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July 31, 2006

Democracy is Safe Under Your Bed!

Harris County election judges have possession of Hart InterCivic eSlate System Judge's Booth Controllers (JBCs) for up to 72 hours before elections.

Support David Van Os, your Texas Democratic Party Judicial Candidates and James G. Pierre.

Go to original

Even A Remote Chance?

By Pokey Anderson
July 2006

Imagine sitting in your favorite easy chair with a remote control, and being able to just push EJECT and get George Bush out of office. Or, let’s say you’re on your laptop, and you can dial up a regime change.

“Hmm,” you say, “I’m feeling like blue today. Blue is a nice color. I think I’d rather have Kerry for president.” Let’s say you’re up late, it’s November 2nd, you see that Kerry is losing in Ohio, and you say, “the HELL with that!” So, with your laptop, you dial into the tabulator for, let’s just say, 41 of 88 counties in Ohio. And, you switch 14 votes per precinct from Bush to Kerry. Voila. Kerry wins.

Could that happen?

Or, um, the other way around—Kerry is winning, and someone dials in and changes a dozen or so votes in each of roughly half the precincts in Ohio, and VOILA, Bush wins Ohio. (A flip of a dozen votes in 5,000 precincts would result in a net change of 120,000 votes in Ohio, more than the tallied margin that separated the two candidates.)

Remote control of elections? Science fiction, right? Start playing the Twilight Zone music? Not exactly.

DIEBOLD—Hack Testers Waltz In

Let’s look at a test that was done for the State of Maryland on the Diebold electronic voting equipment. The testers used actual Diebold election equipment and, after a week’s study, attempted to hack and manipulate it. The newspaper report said they were nearly “giddy” with their success.

“One guy picked the locks protecting the internal printers and memory cards. Another figured out how to vote more than once—and get away with it. Still another launched a dial-up attack, using his modem to slither through an electronic hole in the State Board of Elections software.”

The team was able to remotely upload, download, and execute files with full system administrator privileges. Results could be modified at will, including changing votes from precincts.

“My guess is we’ve only scratched the surface,” said Michael A. Wertheimer, who spent 21 years as a cryptologic mathematician and code breaker at the National Security Agency.

As a bonus, the team of test hackers from RABA Technologies was able to change votes and exit the system without a trace of their visit. Slick! Wertheimer said, “If you believe, as I do, that voting is one of our critical infrastructures, then you have to defend it like you do your power grid, your water supply.”

The State of Maryland head of elections read the testers’ report and promptly issued a press release.

I couldn’t make this stuff up; here is what Linda Lamone said, “To this date, there has never been an election compromised. The findings in the SAIC and RABA reports both confirm the accuracy and security of Maryland’s voting system and procedures as they exist today.” And, Maryland bought the Diebold electronic voting machines. ... Read the rest of the essay (pdf)

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 30, 2006

Sunday Funnies (Condiplomacy edition)





More ... --->





Posted by Perry Dorrell at 05:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 28, 2006

I hope all kids have a great first day of school

Reprinted from KPFT. The author, Conrad Allen is the Chair of Precinct 874..

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I hope all kids have a great first day of school
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
By: Conrad Allen

I hope all kids have a great first day of school
I hope all kids have a great first day of school

How Norman Rockwell and Ruby Bridges cleared my fear away

This fall, my two girls begin Kindergarten and 1st grade at Haude Elementary in Spring, Texas. Like most parents, I'm a little worried about that first day of class when my little ones leave the nest and meet the world. Okay, let me tell the truth; I am scared to death. What if they reach out for me and I'm not there? What if the other kids are mean to them? What if they get scared on the bus? Why do they have to grow up? The kids are doing much better than me. They are excited about starting public school and I encourage that, even though I'm melting inside.

I read a story the Houston Chronicle by Lisa Gray called, "A brush with history" that put things into focus for me. Grays story tells of how one of Norman Rockwell's most famous paintings titled, The Problem We All Live With, hangs in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. It's a scene of a brave little girl on her first day of school and Rockwell's painting captures the anxiety associated with that, but there is something quite extraordinary. The painting reveals a 6-year-old walking under the protection of US Federal Marshals. Law enforcement was needed because some people wanted to hurt this little girl. She was integrating her school.

How ignorant can I be? I worry about my kids trotting off to their quiet suburban school which is just one quarter mile from our house. I'm whining that some kid might make an ugly face or not play nice. What about the parents of this little girl in the painting? How did they feel three weeks before school started, knowing that their daughter would be in the eye of a social hurricane on her first day of school? It was a hurricane that brought this story to the Houston Chronicle. You see, that little girl was Ruby Bridges of New Orleans and she integrated Frantz Elementary back in 1960. That little girl's mother, Lucille Bridges, is a Hurricane Katrina survivor now living in Houston. Very recently she went to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to see Rockwell's original painting of her daughter for the very first time.

Thirty-seven years after Ruby integrated her school, I got a job in the oil industry in New Orleans. Part of the reason I got hired was because the federal courts ordered Texaco to stop discriminating in promotion and hiring practices. There were just a handful of black geologists at Texaco back then and we were doing a bit of integrating ourselves, but certainly nothing like young Ruby endured. For years (both before and after the lawsuit), Texaco let volunteers take time away from the office and tutor kids in the Orleans Parish School System. I was assigned to Frantz Elementary. I'm sorry to report that, in spite of Ruby Bridges tremendous service to our nation, her old school building was in a disgraceful state of disrepair. The building was hot and moldy. Hunks of plaster fell from leaky ceilings. Stairs were broken and dangerous to walk on. I cut my hand on a railing and I still have the scar today. The books were old and mismatched. Texaco donated dozens of computers and some of us bought reading and arithmetic software, but for the most part, comfortable surroundings and modern classrooms were beyond these children. The teachers were absolutely the best. They could have taught in other places, but many chose to teach there. Many grew up in that neighborhood. One lady had a degree from Harvard. I saw those teachers adapt to the deplorable conditions and overcome. The kids were learning, but it was so difficult. One day after school, I brought a load of drafting supplies that Texaco donated and the teacher burst into tears. When people are under tremendous pressure, the smallest act of kindness can be overwhelming. I don't know what became of Frantz Elementary, the teachers or children that went there after Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps some will be at my daughters' school here in Spring, Texas. This community would (and did) welcome them.

