening).

Please come and enjoy meeting with some progressive, reality-based energy folks.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

social security project

Joshua Micah Marshall floats the idea of a Social Security clearing house.

We're setting up a special tabbed blog at TPMCafe, which will run live right through the November election. And there we'll provide wall-to-wall coverage of every race we're tracking -- every poll, every detail about fundraising, who's getting paid what, what's getting said at town meetings, who's running away from their old positions, bamboozling the press and so on. Everything you, the political junkie, need to keep your finger on the pulse of all these races.

We have BAR running for the Senate, Gary Binderim (District 2), Jim Henley (District 7), James Wright (District 8), Al Green (District 9), Ted Ankrum (District 10), Sheila Jackson Lee (District 18), Nick Lampson (District 22, against a Bush Republican to be named later) and Gene Green (District 29).

Social Security is a great issue to demonstrate the superiority of our candidates in terms of policy and values. Let's do the research and put out the word.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 07:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 18, 2006

Slipping in the west

Mcjoan at the Daily Kos cites the latest SUSA poll which shows Dubya with negative net approval in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and South Dakota.

Here are the numbers for Texas and Harris County.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Experiencing Brownouts in Houston

Center Point Energy has been experiencing regular electrical brownouts in / around the Houston area. Condition "forecasts" are similar for today and some business customers have been asked to curtail the use of electricity.

Looks like this "peak oil" issue may not be such a liberally fabricated farce after all. And... next time people condone nuclear power as a solution, instead of focusing on the obvious environmental threat that our conservative friends appear to care nothing about, ask them instead....

HOW DO WE KEEP THE WASTE PRODUCTS GENERATED FROM NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS OUT THE HANDS OF THE TERRORISTS?

This is a very serious question - the waste materials generated by nuclear power can be remanufactured in the form of depleted uranium and a myriad of other materials that may be used to produce weaponry of various forms INCLUDING its use in the production of additional nuclear weapons.

The wiki wikipedia refers to these as "Incendiary projectile munitions"
Visit the Wikipedia for more info.

Posted by Sarah Gonzales at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Gentleman Johnny

I caught the latest Dog & Pony Show from Tom Delay protegeé, Gentleman John Culberson (R-7th). Many in the audience were well-coached NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard), and our good representative directed them through the hoops.

Jim Henley is campaigning to be our new U.S. Representative for the 7th District.

Culberson used to make public statements against rail as an effective people-mover. Based on his last Town Meeting at Rice last week, I'd say that he has refined his technique into Delaying tactics:

(Hat tip to Kuff and Christof)

1. Culberson falsely claims the referendum specified a route on Westpark. Actually, to be eligible for federal funding, Metro must look at alternative routes. (Recall that Metro lost federal funding for the Main Street line, thanks to Delay). According to Culberson, a Richmond route would have to go to a new referendum.

2. Culberson falsely claims the Katy Freeway Expansion is not costing local taxpayers any money. This expansion is partly financed through Harris County Tollroad nAuthority debt - a revolving bond debt of $900 million. When the old bonds are retired, they reissue bonds for new projects.

3. It turns out that Culberson favors only suburban rail. The Metro Solution plan through 2012 has one route to IAH and the others are mainly intraurban routes. Therefore he doesn't like any of Metro's proposals. Where is that can do attitude he has for tollroads?

ad infinitum

Go see Kuff and Christof.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

the new guy on the block

Howdy,

My name is Jon Boyd, a new blogger. I've done some volunteer work ar the HCDP office, and I've just started volunteer work for Barbara Ann Radnofsky. I've returned to U of H (a few decades late) to complete a degree in philosophy.

My greatest interests are urban planning and local transportation, but I will be compiling any news which might be of interest for those of us advancing democratic causes.

I hope to hear from y'all soon.

Posted by Jon Boyd at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

April 17, 2006

David Van Os - Citizen's Filibuster at Capitol Today!

Join Us for a Citizen's Filibuster

NOON MONDAY 04-17 - NOON TUESDAY 04-18

Capitol Grounds, Austin

We all have children, grand children, nephews or nieces attending schools in Texas and most of us are frustrated with the chronic lack of adequate funding for our children and inadequate pay for competent teachers while our taxpayer money is squandered on personal freeways and expensive vacations by Republican politicians.

