May 15, 2006

DigitalHouston plan to provide Universal WiFi in Houston

Tonight, I participated in a 30-minute conference call with Houston area bloggers and Mayor Bill White to discuss upcoming plans for citywide WiFi. Bids are due tomorrow for a 10 year plan to provide the infrastructure on city property to cover 640 square miles with WiFi service.

From the invitation from Mustafa Tameez:
“Information and communications technologies are as important for the 21st century as were roads, sewer, gas and water systems for earlier growth and progress. Robust, competitive and affordable communications are critical for the city to attract and retain jobs, improve the quality of education, enhance the delivery of healthcare services, and protect and serve residents.”

Richard Lewis CIO of City of Houston, and Mustafa Tameez joined Mayor White for the call with Michael Garfield moderating the event.

Bids are due tomorrow for a 10 year plan to provide the infrastructure on city property to cover 640 square miles with WiFi service.

Everyone is invited to participate in an online chat with mayor at 6:30pm on Wednesday at www.hightechtexan.com.  

DigitalHouston is the name of initiative. The goal is to take the lead in having a mobile wireless broadband access with as much capacity as possible and open architecture to provide consumer choice with multiple ISP’s. The model has private enterprise providing the service and funding using public easements as the city’s contribution.

Mayor White hopes to bridge digital divide by making the internet accessible to more citizens at an affordable price or no cost to people like students. The new service will provide competition in broadband.   City services will be able to take advantage, others with large service fleets. WiFi will be an attractive alternative to radio service.

This is part of the infrastructure, that includes fiber, cable TV and roads.  The best place for broadcast modules is city property using our utility rights of way and traffic system.

How long will the main provider have an exclusive contract?
Universal coverage will require a firm to operate the system and is responsible for capital expenditures. The initial contract will be for 5 – 10 years.

What are the guidelines for evaluating contracts?
Criteria have been developed for evaluating contracts – including financial capability, operating capability, public service,  public access, municipal services.

Projections for % market penetration in first year? Current mobile users switched over?
Part of the market risk is that there is no existing model for a large city. Some of the projects are just projections. Preliminary numbers indicate the provider will need 10 – 15% market penetration to get a return on their investment. Proposals will submit 10-15 year projected revenues vs. expense.

Emulate or avoid similar experience to other cities?
We would like to avoid something where you depart from the open architecture concept. Business model using public property as an inducement appears valid – Philadelphia and San Francisco models are examples.

Are their requirements to maintain net neutrality?
There is a neutrality provision – see http://www.houstontx.gov/it/wirelessrfp.html for the request for proposals for security, universality, neutrality, etc. requirements.

Provisions for quality of service guarantees? Scalability?
The number of access nodes is about 18,000. Public safety won’t come online initially and performance and capacity issues will be reviewed regularly.

Non-performance provisions?
Non-performance provisions would provide for default of assets to the City of Houston. Business users who wish to participate may opt to add bay stations on corporate property in order to ensure that the system meets their functional criteria.

Will the WiFi be available to tourists?
Approximately 5% of the implementation will provide for free use in facilities such as libraries, major parks and multi-service centers. Potentially there could be free access in low-income areas. Convention facilities and entertainment facilities are considering how they will wish to participate.

To bridge the digital divide, will PC’s be offered to low income users?
A number of nonprofits are working in this area. For instance one is providing PCs for schools and libraries. A business consortium is providing PCs and software to schools.

Mayor White’s Final comment
Citizens should be aware and involved in this process. We may be fighting special interests whose commercial positions are jeopardized by this effort. The public needs to show support for wireless high quality mobile internet access.

What is the timeframe?
There is a danger of locking into future obsolete standards.  Expect hardware to have a 5 year life followed by a refresh program. The chosen proposal will be scalable and adaptable to new technology. It is estimated to take about 2 years to roll out over a 640 square mile area.

Who was invited to bid?
65 firms attended presubmission conference, including SBC and Time Warner. The selected partner will have the right to build services out to other jurisdictions such as metro.

Where will the mayor be for Wednesday’s chat?
If we have good weather, Mayor White will be outside of City Hall by the reflecting pool with a laptop.  Otherwise he will participate from City Hall lobby.

What is the potential impact on traffic signal coordination?
City wide WiFi has to potential lead to enhanced traffic signal coordination in a very cost effective manner.

Will we know who submitted proposals?
Sometime this week we the list entities submitting proposals should be made public.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 18, 2006

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

October 19, 2005

A glorious Fitzmas week

just got a little sweeter:

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 17, 2005

Caption this

I'll begin:

"Did you say, 'subpoena', George?"