The article in the Houston Chronicle reminded me of how difficult things are for the poorest among us. I am pleased that my children are going to a great school. I want this for every child. It's expensive and we have to make choices. If I could take money away from projects like the Grand Parkway being built through Spring and use that to improve schools and teachers salaries, I would do it faster than Spot can run. If I could trim some fat away from the defense budget, which spent billions of dollars that are "unaccounted for", and use that same money to rebuild Frantz Elementary or some Texas school needing it, I would do it faster than Halliburton could make a protest with the Vice President.

Thank you Mrs. Bridges, for allowing your daughter to attend class that on first day because your family's courage made America a better place. Thank-you Houston Chronicle for running the story, because I'm no longer worried about my children's first day of school, but I'm now more concerned about other kids. Thank you teachers, for working in stressful conditions and still succeeding. Thank-you Texas Legislature, for making school finance a priority this session. Now get the job done and make us proud of ALL Texas schools. Remember, we did not send you to Austin as a social promotion. The challenges are tough and we expect successful cooperation between houses and parties. If it takes sacrifice on the public's part to free some children from a downward spiral of poverty, then explain the challenge to us. Recall the courage of 6-year old Ruby Bridges and those teachers at Frantz if you begin to have political fear. Make the public understand how good schools strengthen the social and moral fabric of our society. I can see Texas schools being the very best in the nation. Can you see it too?

Posted by Lyn Wall at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Turn Texas Blue Workshop - 8/12

HCDP TURN TEXAS BLUE PRECINCT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP, hosted by the 1960 Democrats and Spring Democratic Club

Saturday, August 12th
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Registration: 9:30 – 10:00 am
North Harris College Main Campus, 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive, Houston
in the Academic Teaching Theater.  This venue is handicapped accessible. 

This workshop will educate and empower precinct chairs and Democratic activists to organize their precincts.  These efforts will undoubtedly lead to Democratic wins at the polls on November 7th.

Parking is free (detailed parking instructions will be included in future Turn Texas Blue emails). Click here for map to the campus.

Cost:   
Free, handouts and snacks/refreshments included.  Box lunches to be sold for modest amount (details forthcomings).  Contributions welcome.

RSVPs required: SPACE IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 80 PEOPLE WHO RSVP.
RSVP to Sue Mallott, President of Spring Democratic Club (smdemocrat@flash.net / 281-353-1192).

Topics will include:

  1. Winning, One Precinct at a Time (precinct organizing 101)
  2. Find the Democrats, No Matter What:  Tactics to Organizing in Republican, Swing, and Democratic Precincts
  3. Framing and Communicating the Democratic Message
  4. Block Walking How To’s
  5. Precinct Websites:  A Powerful Organizing Tool for Precinct Chairs
  6. Texas VAN (Voter File):  How to Find Democratic Voters in your Precinct (Brian Pendleton, TDP/DNC)
  7. Register New Voters:  Become a Deputy Voter Registrar

1960 Democrats & Spring Democratic Club will host this training and will provide snacks for the participants.  Democracy for Houston will serve as the Logistics Coordinator.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 27, 2006

Blockwalking this Saturday with Kristi Thibaut


Meet us Saturday morning, July 29 at 9:15 a.m. at the McDonald's on Westheimer just west of Dairy Ashford (12625 Westheimer). We will knock on the doors of one thousand Democratic voters before the day is through.

Wear your comfortable shoes, and bring a small backpack with water and a snack to keep you energized!

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 26, 2006

AFL-CIO needs BBQ Judges Labor Day Weekend

Enjoy Fine Dining - Judge for Yourself

The Harris County AFL-CIO Council and the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council will be hosting the 2006 Labor Day Weekend BBQ Cook-Off Celebration.  The event will take place at the Pasadena Convention Center – 7902 Fairmont Pkwy, Pasadena, Texas 77507.  The Celebration will begin on Saturday, September 2nd and will conclude on Sunday, September 3, 2006.

Judges are needed to taste and rate the fine cuisine cooked by the BBQ Cook-Off Teams.  The judging begins with the “Open” category on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., “Chicken” at 3:00 p.m., and “Ribs” at 5:00 p.m..  The judging will conclude on Sunday, with “Beans” at 12:00 Noon and “Brisket” at 2:00 p.m.  You can select one or more categories to accommodate your schedule.  If you would like to join in this fine dining, please contact Rick Lord at 713-869-3592 to reserve your time slot .

Posted by Lyn Wall at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 25, 2006

Judge's Refusal to Dismiss EFF's Spying Case Sets Stage for Congressional Showdown

A federal judge has refused to dismiss the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) case against AT&T for collaborating with the NSA in illegal spying on millions of ordinary Americans, setting the stage for a congressional showdown over proposed dramatic changes in federal surveillance law. EFF filed the class-action suit against AT&T in January, alleging that the telecommunications company has given the National Security Agency (NSA) secret, direct access to the phone calls and emails going over its network and has been handing over communications logs detailing the activities of millions of ordinary Americans. The government intervened in the case and asked that it be dismissed because the suit could expose "state secrets." But Thursday, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker refused: "The compromise between liberty and security remains a difficult one. But dismissing this case at the outset would sacrifice liberty for no apparent enhancement of security."

Full Story

For a recording of EFF's teleconference after the ruling:

For the judge's full decision

For key quotes from the decision

For more on the draft surveillance bill

For more on the AT&T lawsuit

Spread the Word: Stop the Surveillance Bills!