Why should we settle for our Great State of Texas, which is rich in natural resources and revenue, being close to last place in education. Why should struggling low- to middle-income homeowners bear the brunt of school funding responsibility through run-away taxation of the OVER-INFLATED VALUATION of our homes, while rich homeowners and multi-million dollar corporations are given a break?

I urge all responsible, but frustrated citizens to show up in great force and flood the State Capitol grounds with the loudest voice possible, supporting the tireless effort of our friend and next Texas Attorney General, David Van Os, while at the same time, demanding that the educational future of our children be adequately-funded, at long last. Make plans to join us next Monday starting at noon, in Austin, Texas.

~Placido Salazar, DVO Veteran and Latino Community Outreach

 

DID YOU KNOW:

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT CARD >>

...and join us Monday at noon on the Capitol grounds!

Posted by Lyn Wall at 07:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 16, 2006

Sunday Funnies (Happy Easter edition)





More (but no eggs hidden there)...--->





Posted by Perry Dorrell at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 13, 2006

Russ Feingold, Barack Obama, Cindy Sheehan, Jim Hightower, and David Van Os, all in Austin next week

Austin is the epicenter for Democratic and progressive activists next week. If you have some time to get away, next Monday and Tuesday is the time to do it:

David Van Os' "Citizens' Filibuster for a Fair and Constitutional Education" begins Monday April 17 at high noon for 24 hours straight on the Capitol grounds -- the same day that the Lege goes back into session for the fifth time (or is it the sixth?) in order to solve the pressing dilemma of funding public education in Texas. Several local and statewide political candidates will be attending and speaking for short periods (to relieve David).

You can catch Cindy Sheehan at the UT east mall (near the statue of MLK) between 11 and 12:15 on Monday the 17th for a rally with the Cameo anti-war folks.

Senator Russ Feingold will have a listening session with CD-21 candidate John Courage at the UT Student Union Quadrangle on Tuesday, April 18 at 12:30 pm, and a rally beginning at 7:30 pm for Courage supporters at Jovita's, 1619 S. First Street, where Jim Hightower as well as Feingold and Courage will speak. The evening event includes musical guests The South Austin Jug Band, The Grassy Knoll Boys and Texas Youth Word Collective and costs $25.

And the Texas Young Professionals invites you to a reception for Hopefund, Senator Barack Obama's Leadership Fund on Tuesday, April 18 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at Nuevo Leon Restaurant, 1501 E. 6th Street. Cash bar and appetizers, $25 admission. Make checks payable to Hopefund. RSVP to www.hopefundamerica.com/austin or (512) 699-1998.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Rice hosts immigration forum Weds., 4/19

Rice University is hosting a forum with political leaders and scholars to discuss one of the hottest social issues of the year—immigration—on Wednesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Rice Memorial Center.

Titled “USA Immigration: Truths and Myths,” the forum will seek to inform and shed light on the complicated issue of Hispanic immigration.

“It is imperative that the community at large be better informed on immigration issues and have an opportunity, in a nonpartisan setting, to participate in the formulation of future U.S. Immigration policy,” says Dr. Dorothy Caram, co-chair of the event.

The panel will consist of four speakers: State Representative Rick Noriega, Attorney Monty Jacob, University of Houston sociologist Nestor Rodriguez, and University of Texas A&M sociologist Rogelio Saenz.

Rice University professor Richard Tapia will be the moderator, and Attorney Adan Vega will coordinate the roundtable discussion. The event is free and open to the public and is being sponsored by The Houston Hispanic Forum, Society of Latino Alumni of Rice (SOLAR), the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice (HACER), the Republican National Hispanic Assembly (RHNA), and the Harris County Tejano Democrats.

To get to the Rice Memorial Center, take entrance 20 off Rice Boulevard. For a map, visit http://www.rice.edu/maps/maps.html .

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Daughter of a Soldier - Mother of a Soldier

My earliest memories of my Dad are of a tall, handsome man who came to see me every once in a while when he was on leave from the Army. He and Mom were divorced when I was a baby. Mom packed us up and headed for home, leaving Dad alone in Germany to finish out his service in the military.

Eventually Dad ended up in Vietnam, a place where many young men his age at that time ended up. He would send me letters from that far away, strange place and from time to time, he would come home with a gift, sweep me up on his shoulders and walk across town with me high at the top of the world to go visit some relative or other. He never talked about the war and all that I really remember about that time is that my Daddy was there.