Posted by Perry Dorrell at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 25, 2005

My weekend with Rita

Man, what a buzzkill she was. Thursday, 9/22:

Rita on the rocks, no salt, and Friday, September 23: Rita Watch.

Posted by Guest Blogger PDiddie at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 20, 2005

Lovely, Rita

You messed up my interview/blog post with David Murff, the challenger to John Culberson in TX-07. Maybe next week (if the roof doesn't fly off my place).

Everybody should have an evac plan right about now ...

Hello? ... Anybody there? ...

Posted by Guest Blogger PDiddie at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 30, 2005

Well That's Comforting!

In response to news yesterday that the second case of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S. was discovered at a Waco processing plant, Governor Perry reassures us that:

"Texans can be sure that the beef they buy at their local supermarkets or restaurants is as safe today as it was yesterday,"

I feel better already.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 06:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

May 19, 2005

Brown Bag Lunch with Rick Casey

On Wednesday, May 11, Rick Casey of the Houston Chronicle spoke to the Harris County Democratic Party at the Brown Bag Lunch.

Rick covered a variety of topics during his talk. I have done my best to touch on them all, but feel free to add any comments after the post.

Rick laments missing Democrats:

Rick opened with the fact that six Democrats failed to vote on Menendez's $1.2 billion measure that would have given $1,000 in benefits to teachers, and school employees, including custodians, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers. Those who were missing included Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner of Houston; Appropriations Vice Chairwoman Vilma Luna of Corpus Christi; Business & Industry Chairwoman Helen Giddings of Dallas; General Investigating & Ethics Committee Chairman Kevin Bailey of Houston; and Rules and Resolutions Chairman Al Edwards, also of Houston.

Rick's comments on Republicans:

Rick then remarked about the fact that Bush supposedly ran on the "uniter, not a divider" platform in his first election, which as we all can see has turned out just great. He stated that Bush ran on a platform to make DC more like Austin, but what's happened is that Austin looks more like DC.

Another of Rick's comments was that Republicans have trouble making a longterm commitment because it's hard to make a dead Republican vote.

Rick on neighborhood development:

Rick then described that in the near north end of Houston that former industrial land is being developed. The developers want subsidies and a new road at a cost of $6 million to develop the property. Of course this funding is likely to come in the form of tax payer subsidies. Rick said that as a condition of using taxpayer money that there should be affordable housing mixed in with market housing.

He noted that this is one of the main factors to social stratification today. Rick calls it ruthless economic segregation, but it's not always apparent. He says that the price signs that advertise for new neighborhoods are indicators of this stratification. The fact is that "220s" want to live in the suburbs, but the "250s" don't want to live with the "220s," and the "300s and up" don't want to live with the "250s," and no one wants to live near apartments. Rick also commented that the really wealthy live in Houston, where property values have soared.

Rick reminisced about the layout of his King William District neighborhoods in San Antonio (this was before it became really sought after property). In his neighborhood there was a mix of classes, where on the street in front of his house there was a $400,000 3-lot mansion, and on the street behind his house there was a $35,000 one-bedroom cottage. This arrangement resulted from the fact that the mansions all had small houses for servants to live nearby. The City of San Antonio has a law that prevents any of the historical houses from being torn down. Consequently, there was a mix of rich and poor that is not often found today in most neighborhoods. Rick said it was hard to live in the neighborhood without knowing the poor who lived in Section 8 housing and the rich, like Charles Butt of HEB grocery chain. He came to know that there are some nice rich people and some awful rich people as well as some nice poor people and some awful poor people.

Rick also remarked on the loss of "family values," which he refered to as a young couple buying a house near their parents, something that doesn't happen in the suburbs. He also noted that the rich will live near the poor if the design is right.

Rick on religion:

Rick noted that religion is being mixed more and more frequently with politics today. He referenced Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which reflects the current debate about religion and politics. Rick noted that Lincoln was concerned about the influence of religion on government. Lincoln believed that the nation should be put under God's judgement rather than actively recruiting God for political purposes.

Then the topic shifted to Hagey, an evangelical Christian pastor of a church in San Antonio. The San Antonio Express News calculated his income at more than $1 million per year. Many church members wrote in in outrage. The reply was that God wants Hagey to be rich and for all of us to be rich.

The National Catholic Reporter did a piece on Catholic Pentecostalism that described a case of a baby suffering from leukemia. The preacher was praying over the baby and one of the family relations asked what was going on, and the preacher responded that he didn't really know but that someone nearby was lacking in faith.

Rick says there is a new nationl religion: God wants you to be rich. If you are not rich, you are not with God. Basically, the right wing would like to do away with CHIP, Medicaid, and the school fund. Instead religion says we should worship markets.