EFF has sued AT&T for violating the law and the privacy of its customers by collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) in its massive and illegal spying program. On July 20, 2006, a federal judge denied the government's and AT&T's motions to dismiss the case, and, in doing so, demonstrated that the conventional court system is perfectly capable of handling challenges related to illegal spying.

But now the White House and Senator Arlen Specter are scheming to sweep all legal challenges related to government spying under the rug, moving cases to a secret court with no procedures for hearing argument from anyone but the government. This sham "compromise" bill will help the government continue to break the law, vastly expanding the president's power to spy on you without any meaningful oversight from Congress or the courts.

* Take action now by visiting http://action.eff.org/fisa
* Spread the word to friends and family -- send along information on this page and link to the Electronic Frontier Foundation Action Center.

Here is some more information you can pass along:

The bill:

* Stacks the deck against anyone challenging illegal surveillance programs in court, sweeping legal challenges into the shadowy Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) courts.
* Guts long-standing statutory limits on secret surveillance by the government, threatening to make search warrants for national security wiretaps optional rather than mandatory.
* Permits even more dragnet surveillance, creating a secret approval process for electronic fishing expeditions that could sweep up the communications of millions of Americans.

Here's what the press is saying:

* Washington Post: "Mr. Specter's bill ... has been turned into a green light for domestic spying. It must not pass....This bill is not a compromise but a full-fledged capitulation on the part of the legislative branch to executive claims of power."
* Los Angeles Times: "[Specter's] compromise solution is too much of a compromise and not enough of a solution."
* New York Times: "The bill the president has agreed to accept would allow him to go on ignoring the eavesdropping law.... [The FISA court] is not the right court to make the determination [about the domestic spying program's constitutionality]."

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Protect Houston - Community Meeting

Wanted to attend last night but I was helping with the final push on a project for Jim Henley's campaign.

Toni Medellin has a beautiful writeup at Dos Centavos. Click here to read her post.

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 23, 2006

David Van Os: The Time is Right for Democrats to Take Back the State

The Texas blogosphere was treated to a conference call with David Van Os, our candidate for Attorney General this evening. As he continues his Whistestop tour across Texas, David hears from people that they are ready for a change. He predicts that the entire Democratic ticket can win statewide with a campaign that reaches out to people across the state, not just in urban areas and speaking to people in a way that shows that we are there to fight for them.

Republicans are frustrated and unhappy. There is a huge rift in the party of the Trans Texas Corridor which is only supported by the big government Republicans in Austin.

His opponent, Greg Abbot has done nothing but advocate for corporate interests and government secrecy. David is a populist who, as Attorney General will fulfill his duties under the Texas constitution by advocating for the people.

He will reorganize the AG’s office to create a People’s Watchdog Division, which will go after anti-trust violators and deceptive trade practices. The laws are there, but they’re not being enforced.

He will take immediate action to overhaul child support enforcement, which is horribly ineffective in its current form. The data is so corrupt that non-custodial parents who are current on their child support get labeled as deadbeats, while single parents cannot collect from their deadbeat counterparts because they appear to be current.

Everywhere I go, when I talk to people about this year’s campaigns, I hear concerns about electronic voting machines, and with good reason. As a programmer, I know how easy it is to corrupt data. David says that voting machine technology that doesn’t provide a verifiable paper record is unconstitutional – Article 6 of the Texas Constitution on elections and voting guarantees that the purity of the ballot box will be protected. Every voter’s vote must be secure and counted as intended. That’s why he is a plaintiff in a lawsuit to require voter verified paper trails in Travis county and as a Attorney General will rule that electronic voting equipment requires a voter verified paper trail.

The people couldn’t possibly have a better advocate than David Van Os.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Sunday Funnies




More, including a special bonus Funny ... --->






Here is your bonus Funny. Look at this photo of Bush and Putin from last week's G-8 summit in St.Petersburg. This is a larger, unPhotoshopped version:

Look at Bush. Look at Putin looking at Bush.

Now look at the beer bottle in front of Bush. And what appears to be two more beers chilling in an ice bucket to the left of the buffet table.

Look at the two men again.

Here's my caption. Feel free to add yours.

Putin: "Is that a Schlitz? Can I have one? Would you come sit next to me and we'll enjoy a nice bourgeois lager together?"

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 06:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2006

Learn how to take back the media

We know that the right-wing has dominated the media for decades. It didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen by accident. Now, if we learn the tools, our nationwide grassroots network has a chance to take back our media.

Throughout the summer, DFA Night School will offer three online sessions that will help build your media skills. The sessions combine an online presentation with a live conference call and group discussion with our trainers to show you how to get a progressive message into the media. You can join any or all of the DFA Night School sessions from the comfort of your home or office today. Click here to sign up:

July 25: Working the Mainstream Media
August 1: Leveraging Blogs and Online Media
August 8: Sustaining your Media Presence

The events are free of charge and you don't need any prior experience working with the media. Media coverage is one of the best tools we have for spreading our progressive values—and holding this administration and Congress accountable for their failures. Click here to find out more and reserve your spot:

www.democracyforamerica.com/nightschool

We can change our country, but it's going to take a strong ground game and savvy media outreach. You have the power, now get the skills. Thanks for everything you do.

Sincerely,

Arshad Hasan
Training Coordinator
Democracy for America

P.S. If you missed the spring semester of DFA Night School on Campaign Tactics 101, you can purchase it on DVD at: democracyforamerica.com/nightschool_dvd

Posted by Lyn Wall at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

OPEN MEETING of the ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE OF THE HOUSTON REGION DEMOCRATS

Monday July 31, 2006 at 1445 West Loop [Ella Exit] Suite 110                 6 PM Open end by 8 PM

AGENDA: Workshop on public health measures for environmental and public health management in Harris County. At least one public health professional is expected to be present and participate in the discussion and planning.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND PREPARE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AUGUST AIR QUALITY TOWN HALL MEETING: August 23, 2006, 6 pm - 8 pm, 1022 Mercury Dr, Jacinto City TX 77029, [Milton Lusk Activity Center]

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND PREPARE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AUGUST AIR QUALITY TOWN HALL MEETING: August 23, 2006, 6 pm - 8 pm, 1022 Mercury Dr, Jacinto City TX 77029, [Milton Lusk Activity Center]

Hosted by County Commissioner #2 Sylvia Garcia [713-924-3975] and State Representative 143 Ana Hernandez [713-675-8596].