Years later, after Dad finished his two tours of duty in ‘Nam, came back to the States, remarried and settled down, I went to live with him. This was when I came to learn that my Daddy, the man I had idolized for so long, was not the perfect Daddy I had thought him to be. My Daddy was broken.

For years I lived in fear of this man who could go from smiling and kind to an angry, out of control rage in ten seconds flat for little or no reason. The man I had thought was the most perfect man in the world up until I was eight years old was a broken, angry, uncaring man. This realization broke my heart and I think, in many ways, broke me.

Dad worked fulltime, went to school fulltime and tried to raise a family when he was home, which wasn’t often. The day-to-day care of the family was left to my stepmother who really was a Saint, when I look back on those days. There were times I would cry myself to sleep knowing that when Dad got home from work around midnight, there would be hell for me to pay for some transgression I had committed during that day. He would wake me up in the middle of the night to punish me, usually with a spanking and yelling at the top of his lungs, and then leave me alone with my wounds in the dark.

When I was ten he slapped me backhanded across the face and broke my nose. It is still crooked. Another time he backhanded my step mom as he was driving down the road and broke her nose as well.

There were many times I went to school over the years with black eyes and swollen lips. I hid the bruises on my arms and back as best I could. Many times after his beatings I was sure I had a concussion or he had broken a bone in my body. But there was no refuge, no peace for me in his home – ever. Eventually I grew to hate him.

It wasn’t until many years later that I learned about something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it applied to Vietnam veterans. As I sat and read the symptoms the realization hit me that this must be exactly what my Dad had suffered from all those years. I have read stories of men like my Dad and talked to many vets who were able to tell me some small bit of the horrors my Dad must have faced and how it would have changed him into the monster he was.

War has a trickle down effect. I never went to war. I never served my country in battle. And yet, because of a war in a foreign country, I fought a battle for my own mental and physical survival nearly every single day of my young life.

Five years ago my only son and first-born child went to Army boot camp. He completed his training several months before 9/11. At that time Jeremy was in the Army Reserves and spent his one weekend a month with his unit in Huntsville, Texas and his one week a year in whatever place he was sent to. For Jeremy, it was a dream come true and a way to get a college education since his father and I would never be able to pay for it. He was so proud. I was so proud of my young, handsome soldier. His Grandpa was proud.

After 9/11 we all knew Jeremy would be going to war at some point. At that time we all thought it would be Afghanistan. Not one of us ever considered he would go to Iraq. George W. Bush took our soldiers and invaded Iraq armed with little more than a handful of lies and no plans for any kind of success. Jeremy and I watched the television coverage of the invasion in horror. Jeremy emailed me in the early days of the invasion that he was nervous and couldn’t sleep. He was sick to his stomach about this invasion.

Less than a year later my beloved son was dead.

The true cost of war in a foreign country came home once again, this time with the death of my oldest child and my only son.

My story may not be unusual, the daughter of a soldier who had PTSD who grew up to be the mother who sent her son to war, only to have him return in a wooden box to be buried. For anyone who thinks for even a second that the cost of war can only be measured in dollar signs, think again.

The real cost of war is paid by those who will fight the battles every single day for the rest of their lives.

For me, the cost of war was my relationship with my Dad. The cost of war was the life of my only son. The cost of war was and will continue to be my heart.

The real reason humanity must put an end to war and insist on peace is so other families throughout the world will not be torn apart and broken.

Oh, and Dad, I forgive you. I love you. And now, finally, I understand.

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

Posted by Amy Branham at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Pitt: How Crazy Are They?

About a year ago, when Dick Cheney first started doing his loony nuclear-saber-rattling number against Iran, I wrote an article for Democratic Underground detailling exactly why we shouldn't panic, that the United States simply lacked the geopolitical and military wherewithall to take a flying swat at Iran fledgeling nuclear programs (note plural). I've not seen much to dissuade me from that basic conclusion--that the Bushites are all bark and fundamentally biteless where it comes to Iran--that Cheney's periodic resurfacing to mumble about how big and ready his missiles are is the diplomatic equivalent of your neighbor's mutt snarling and yipping at you every evening when you pull into your driveway--that the noise is entirely about getting everybody scared in time for the 2006 elections.