Markets aren't all bad, but Rick cautioned that we should consider how to make markets do what they do well and to tame them so they do. The rich say we do not have to do anything to manage markets. The poor just have to get with God, and that will solve their problems. Rick noted that at one time it was the blacks who were not believed to be with God, now it's the poor.

Essentially, the right wing has stollen the identity of Chritianity and turned it against the "non-believers." Rick asked how is it that God wants us to have a 3-5% revenue cap?

Rick on news media:

Rick noted how the main sources for news and information have steadily declined through mergers. He said that San Antonio had three newspapers until the 1970s, then two until the early 1990s, and now just one. Rick also said that the "forces" driving news outlets to consolidate have not stopped.

In the past the newsprint media has depended upon a low subscription price, mass marketing, and advertising to cover most of the operating costs. The main problem is that many advertisers have found that they can more effectively target certain groups through other technologies (internet, cable, digital tv, etc.) instead of a broad-sheet format. Newspapers have lots of columns that appeal to many different audiences, which makes it inefficient to target specific types of groups. In fact, a service for marketers is being developed for digital cable that monitors the types of shows one watches, and then based on those shows, specific ads will be shown. For example, if you watch home improvement programs, you might see an ad for Home Depot, but someone else would see specific ads targeted to their shows instead.

Rick on Democrats vs. Republicans:

Rick says it is a matter of time before Democrats become competitive again. He mentioned that Larry Veselka said that Republicans have become as arrogant and out of touch as Democrats were in Texas, and you can easily see it in Washington, DC.

Rick said that many see him as anti-Republican, but he says that's because there just haven't been enough Democrats to beat up on. However, he cites the narrow margins by which judges win as an indicator of change. Rick said that when the Democrats regain power to "never forget the blood lust of Irishmen."

Rick's other news:

Rick also mentioned that Tim Fleck from the Houston Press has joined the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board, so keep watch for his editorial pieces.

Next HCDP Brown Bag Lunch (Tuesday, June 14):

Rebecca White the Senior Vice President of Community Services for Planned Parenthood will speak next month at the HCDP Brown Bag Lunch. She will give a recap of the 2005 legislative session. As Gerry Birnberg said, "She will spend 30 seconds telling us everything good that the Legislature has done, and spend the rest of the time on the rest."

The next HCDP Brown Bag Lunch will be at noon on Tuesday, June 14 at the HCDP Headquarters.

Posted by at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 29, 2005

Places to Go, Things to Do, Sites to See

We have several action alerts, upcoming events and interesting sites for you to start off your weekend:

Places to Go

Things to Do

Sites to See

WHAT: Houston Janitors, Community Supporters Launch 'Justice for Janitors' Campaign

WHERE: George H.W. Bush Ballroom, George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston

WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 2005
1 p.m. - 2 p.m. Pre-Convention Press Conference
2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Justice for Janitors Kick Off Convention
4 p.m. Janitors march from GRB Convention Center to Rally
4:45 p.m. Rally

WHO: Hundreds of Houston janitors, Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, City Councilmember Carol Alvarado, ACORN, TMO and community supporters, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina, and janitors from other cities

The J for J campaign has been instrumental in bringing dignity and a livable wage to thousands of Americans. For example, think about what you spend $106 on each week. Gas for your car? Groceries? Dinner and a movie out? Imagine if you only made $106 each week, and had no health care benefits. How would you get by? Take care of your family? Unfortunately, for the janitors who clean Houston's office buildings, this is a reality they've lived with for too long.

Join these hard working citizens as they kick off a campaign to secure family health care, fair wages, full-time work, and better working conditions by uniting to form a union with SEIU (Service Employees International Union), the nation's largest union of janitors and other immigrant workers.

The janitors, with the backing of community, religious and elected leaders in Houston, are holding a convention and rally this weekend to help publicize their fight to form a union and strive for better working conditions for all. The organizing campaign is joining the ongoing community-wide efforts of ACORN, TMO, business and political leaders, and others to improve access to secure, affordable health care for all working people in Houston.

At the convention, these workers, part of Houston's "invisible workforce," will tell their stories of working hard, but struggling to provide for their families and pay for health care, and why they are uniting to achieve a better life.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

April 28, 2005

John Edwards Speaks in Houston

John EdwardsI listened to John Edwards speak at the South Texas College of Law Wednesday afternoon. The event was arranged by the Texas Democratic Party. Talk about a great charismatic message. I have summarized the main points of what John said below, but he put it far more eloquently than I have.