Our public representatives are already working on the 2007 environmental legislative agenda. They need to hear from us verbally and in writing.  Bring YOUR specific concerns, ideas, plans or actions wanted. TREAT THIS IS A POLITICAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITY for Precinct Chairs, candidates, clubs or organizations to play active roles in managing our governance.

Prepare to Submit a specific, concise written request/idea/action related to ENERGY [transportation, petrochemical plants, and power plants], air quality, and public health. PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF ANY APPROPRIATE  ENERGY, AIR QUALITY, OR PUBLIC HEALTH RESOLUTION THAT PASSED YOUR PRECINCT CONVENTION, SENATORIAL DISTRICT CONVENTION, OR HARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND relevant city or county health budget numbers to your 1-2 minute verbal presentation.

You get to tell your short story. And, Your written material can be used by our representatives to craft what we want to protect our communities. [Many Air quality issues are regional in nature, so politically speaking,  Send a copy to Mayor White and his Environment and Public Health Committee to keep them 'in the information loop'.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

ROADWomen Fork in the Road Banquet

River Oaks Area Democratic Women
4th Fork in the Road Banquet
in recognition that
“Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History”
-Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
To benefit Democratic candidates for public office
Saturday, August 19, 2006
7:00 P.M.
The Westin Oaks Hotel
5011 Westheimer
Houston, Texas

Download the Flyer (pdf)

Posted by Lyn Wall at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2006

Judge Denies Government's Motion to Dismiss AT&T Case

In January, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against AT&T for collaborating with the NSA in its massive and illegal spying program. Today, a federal court denied the government's and AT&T's motions to dismiss the case, allowing EFF's suit to proceed.

This is a huge step toward stopping illegal surveillance and holding AT&T accountable for these privacy violations. But it's only a first step. The Electronic Frontier Foundation needs your help to finish the job and secure your rights.

Join EFF today! http://secure.eff.org/att
More info about the case: http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/att

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Selling Out America

From Roll Call:

Remember Huffy bikes? Or Etch A Sketch? Or Radio Flyer red wagons?
All are iconic American products.
All are now made in China.
And Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) has had enough.

From Wal-Mart Watch:

So (Senator Byron) Dorgan (D-ND) sat down to write his first book, “Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America,” a 277-page polemic that hits bookstore shelves next week...Dorgan said he blames Wal-Mart - in 2005 "economically more powerful than 161 countries," the United States' largest employer and China's "eighth-largest trading partner" - for contributing to this trend.

"Wal-Mart has been able to force American companies to move factories to China so they can keep wholesale prices low," he wrote, noting that 70 percent of the goods the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company sells are made in the Middle Kingdom.

From Roll Call:

“I thought, ‘You know, I probably can’t win a vote on trade in the Senate, but maybe I can write a book and influence people around the country to become more active in pushing back against these trade agreements that ship American jobs overseas,’” Dorgan said in a recent telephone interview.

Central to Dorgan’s thesis is that free trade doesn’t equate fair trade. According to “Dorgan’s Doctrine of Manipulated Advantage,” countries such as China exploit workers and the environment to create artificially low wages.

Click here (PDF) to read about Wal-Mart and outsourcing to China.

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 19, 2006

Help Bring PAC for a Change Funds to Texas and Barbara Radnofsky

Senator Barbara Boxer's PAC For a Change is holding a contest between progressive Senate candidates that closes Friday the 21st. The winner gets a special fundraising effort by Senator Boxer that could raise tens of thousands of dollars and give us name recognition across the country. This contest may hinge on fewer than 100 votes. Your vote COUNTS!

Please go to http://ga4.org/pacforachange/senate_vote.html and vote for the Democratic Nominee from Texas, Barbara Ann Radnofsky. I'm also asking that you forward this email to your list. The campaign is working its heart out to gain grassroots and netroots support now.

Barbara Ann is in fourth place as of July 18. The leader, Bob Casey, is running against Rick Santorum, a man who has generated a great deal of angst lately. Would it surprise you to know that Ms. Hutchison's voting record since early last year is identical to Mr. Santorum's (except for absences)? In other words, Pennsylvania residents are getting more mileage from their sitting Senator than we are. This just isn't right, because you know OUR incumbent is even worse than theirs!

KBH: Is is the single largest recipient of oil dollars in Congress, receiving $1.79 million through 2005. Embraces Tom DeLay and opposes ethics reform. Hosted K Street Project events. Considered perjury a technicality (with regard to Scooter Libby's indictment.)

There are plenty more such bullets, but you get the idea.

Please go vote! http://ga4.org/pacforachange/senate_vote.html

Thanks a million!

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

July 18, 2006

Labor and Working Conditions Workshop - 7/22

HCDP Workshop July 22nd, 9 am-1:30pm

Fifth  in a Series of Interactive Workshops created to energize and inform concerned citizens by helping them better understand the Democratic perspective on provocative issues of the election year.

Contact info:
RSVP:  713-802-0085, hcdp@hcdp.org, or murvin@gmail.com

 

Location: Harris County Democratic Party Headquarters, 1445 N. Loop W @ Ella Blvd. #110, 713/802-0085  www.hcdp.org

Keynote speaker: Richard C. Shaw, Secretary-Treasurer, Harris County AFL-CIO.

Future Workshop topics :

Posted by Lyn Wall at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Henley Fundraiser and Film Screening with Susan MacDougal

HenleyJim Henley Fundraiser and Film Screening

featuring

The Hunting of the President

with special guest

Susan McDougal

Thursday, July 27, 2006

7:00 PM at River Oaks Theater

Ticket Prices: Reserved $100

Preferred $50 / General $25 / Students $10

Reserved tickets receive special seating and entry into a private reception with Susan McDougal at La Griglia following the film.

For tickets click here or call 713-527-0234

 

Hunting of the President Official Movie Site

Posted by Lyn Wall at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Chris Bell Environmental Tour Stop in Houston Today

"Healthy Texas Tour" stop in Houston

Start: July 18, 2006 - 2:00pm
Location: Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford Street, Houston

Chris will make his Houston stop on the "Healthy Texas" press tour at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, July 18, at 2:00 pm.

Chris will talk to reporters about the serious environmental health concerns that affect metropolitan Houston and how his enviro policy will address them, then tour a local refinery with representatives from Clean Air for Houston.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 17, 2006

Watch Chris Bell's new TV ad

It's huuuuuuuuge.

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 16, 2006

Sunday Funnies





More ... --->





Posted by Perry Dorrell at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 14, 2006

DNC's Voting Rights Institute Calls for 'Manual Count' in Busby/Bilbray Race

Harris County election judges have possession of Hart InterCivic eSlate System Judge's Booth Controllers (JBCs) for up to 72 hours before elections.

Support David Van Os, your Texas Democratic Party Judicial Candidates and James G. Pierre.

"Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is thrilled that the DNC has joined PDA in calling for a swift and verifiable "manual count" of all 150,000 ballots cast in California's 50th District's "bellwether" June 6th special election. The age of computer voting is upon us, largely untested, and breached security regulations in San Diego cast the machines' certification into doubt. It also cast the results into question.

Verifying the machine count by hand-counting ballots and paper trail is a necessary step in engaging the electorate's trust so that they will engage in the democratic process, come November, that creates our free republic," stated Mimi Kennedy Board Chair of PDA.

For several weeks since the June 6th Special Election in California's 50th Congressional District there have been reports of election irregularities. The DNC Voting Rights Institute ("VRI") has been monitoring the developments since Election Day and has raised a number of concerns regarding new and disturbing information.

First and foremost is the fact that any election where there are allegations of machine tampering, break downs in chain of custody, security breaches and other such irregularities must be taken seriously. There are several facts in this race that raise very deep concerns.

On the facts:

1. We know for a fact that San Diego County election officials have admitted that a number of the voting machines were taken home in violation of the federal security regulations and guidelines and that a number of the machines showed evidence of tampering (broken seals, which should also have immediately disqualified those machines from use according to state laws implemented in just the last several months in response to new severe vulnerabilities discovered Diebold's optical-scan and touch-screen voting systems.)

2. We know that under state and federal guidelines, any such breach of security seals or the new "secure storage" requirements for these machines and their memory cards should have immediately disqualified those machines from use in the election for the reason that they became effectively decertified for use upon such security and chain of custody violations.

3. We also know that both the Diebold optical-scan and touch-screen (DRE) machines have been proven to be vulnerable to tampering in test after test by industry experts, including a team of computer scientists and security experts convened by California's Secretary of State in response to recent revelations concerning the hack ability of Diebold voting systems.

4. We know that serious security issues and efforts by Diebold to obfuscate problems with their hardware and software led California's former Democratic Secretary of State to decertify Diebold touch-screen systems in 2004, only to have the Republican Secretary who succeeded him reinstitute the machines over the objections of scores of computer scientists and experts and hundreds of election integrity advocates.

The San Diego County election official responsible for administrating post-election manual vote counts has given three different arbitrary cost estimates for conducting the hand count. The quoted fees are as much as six times the costs estimates for similar hand counts in surrounding counties. The estimates portray the expense of a manual vote count to be cost prohibitive.

This is no longer about whether or not Busby or Bilbray won the election on June 6th. This is about the importance of verifying the facts related to election and voting machine irregularities in this race and the need to ensure an accurate count of all votes cast in this election so that the electorate may have confidence in the announced results in future elections.

The VRI will continue to monitor facts as they become available and will call for a swift and verifiable "manual count" of all 150,000 ballots cast in California's 50th District's "bellwether" June 6th special election in order to ensure the integrity of November 7th general elections and the overall integrity of our country's voting systems in this still-untested age of computerized voting.

Greg Moore is director of the DNC's Voting Rights Institute and a PDA National Board Member.

The Progressive Populist Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party is the state caucus of Progressive Democrats of America.

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 13, 2006

The first job is to pay attention! Case 1: Taking Care of working people

My dad was a longshoreman , a union man , till the day he died . He made a good living because the union helped assure him a living wage and benefits. My mom is living off the pension he earned for her. But workers have fallen on increasingly hard times since he died in 1984. Two issues ongoing in the news remind us that the hard times can get worse, if we don't pay attention.

The First is minimum wage. At the Federal level, the Rethugs have again heeded their masters' voice and stopped any increase . Since 1997 Congress has voted itself 8 pay increases , yet when it came time for a vote this year on upping the Federal Minimum wage:
Daily Kos: Shameless (Minimum Wage)

"...instead of letting the measure go to the floor of the full House for a vote, the Republican leadership decided to pull the appropriations bill from consideration and the minimum wage increase along with it."

All the old scarce stories on why we can't up the minimum wage have failed the Repugs , but campaign money and ideology have never been trumphable by the facts. The last increase in Federal minimum wage was in 1997. You will note that it took George Bush to turn the economy south, the higher minimum wage was followed by the 3 more years of Clinton prosperity. That meant more jobs for young people , strong job creation in general .


Stimied at the national level, Progressives in the states, with the support of what is left of organized labor, have been scoring big time with this. A group called ACORN also is at the forefront of the fight, helping to take it the next level, provisions for "living wages".This is a winner issue for us and for unions, if we push it!
LINK Several states recognize the value of the federal minimum wage has been declining and have taken steps to ensure the minimum wage in their state supports working families. Every year, state legislatures consider minimum wage increases. In 2005, state minimum wage legislation or ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage are active in Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. In addition, 15 states and the District of Columbia have set minimum wage rates above the federal floor.

Minimum wages increase is a populist and popular issue:

LINK Americans Support an Increase in the Minimum Wage
"# A January 2005 report by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center shows Americans overwhelmingly support an increase in the minimum wage: 82 percent say it is an important priority and only 6 percent oppose an increase.
# A January 2002 poll by Lake Snell Perry & Associates for the Ms. Foundation found that 77 percent of likely voters surveyed support raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $8 per hour. Some 79 percent of likely voters support regular increases in the minimum wage to address the effect of inflation on the real value of the minimum wage.
# A November 2001 survey conducted by Techno Metrica Institute of Policy and Politics for Investor’s Business Daily and The Christian Science Monitor found that 75 percent of the survey respondents supported raising the minimum wage as a way to stimulate the economy.
# An October 2001 survey by the Gallup Organization for Gallup, CNN and USA Today found that 81 percent of the respondents supported an increase in the minimum wage."

And , if they don't cut us off with preemptive legislation or court rulings, city level initiatives have meet with striking success also. One hundred thirty-nine cities and counting have adopted LINK " local living wage laws tying wage and/or benefits requirements to government contract eligibility or other government financial assistance."

The other matter of concern is so called "Free Trade Agreements". Having pushed through CAFTA by almost literally twising arms, there is an effort to strike similar agreements with individual states. We can't reverse (for now) the NAFTA or CAFTA abominations, but we can fight anymore of them. The Oman Free Trade Agreement, signed Jan. 19, 2006 and awaiting Senatorial approval, would be another conduit for outsourcing American jobs and undercutting the efforts to provide better working conditions and wages for American workers. Oman is still an Emirate, that alone should warn us about any deal with them that would honestly protect workers rights, hell even human rights in an binding way.

For example, in an effort to window dress its non-existent labor protections, it has recently permitted the formation of labor representative groups. Don't be fooled:

LINK But global union leaders point out that the worker committees are not independent at all because Oman’s government reserves the right to attend the committee meetings, approve the agenda beforehand and prevent the committees from affiliating with international labor organizations, all practices that violate workers' standards approved by the United Nations’ International Labor Organization.

In June 2005, the AFL-CIO filed a petition with the Bush administration to remove Oman as one of the countries receiving special trade deals under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) because Oman did not enforce internationally recognized workers’ rights.

“There is no right to freely organize and bargain collectively; workers do not have the right to association; and conditions of work do not meet the standard of acceptable as required for GSP designation,” the petition said.

In June 2006, a coalition that includes the AFL-CIO and more than 350 labor, religious, consumer, farm and environmental groups sent a letter to Congress urging rejection of the trade deal. The coalition wrote:

“OFTA would expand the failed model of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This model has accelerated job loss and lowered living standards in the United States while exacerbating poverty and social disparities in the developing nations with which we trade.”

Posted by Murvin Auzenne at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 12, 2006

Dan Wallach on CNN tonight discussing e-voting security (or lack thereof)

Rice computer scientist Dan Wallach, one of the nation's leading experts in e-voting security, is expected to appear this evening on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight." The program airs from 5 to 6 p.m. Central.

Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN
5-6pm Central time, July 12, 2006

Dr. Wallach is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Rice University and Associate Director of the federally funded ACCURATE (Center for Correct, Usable, Reliable, Auditable and Transparent Elections). He also testified before the Baker / Carter Commission on Federal Election Reform. His testimony is available here.

Dan Wallach is an associate professor at Rice University in the department of computer science, and also manages Rice's computer security lab. His research focuses on computer security and other areas of computer systems, such as wireless systems and secure software systems for the Internet. Dr. Wallach's pioneering efforts led to the development and standardization of the "stack inspection" security model, now used by Sun, Microsoft, and many other systems. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Posted by Sarah Gonzales at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

TONIGHT: A Blinding Flash of the Obvious

Following the successful 2004 campaign to encourage Cincinnati voters to overturn an anti-gay city charter provision approved a decade earlier, People For the American Way Foundation Director of Interfaith Outreach Rev.Steven Baines had a vision of educating people about the lessons learned in Cincinnati. He wanted to develop a means for fairness advocates across the country to replicate the success of Cincinnati.

On February 15, PFAWF celebrated his vision with the premiere of "A Blinding Flash of the Obvious: A Film About Fairness and How It Was Won" at the National Education Association.

Join us at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 12 for a reception preceding the screening. Following the film, there will be an interactive panel discussion featuring some of today's leading voices in the struggle for LGBT equality. Together, let's Focus on Fairness in Texas.

Panelists include:
Rev. Steven Baines
Director of Interfaith Outreach, PFAWF
The Honorable Anisse Parker
Controller, City of Houston
Jerry Simoneaux
Attorney and Equal Rights Activist
Tammi Wallace
President, Houston Equal Rights Alliance
Moderator: Deece Eckstein
Director, Texas/Southwest Region, PFAWF

Event Fee: $20 suggested contribution

Location

First Unitarian Universalist Church
5200 Fannin at Southmore
Channing Hall (Fannin entrance)
Houston, TX 77004

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps

blindingflashhouston.gif

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Put on Your Blockwalking Shoes

This Saturday, July 15th at 9:00am, the Kristi Thibaut for State Rep. 133 Campaign will be blockwalking in Alief.

Folks, this is a House District with an open seat that we can win.  Many, many thanks to James Goodwille Pierre, Ronald Green, and Richard Garcia for volunteering to help with this coordinated campaign for Kristi Thibaut.

Please come out and help Kristi on Saturday if you have the time.

Councilmember Ronald Green, Richard Garcia (candidate for Harris County Treasurer), and James Goodwille Pierre (Candidate for Harris County Clerk) will be joining us. Please RSVP as soon as possible so we can work on the logistics. Thanks for your help! This will be some of the most important work we do!

RSVP Email Address for Event: ksthibaut@yahoo.com

Location
Meet at Jack in the Box
Dairy Ashford at Beechnut
Houston, TX

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 10, 2006

HCDP Brownbag tomorrow

Join us on Tuesday, July 11 at noon for the Harris County Democratic Party's Brown Bag Lunch: Labor Leaders Discuss Issues Facing Working Men and Women.

Richard Shaw, Harris County AFL-CIO and Ruby Jensen, Vice President of CWA Local 222, will lead the discussion about minimum wage, immigration and the challenges facing the labor movement.

Bring your lunch, the HCDP provides the soft drinks. See you there!

Posted by Lyn Wall at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 09, 2006

What a week!

Last week was so busy that I haven't had time to report on the many events I was involved in, so I'm going to try to play catch up here. See below the fold for more on

A conference call on HB1 and Education with led by Sherrie Matula 7/6

Sherrie Matula (candidate for State Representative, district 129) led a conference call attended by many bloggers and candidates on the negative impact of HB1. She was joined by Fellow State Representative candidates Chad Khan (district 126) , Diane Trautman (district 127), Ellen Cohen (district 134).

The consequences are dire, with the potential to bankrupt school districts, dissolve local control and devastate teacher morale. Check out these summaries of the conference from Brains and Eggs and Musings.

Fort Bend going away party for Tom DeLay 7/7

Friday night, Fort Bend Democrats held a going away party for Tom DeLay. Coming on the heels of the Sparks ruling that DeLay must stay on the ballot, there was a lot of interesting speculation about how the District 22 race will play out. It was encouraging to hear from Nick Lampson that his fundraising has been just as successful since DeLay tried to withdraw as it has been all along. See these photos and blog reports at

The HCDP Yellow Dog Fundraiser with surprise guest Jesse Jackson 7/8

The HCDP Yellow Dog Fundraiser was Saturday night. Gordon Quan was the emcee and Phillip McNutt and Melissa Taylor put on a great party and silent auction. Elected officials pictured and candidates attended and a good time was had by all.

Those of us that stayed until the bitter end were treated to a surprise appearance by none other than Jesse Jackson.

Read more about it at Brains and Eggs and Dos Centavos

 

Blogger meetup with Chris Bell 7/9

Last night, several bloggers were treated to a get together with Chris Bell. Chris' big issues in the campaign are

Progressive Texan liveb logged the whole thing. Musings and Dos Centavos have great wrap-ups and picture of yours truly blogging away.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Harris County Tejano Democrats Officer Installation & Membership Drive

Thursday, July 13 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Harris County Tejano Democrats
Officer Installation & Membership Drive

You won't want to miss this Party!
Join us and bring your friends to join!


Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

&

Cash Bar


**10TH ROAST & TOAST IS COMING IN OCTOBER**
HONORING JANIE & FRUMENCIO REYES

Event Fee: *Membership Dues $25 (it's free if your membership is paid for 2006)

Janie & Frume's Casa
502 Highland
Houston, TX
713-862-6121

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps

Download flyer at Harris County Tejanos.pdf

Tejano Officers for 2006 - 2007

Armando Walle, Chair

Claudia Flores Rodas, Vice Chair

Lenora Sorola-Pohlman, Treasurer

Belinda Castro, Secretary

Gabriella Cortazar, Sergeant at Arms

Janie Reyes, Parliamentarian

Frumencio Reyes, Jr., Legal Advisor

Jenny Marquez, Youth Chair

Jose Rivera, Youth Vice Chair

Tanya Makany, Youth Treasurer

Janette De Los Santos, Youth Secretary

John Gavidia, Youth Sergeant at Arms

Sandra Puente, Youth Parliamentarian

The Honorable Ana Hernandez, Youth Legal Advisor

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday Funnies (Coulter-style 'reality' edition)





More ... --->





Posted by Perry Dorrell at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 06, 2006

Key Excerpts from Federal Judge Ruling on DeLay

(202) 547-7610 - Fax (202)547-8258
July 6, 2006
Contact: Matt Angle
On the web at www.LoneStarProject.net

Key Excerpts from Federal Judge Ruling on DeLay

Read the Full Decision Here

From the Judgment
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that judgment be entered in favor of Plaintiffs [Texas Democratic Party] and that Defendant [Tina Benkiser, in her capacity as Chairwoman of the Republican Party of Texas] and anyone acting in concert with her, on her behalf, or at her direction is permanently enjoined and restrained from:

  1. Declaring Tom DeLay ineligible as the Republican candidate for the general election ballot for the United State House of Representatives from the Texas District 22 to be held on November 7, 2006;
  2. Certifying to the Texas Secretary of State any candidate other than Tom DeLay to appear on the ballot in the 2006 general election as the Republican Party nominee for the United State House of Representatives from the Texas District 22; and
  3. Certify to the Texas Secretary of State that Tom DeLay is ineligible to be the Republican Party nominee for the United State House of Representatives from the Texas District 22, or if she already done so, Defendant is enjoined to withdraw any certification that Tom DeLay is ineligible.

IT IS FURTER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Tom DeLay is not ineligible to be the Republican Party nominee for the United State House of Representatives from the Texas District 22 and that any previous declaration of ineligibility made Benkiser is void.” (United States District Court, TDP v Tina Benkiser Chairwoman of TRP, June 26, 2006, pages 1-2)

From the Analysis
“There is simply no evidence before the Court that DeLay is ineligible under the United States Constitution and certainly no conclusive evidence that DeLay will be ineligible on November 7, 2006.” (United States District Court, TDP v Tina Benkiser Chairwoman of TRP, June 26, 2006 page 9)

From the Conclusion
“Political acumen, strategy, and manufactured evidence, even combined with sound policy in mind, cannot override the Constitution.  The evidence presented in this case provides no basis for Benkiser’s declaration that Tom DeLay was not eligible to remain the nominee of the republican Party under state or federal law… there is no evidence that DeLay will still be living in Virginia tomorrow, let alone on November 7, 2006, the only day that matters under the Qualification Clause of the United States Constitution. DeLay himself testified that he does not know what will happen with his life in November, stating only that he plans to continue living in Virginia ‘indefinitely.’