But that said, I strongly recommend you read William PItt's article over at Truthout, "How Crazy Are They?" Because however rational we all may be, both us who opposed the Iraq invasion and those who supported it from all the fabrications tossed out by this administration, we also need to remember that a reclusive, insulated, desparate White House is as susceptible as any cornered yip-dog to lashing out when they think all their options have run out.

If you have a little more spare time, you could read Cindy Sheehan's "Don't Attack Iran," too. And if you've got even more spare time this weekend, think about going out to Crawford and actually seeing Cindy.

Posted by Bucky at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 12, 2006

Congratulations!

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 11, 2006

Oh yes, if you signed a petition, you CAN STILL VOTE TODAY!

Advanced from the comments:

Perry:

I hate to nit pick, but you are mistaken when you say "Who can vote in the run-off election?...You can vote if...you have not signed a nominating petition this cycle for anyone other than a Democratic candidate....You cannot vote if you...signed a nominating petition this cycle for anyone other than a Democratic candidate."

In truth, you can vote in the runoff regardless of whether you signed Kinky's or Carole's petitions and your runoff vote simply has the effect of retroactively nullifying your signature (I know a couple of people who are voting tomorrow because they came to their senses after foolishly signing a Kinky petition, one of whom was solicited to sign the petition while drunk in a bar). See the Secretary of State website for details: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/faqind.shtml.

I would be grateful if you would kindly make an effort to call some attention to this correction of the mistatement of Texas law regarding who can vote in the runoff.

Stop Kinky

Done with pleasure, Stop.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 09, 2006

Sunday Funnies ("My only friend, the end" edition)





More, but no more DeLay ... --->







Posted by Perry Dorrell at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 08, 2006

Turn Texas Blue, starting with Harris County this week

Here is your weekly dose of good Democratic politics. Get active and join us for some of these events this month:

4/11: PRIMARY RUN-OFF ELECTION

4/8: HCDP ISSUES FORUM: IMMIGRATION

4/9: THE HARRIS COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS' CONCERT AND FUNDRAISER

4/10: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR IMMIGRATION JUSTICE

4/11: HCDP BROWN BAG LUNCH: What do the Primary Results Mean?

4/20: SEVEN STAR BREAKFAST

4/20: HCDP COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

* HCDP LAUNCHES NEW WORKING GROUP FOR DEVELOPING
FUTURE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS

The HCDP encourages all Democrats to vote in the Primary Run-Off on Tuesday, April 11th. Democrats vote in two statewide raceClick here to view the Primary Run-off Ballots -- US Senate and Lt. Governor -- as well as several local races. Click here to view the Primary Runoff Ballot. Visit the HCDP website for election day polling places.

Who can vote in the run-off election?

1. You can vote if you voted in the Democratic primary

2. You can vote if you did not vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary and you have not signed a nominating petition this cycle for anyone other than a Democratic candidate.

3. You cannot vote if you voted in the Republican primary or signed a nominating petition this cycle for anyone other than a Democratic candidate.

More event details on the flip. --->

HCDP ISSUES FORUM: IMMIGRATION, APRIL 8th

Saturday April 8, 2006, 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm
HCDP HQ, 1445 N Loop W, Ste. 110, Houston

This is the first in a series of issues forums planned for this election year. Learn effective ways to frame and discuss immigration. All candidates and Democratic activists are invited to attend.

Registration: 12:30 - 1:00 pm
Sessions: 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Suggested donation to HCDP: $10 (no one turned away)
RSVP: 713-802-0085, hcdp@hcdp.org, or murvin@gmail.com

THE HARRIS COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS' CONCERT AND FUNDRAISER: APRIL 9th

Sunday, April 9, 2006; 7:30-9:00 PM

The Artery; 5401 Jackson @ Prospect (near Museum District), Houston (Map)

Artists: David Rovics (Musician), Robert Clark (Poet), Dr. John Gorman (Poet). Amy Goodman calls Rovics "the musical version of Democracy Now!"

Suggested Donation: $10 ( proceeds go to Harris County Young Democrats and artist)

The Harris County Young Democrats have been looking forward to hearing David's music for a long time. One of the few advantages of politically unstable times is the quality of music (think 1960s). David's music embodies this tradition by confronting the abuse of power with art.

Volunteers Needed: We need volunteers to help out at the door and the bar, beginning at 7:00 PM. Please contact Travis Sheive (hcyd.events@gmail.com) if you are available.

For more info: Kate Rybka, HCYD President (hcyd.president@gmail.com / 713-443-7088 / HCYD Myspace Group

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR IMMIGRATION JUSTICE: APRIL 10th

Monday, April 10th, 1:00-5:00 pm, Downtown Houston

1:00 PM Gathering at Guadalupe Plaza

1:30 PM Begin April 10th Coalition March

2:00-3:00 PM Arrive at Allen's landing

3:00-5:00 PM Rally and Speeches from the April 10th Coalition.

The Houston April 10th Coalition will join a national effort with other coordinated grassroots organizations mobilizing for immigration justice. On April 10, 2006 the coalition will lead a march from Guadalupe Plaza to Allen's Landing in solidarity for immigration rights. Our goal is to stop anti-immigration legislation from becoming law and to pass real, comprehensive immigration reform that provides a legitimate path to earned citizenship, unites families, and ensure workplace and civil rights protections for all.

NOTE: Please note that the march is taking place at 1:00 PM because of The City of Houston Parade Ordinances. Organizers are asking that the youth remain in school and meet the April 10th Coalition after school unless they are given permission from their parents to participate.

Sponsored by: The April 10th Coalition. For more information call Marisol Rodriguez at 713.550.7712 or Alain Cisneros at 713.870.8768

HCDP BROWN BAG LUNCH: What do the Primary Results Mean? APRIL 11th

Tuesday April 11, 2006, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
HCDP Offices, 1445 North Loop West, #110 (exit Ella Blvd.), Houston, TX

Join HCDP for a panel discussion with three political consultants who answer the question: What do the Primary Results Mean? Our featured speakers include Robert Jara, Mustafa Tameez, and Keir Murray. Brown Bag Lunch is a monthly event of the Harris County Democratic Party. Bring your lunch. HCDP provides the soft drinks.

SEVEN STAR BREAKFAST: APRIL 20th

For the first time, seven past and present chairs of the Harris County Democratic Party—Ken Bentsen, Gerry Birnberg, David Mincberg, John Odam, Sue Schechter, Barbara Stanley, and Larry Veselka—discuss how we can again win races in the county and help affect the outcome of state races as well. This fundraiser will finance the hiring of a full-time organizer to head up a major 2006 campaign for Democratic candidates.

What: Seven Star Breakfast
Where: Houston City Club, 9 Greenway Plaza, Houston, TX
When: Thursday, April 20, 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Program: A panel discussion by Harris County Democratic Party Chairs on winning strategies
Moderator: Peter Brown

Suggested contributions:

Seven Star General: $1,000
Six Star General: $500

In 2002, Scott Hochberg won an unwinnable race for State Representative. In 2004, Hubert Vo upset one of the most powerful incumbents in the Republican inner circle. This year we have a chance of winning more, but it will take a better job of organization than we have ever achieved in the past. Funds from this breakfast will enable us to hire a full-time organizer to marshal the efforts of the thousands of volunteers waiting to help achieve our goals. If you'd like to receive an invitation, contact Sam Keeper, Seven Star Breakfast Chair, at 713-829-7291, skeeper@houston.rr.com .


HCDP COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING: APRIL 20th
Thursday, April 20, 2006, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Harris County Jury Assembly Room

1019 Congress, Houston, TX 77002

Join us at the CEC Meeting of all HCDP precinct chairs and Steering Committee members as we canvass results of Democratic Primary Run-Off Election. All are welcome. Meet candidates.

HCDP LAUNCHES NEW WORKING GROUP FOR DEVELOPING FUTURE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS

HCDP has activated the Young Democrats-Future Leaders Working Group. Its mission is to inspire active participation in Democratic Party affairs, and, ultimately, loyalty to the principles of the Democratic Party, by persons under 36 years of age, and to develop future leaders from among such individuals by coordinating and helping to invigorate various younger Democratic groups, including Democratic student organizations on college campuses and high schools. The working group will also seek to establish new clubs on campuses where they do not presently exist. It will also interface with established Democratic clubs, such as the tremendously successful and active Harris County Young Democrats, to supplement, enhance, and support their efforts and the excellent work these groups are doing.

Please email Melissa Taylor, Director of Party Administration, at mrt@hcdp.org if you are interested in being a member of this working group.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

AJC sponsors education town hall meeting with John Sharp, Scott Hochberg

Education Matters: A community meeting on current issues

Featuring John Sharp, Chair of Governor Rick Perry's Commission on Tax Reform
Paul Colbert, former state representative and expert education witness
State Rep. Scott Hochberg, member of the Texas House Public Education Committee and former chair of the Education Appropriations subcommittee
Dr. Richard Tapia, Professor and Director of the Center for Excellence and Equity in Education at Rice University

Presented by The American Jewish Committee, Houston Chapter, and

AFL-CIO ♦ Asian/Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) ♦ Collaborative for Children ♦ Houston Area Urban League ♦ NAACP Houston Chapter ♦ ACLU of Texas ♦ Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce ♦ Houston Hispanic Forum ♦ Indo- American PAC ♦ Jewish Community Center Houston ♦ Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund ♦ National Council of Jewish Women

The organizations joining together to promote the evening are not rating or endorsing a particular plan or proposal.

Monday , April 10, 2006 7:30 pm

Jewish Community Center Kaplan Theatre – I.W. Marks Theater Center

5601 South Braeswood

Admission is free

For information call the AJC 713-439-1202

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 07, 2006

Caught 22

Watching from the outside as Texas Republicans act out their sundry shenanigans can be a bit like reading a murder mystery novel backwards. You start off already knowing who did it, but as you come across new clues to their culpabilities and try to figure out what's actually going on, things don't always make a lot of sense.

A good example of this is Rick Perry's announcement yesterday that he was not going to to call an election to fill Tom DeLay's vacancy in the US 22nd District. Ex-squeeze me, governor?

Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday he won't call an emergency special election to replace resigning Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, meaning candidates for the suburban Houston congressional seat will have to wait for the November election. "If I don't get (DeLay's letter of resignation) by close of business tomorrow, the election will be in November," Perry said Thursday.

I don't know if I've ever expressed this sentiment outloud in this space, but I think Governor Rick Perry is a real idiot. It's not like this is 1852--when Congress didn't hold legislative sessions until the second December following the November elections, and then only met for about eight months. Congressin' is a full time job in the 21st century and the people of the 22nd District, thanks to Republican petuousness, aren't going to have anybody to speak for them in Congress for more than six months. The next available special election date, for some idiotic legal reason, is November.

What could he possibly be thinking? Has he seen Mr DeLay's "internal numbers" that suggest an immindent Democratic win in the district? At first blush, that seems unlikely. The 22nd has got to have a voting base of close to 60% GOPers. Besides, Goodhair and Sludge Hammer aren't exactly bosom buddies, so them sharing exclusive polling data would be pretty much out of character. And one doesn't often see a Republican shying away from a fight, even when the president is hitting all-time lows in his approval rating.

"The good news is Democrats don't have much of a plan. The bad news is they may not need one."

And yet the governor is getting all pissy about filing deadlines for a replacement election, as if he's a school librarian rigidly enforcing an overdue fee for the campus's only Harriet Tubman biography. Let's look at the money quote again:

"If I don't get (DeLay's letter of resignation) by close of business tomorrow, the election will be in November."

If I were Nick Lampson, I'd start focus group testing a campaign theme of "culture of arrogance" to go along with the "culture of corruption" theme that everybody else is gonna be running on this year. At this point I've got to suspect that that may be behind Perry's decision to disenfranchise the three quarter of a million citizens of the 22nd in the same session when critical district issues (like immigration reform) are coming up for votes. You can also rest assured that no constituent services will be provided for the remainder of the year. That's a real spit in the eye to our state.

So now the 22nd will instead face the probably confusing situation in the November election of voting for candidates for both the regular two year congressional term and a special two-month term to fill out the following nine weeks that will be left in DeLay's uncompleted contract. Lampson will certainly be the only Democrat in the two elections. But there's a real possibility here that separate sets of Republicans will end up running in the district's two separate elections.

I'd be very surprised if Perry's little bookkeeper's snit depriving the 22nd of representation is purely a result of his slavish adherence to state election laws. Whether he was trying to force DeLay to quit early, or just trying to bluff local Republicans out of have a confusing array of candidates on the ballot, or (my pet theory) just being a dumbass, he's really not doing his main job: providing competent political services to the people of Texas.

Of course, to be fair, I really do think he's got great looking hair.

Adios.

Posted by Bucky at