John Edwards opened his address by reassuring everyone that Elizabeth is doing great and recovering well after being treated for breast cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer the day after the election. John said he had initially cautioned her that she didn't need to go public, but that she insisted on doing so in order to encourage women to go get an exam. Elizabeth believes that if she was able to get just one woman to do so and catch the cancer early on, she would be successful.

However, John noted that we still have "two Americans, one for the wealthy and privileged, and one for everyone else." He said that he and his wife were blessed that they were privileged enough to be able to afford the best treatment available, but that many Americans have to get by with less or none at all. He said that the right to health care should be a universal right.

John EdwardsEdwards began his speech by remarking on the political pundits on TV he affectionately calls "yappers." Following the election, the yappers stated the Democratic Party had lost its way and did not even know what it believed in anymore, even suggesting how the party might change its ways. Edwards responded that Democrats have believed in a set of convictions and that he was one Democrat who knew exactly what he believed, including health care for all, fighting the causes of poverty, preserving Social Security... That it is these issues that Democrats must fight the hardest for and believe in, not to allow ourselves to be swayed by others who say we should alter our position. He remarked on the large number of young people in the room and said that we need to work on engaging others to encourage them to become involved.

Edwards noted that he was chosen to lead the new Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to promote an issue that receives far less attention than it deserves. His new position brings him back to his days as a child, and the fact his father had to borrow $50 just to be able to bring him home from the hospital. His father worked in a mill in South Carolina and John did as well when he was young. Edwards stated that working class Americans like his father went to work everyday because they believed they could create a better life for themselves if they worked hard.

John EdwardsHe gave an example of one woman, Loretta, who has been able to establish a small pizza shop. When asked how many employees she had, Loretta replied that "there are eight of us," not that she had seven other employees, but that each one of them considered the others as equals. He said that Loretta also takes pride in just being able to give he other coworkers paychecks.

John noted he has been fortunate to be very successful, but that he could have just as easily ended up still living in poverty, a state far too many Americans must live in everyday. He said that we can choose to face the causes of poverty or to turn away. Democrats created Social Security and many of the social programs to help the disadvantaged to raise themselves out of poverty, and that we need to fight to preserve Social Security for those who need it most, adding that Republicans are attempting to take the 'security' out of Social Security. He added that we also need to raise the minimum wage and to focus on programs that help individuals improve their standard of living.

One of the issues Edwards highlighted was freedom and that the current administration must do more than just talk about it, but to lead by example, not muscle. Edwards asked: if the woman in Saudi Arabia who wanted to vote in the recent elections but was not allowed to vote just because she was a woman is free, or if the man in Russia who spoke out simply for what he believed was right is free? Those in attendance all responded with a resounding "No!"

He added that while we are striving to spread freedom abroad that we should also be doing something to promote it at home. When an American votes, he or she should not have to wonder if his or her vote was counted, and that it was counted correctly. We should not have to need poll watchers and vote protectors. As a free society we should be able to vote without fear of intimidation, or even to be disqualified from voting. We should be working to ensure that every American can vote, not trying to disqualify Americans because they don't have a photo ID. Edwards asserted that Americans should have the best voting technology available so the next time we vote for the "Leader of the Free World" we can be certain that the person elected is in fact our chosen leader.

I thought that Edwards' talk was very inspiring. He does have a pervasive charismatic quality that allows him to connect with an audience. However, I would have liked for there to have been a town hall meeting component to the talk, but Edwards probably had another engagement to go to that prevented that format. Nevertheless, I was very glad to have had the chance to listen to him speak.

If anyone else who attended, there were several I recognized, remembers some aspect of his speech that I left out, I know I have, please add it below.

Posted by at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 11, 2005

Republican + Democrat = Republicrat

Are you a good Democrat? What do you stand for? What expectations have you set for your elected officials? What issue(s)do you demand results?

My fellow Democrats we must continue to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions in office. I was debating this week with a few Houstonians on politics and I was asked why should they vote for Democrats? I love being asked this question so naturally I began to tell them about our views on Healthcare, Education, championing working class values, ect. A Republican in the group came up and started talking about the House and that our “loyal” Democrats were voting with many Republicans on issues that most Democrats would not agree with. I asked him elborate on this accusations with something substantial. He immediately started talking about the Tx state budget and Craddick’s Republicrats. He immediately referred to a proposed amendment to the state budget which would have allocated 1.2 billion to increase health benefits to teachers and school employees. He began telling our group about a few Democrats that left before the vote. I did not want believe him, so I blew it off until I got home and researched the information for myself. Now based on what I read it doesn’t say anywhere that Craddick “told” any Democrat to vote, not to vote, or leave for this amendment. Unfortunately based on the information that I read, the Democrats had enough votes to increase health benefits for teachers and school employees. Hmmmm.