“The Constitution ‘nullifies sophisticated as well as simple-minded modes’ of infringing on constitutional protections.’ U.S. Term Limits, Inc v Thornton, 514 U.S. 779, 829 (1995)(quoting Lane v Wilson, 307 U.S. 268,275 (1939))…

DeLay was chosen as the Republican nominee by the voters in the Republican primary, and he is still eligible to be the party’s nominee.  He may, of course, withdraw as is his right, but neither political parties, state legislatures, secretaries of state, nor the federal courts may rewrite the United States Constitution.” (United States District Court, TDP v Tina Benkiser Chairwoman of TRP, June 26, 2006 page 15) (emphasis added)” (United States District Court, TDP v Tina Benkiser Chairwoman of TRP, June 26, 2006 page 15)

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 05, 2006

Volunteer Phone Banking for Dot Nelson-Turnier

Dot Nelson-Turnier, candidate for State Representative, Distrixt 150 is looking for phone banking volunteers. Download this flyer with more information.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The League of Women Voters Supports Voter-Verifiable Paper Trails

Go to Original

from www.schneier.com/blog/

For a long time, the League of Women Voters (LWV) had been on the wrong side of the electronic voting machine issue. They were in favor of electronic machines, and didn't see the need for voter-verifiable paper trails. (They use to have a horrid and misleading Q&A about the issue on their website, but it's gone now. Barbara Simons published a rebuttal, which includes their original Q&A.)

The politics of the LWV are byzantine, but basically there are local leagues under state leagues, which in turn are under the national (LWVUS) league. There is a national convention once every other year, and all sorts of resolutions are passed by the membership. But the national office can do a lot to undercut the membership and the state leagues. The politics of voting machines is an example of this.

At the 2004 convention, the LWV membership passed a resolution on electronic voting called "SARA," which stood for "Secure, Accurate, Recountable, and Accessible." Those in favor of the resolution thought that "recountable" meant auditable, which meant voter-verifiable paper trails. But the national LWV office decided to spin SARA to say that recountable does not imply paper. While they could no longer oppose paper outright, they refused to say that paper was desirable. For example, they held Georgia's system up as a model, and Georgia uses paperless Diebold DRE machines. It makes you wonder if the LWVUS leadership is in someone's pocket.
So at the 2006 convention, the LWV membership passed another resolution. This one was much more clearly worded: designed to make it impossible for the national office to pretend that the LWV was not in favor of voter-verified paper trails.

Unfortunately, the League of Women Voters has not issued a press release about this resolution. (There is a press release by VerifiedVoting.org about it.) I'm sure that the national office simply doesn't want to acknowledge the membership's position on the issue, and wishes the issue would just go away quietly. It's a pity; the resolution is a great one and worth publicizing.

Here's the text of the resolution:

Resolution Related to Program Requiring a Voter-Verifiable Paper Ballot or Paper Record with Electronic Voting Machines

Motion to adopt the following resolution related to program requiring a voter-verified paper ballot or paper record with electronic voting systems.

Whereas: Some LWVs have had difficulty applying the SARA Resolution (Secure, Accurate, Recountable and Accessible) passed at the last Convention, and

Whereas: Paperless electronic voting systems are not inherently secure, can malfunction, and do not provide a recountable audit trail,

Therefore be it resolved that:

The position on the Citizens' Right to Vote be interpreted to affirm that LWVUS supports only voting systems that are designed so that:

  1. they employ a voter-verifiable paper ballot or other paper record, said paper being the official record of the voter¹s intent; and

  2. the voter can verify, either by eye or with the aid of suitable devices for those who have impaired vision, that the paper ballot/record accurately reflects his or her intent; and

  3. such verification takes place while the voter is still in the process of voting; and

  4. the paper ballot/record is used for audits and recounts; and

  5. the vote totals can be verified by an independent hand count of the paper ballot/record; and

  6. routine audits of the paper ballot/record in randomly selected precincts can be conducted in every election, and the results published by the jurisdiction.

By the way, the 2006 LWV membership also voted on a resolution in favor of net neutrality (the Connecticut league issued a press release, because they spearheaded the issue), and one against the death penalty. The national LWV office hasn't issued a press release about those two issues, either.

Posted by Aimee Mobley Turney at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

HCDP's Year of the Yellow Dog Celebration

Year of the Yellow DogThe Harris County Democratic Party invites you to celebrate the Year of the Dog...Democrat style!  Chinese dinner will be served, including vegetarian dishes.  Music. Entertainment.  Silent auction.  Cash bar.

Purchase your tickets online now! (we need a head count for food!!)

Download the event flyer here.

Saturday July 8, 2006
6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Kim Son Restaurant, 2001 Jefferson @ Chartres, 2nd floor, Downtown Houston
Additional Parking behind Restaurant

6:00-7:00 pm: Cocktail Hour and BUY BLUE Silent Auction
7:00-7:30 pm: Seating and Entertainment
7:30-9:30 pm: Dinner and Program

Tickets, per person:

  • $35, non HCDP sustaining member
  • $30, HCDP sustaining member
  • $25, under 26, full-time student
  • $15, 16 years old and younger
  • Sponsorships at the $300 level (includes 1 ticket, program listing).

Contact Sponsorship Coordinators: kellen.wilson@sbcglobal.net, 281-660-7294 or john.cobarruvias@bayareanewde