Message to all Democrat House members:
First of all, thank you for your hard work and service to your constituencies. Most of you are really warriors for the American people. What follows is for the few members who can do better. We understand that both sides have to compromise to get things done. Right now (from the cheap seats) it looks like we (Democrats) are doing all the compromising. We sent you up there to do a job. We don’t want excuses, we don’t want to hear about how “hard” it is or unfair. Of course it is hard and I am sure things are not always fair. Here is the deal; we cannot expand our base unless we make things clear that we are champions of the working class. That cannot be shown, just by words but by actions. Even though we may not win every vote it is still vital that you vote the right way (or vote at all). Republicans frequently run for cover under the bi-partisan umbrella. Every time something blows up, there are always a few good scapegoat democrats there to take a few shots for the team. If you need any inspiration then may I suggest Rocky I-IV. Americans want happy warriors to champion working class values, not politicians who stick their head in the sand at the first sign of trouble. Always remember with your head in the sand, you are in the perfect position to get your butt kicked.

Message to all Democrats:
Support your elected officials! Show them that we care how they vote and that they are being sent to office with expectations to always perform their duties in the best interest of their constituency. How long would a Republican that consistently votes for tax increases for the wealthy stay elected? Hold your elected official accountable for his/her votes in the legislature. Don’t expect perfection, just please be aware of what is going on and discuss these issues with your elected officials by calling his offices or waiting for a town hall. If you need more information on your elected officials give us a call at the party HQ or email me at allblue22@gmail.com. Just as MLK desired us to judge each other by the content of our character we should also judge our leaders by their legislative conduct and what they bring home to our communities. In the end, that is all that matters to the American people.

Posted by James Robertson at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 02, 2005

Senator Lautenberg Rebukes DeLay for Threatening Judges

And threatening judges is a federal crime. Raw Story reports that in a letter to Mr. Delay, Senator Lautenberg points out that

You should be aware that your comments yesterday may violate a Federal criminal statute, 18 U.S.C. §115 (a)(1)(B). That law states:

“Whoever threatens to assault…. or murder, a United States judge… with intent to retaliate against such… judge…. on account of the performance of official duties, shall be punished [by up to six years in prison]”

Full text of the letter:

April 1, 2005

Tom DeLay
Majority Leader
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Majority Leader DeLay,

I was stunned to read the threatening comments you made yesterday against Federal judges and our nation’s courts of law in general. In reference to certain Federal judges, you stated: “The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior.”

As you are surely aware, the family of Federal Judge Joan H. Lefkow of Illinois was recently murdered in their home. And at the state level, Judge Rowland W. Barnes and others in his courtroom were gunned down in Georgia.

Our nation’s judges must be concerned for their safety and security when they are asked to make difficult decisions every day. That’s why comments like those you made are not only irresponsible, but downright dangerous. To make matters worse, is it appropriate to make threats directed at specific Federal and state judges?

You should be aware that your comments yesterday may violate a Federal criminal statute, 18 U.S.C. §115 (a)(1)(B). That law states:

“Whoever threatens to assault…. or murder, a United States judge… with intent to retaliate against such… judge…. on account of the performance of official duties, shall be punished [by up to six years in prison]”

Threats against specific Federal judges are not only a serious crime, but also beneath a Member of Congress. In my view, the true measure of democracy is how it dispenses justice. Your attempt to intimidate judges in America not only threatens our courts, but our fundamental democracy as well.

Federal judges, as well as state and local judges in our nation, are honorable public servants who make difficult decisions every day. You owe them – and all Americans – an apology for your reckless statements.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Lautenberg

Once again, Tom Delay has proven he thinks he is above the law. Hopefully some federal judges will be given the opportunity to pass judgement on Mr. Delay's activities in the near future.

Posted by Lyn Wall at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 15, 2005

You Can Help - Join an HCDP Committee Today!

HCDP held a strategy session in November 2004 which generated a lot great ideas. That was the easy part. Now we must put all of those great ideas to work - and your involvement is the key to success.

The results of the session are being carried out through committees and work groups (under the direction and supervision of the County Executive Committee and county party officers). We have adopted a specific committee structure, which you may access online here (PDF format, 40 kb). We hope you will actively participate in this process; to join a specific group, download, print and fill out the Work Groups Sign-Up Sheet (PDF format, 28 kb).

Mail your filled Work Group Sign-Up Sheet to:
HCDP Headquarters
1445 North Loop West, Suite 100 Houston, TX 77008

or fax the completed form to:

713-802-2082

Posted by Lyn Wall at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack