For the free iTunes, silly! [HuffPo]

We like our iTunes, but not that much. Of course, with the Army having their lowest recruitment since 1979, they are doing all they can.

We have posted before on the Violence Against Women Act. This act is set to expire today, unless the Senate votes on it. It's not looking very hopeful. Here is the text of the email we just got:

We need your help TODAY . Senate Majority Leader Frist is considering not allowing the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization to be voted on by the Senate. We can't let that happen. Please call Senator Frist right now and urge him to allow the Act to be voted on by all Senators.

:: Call his office now: 202-224-3344

What to say when you call:

"I'm calling to urge Senator Frist to allow the Violence Against Women Act (Senate Bill 1197) to go to the Senate floor for a vote. This is extremely important to me and to my state. Please, do not let VAWA expire. VAWA works: Since VAWA, rates of domestic violence incidents have dropped by almost 50% and incidents of rape are down by 60%. I am one of hundreds of thousands of people in this country who are watching, and expecting him to support passage of this important legislation. Thank you for your time."

As you know, the Violence Against Women Act funds all the services that help women and families of domestic violence. From rape crisis hotlines to shelters to violence prevention programs that support the victims of domestic violence - the Violence Against Women Act is the single most important source of funding. It literally saves lives.

[source: AP]

All the bloggers get the same tips when someone wants to get a word out.

Here it is:
"high level sources at the TDP tell us" prominent Galveston attorney and former Galveston County Democratic Chair Tony Buzbee is moving closer to running for Lieutenant Governor in 2006.

Find it hard to keep all of Dubya's silly nicknames straight? Well, this list should help you out.

Question: Is Tony Blair a big Fleetwood Mac fan?

Over in Cali, Schwarzenegger went ahead & vetoed Califonia's bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Surprised?

Back in Texas, I was wandering around the Capitol yesterday evening, so I figured I'd enjoy the weather & stop off at the Vigil being held. KT over at BOR has some nice pics from the event.

If anyone is around the UT campus in an hour or so, stop off & see our best friend, Rep. Warren Chisum, author of HJR 6/Prop 2, defend this nonsense bill.

Discussion with Rep. Warren Chisum
Friday, September 30th, 12:30 pm
Jeffers Moot Court Rm, Law School 3.140

Author of Amendment #2, Rep. Chisum will square off with NNN campaign representative Anne Wynne and our very own CAAI Chair, Marti Bier! Please come support our side during this sure to be lively and professional exchange.

Remember HB 2292 from back in 2003? This bill was muscled through session without alot of scrutiny, and there were a lot of unanswered questions. It ordered a huge consolidation of Health & Human Services agencies that put a large amount of centralized power in the hands of the HHSC & the governor. Agency boards are replaced with advisory boards, they have no power to set rules, and many different areas are privatized.
According to the H.B. 2292 Transition Plan, all of this

"sets expectations for significant improvement in the cost effectiveness of health and human services agency operations in order to generate substantial, measurable, and sustainable savings."

"The audit, a draft of which was obtained by the Express-News, said a substantial amount of the projected savings evaporated after "errors and complete data" were considered."

Another fun bit? Turns out the commission counted federal matching dollars in its savings plan - federal funds that we aren't elegible for because of all of the privatization that went on.

Check out the Center for Public Policies Priorities statement on the whole deal. It'll be interesting to see what the audit says next week. Kuff, Jeffersonian, & Red State have more coverage.

The Austin Chronicle has an excellent look at No Child Left Behind and its effect on Austin schools. Most specifically, Anderson High, as that is where a large number of transfer students from low-performing schools are heading. Here's a taste:

It all boils down to whether NCLB's remedies - the five-stage school improvement plan of which the least prepared schools in AISD are in Stage Two - can really fix our struggling schools, or whether they simply set schools up to fail. NCLB critics argue that the law poses school improvement as primarily an issue of management, emphasizing the replacement of teachers, curriculum, and principals, rather than as an issue of resources, such as hiring more teachers to devote more individual time to each student. Others argue that money isn't everything.

So whaddya do if you're a down-on-his-luck, convicted felon from East Texas with outstanding warrants? Well you make up a story about losing family in New Orleans and use a fake name to apply for federal assistance for Katrina victims.

From AAS: "Walter Ray Stall, 43, of Palestine was arrested Tuesday after telling a Tyler television station that his wife and 3-year-old son drowned as he tried to herd them into the attic of their New Orleans home.
[...]
Stall, who claimed he swam to the Superdome and hitchhiked to Texas, said he had received money and gifts and was living with a volunteer."

So how did this genius get busted? Turns out his entire family lives in Tyler & they all saw him on T.V. telling his fake sob story.

"[Smith County Lt. Craig] Shelton said Stall might have gotten away it if he had not agreed to a live televised interview in an area where his family lives."

Genius, pure genius.

A state district judge has ordered a 17-year-old drug offender barred from sex

Note to self: Don't become a drug offender.

Yesterday Michael Crichton spoke in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee about "the facts" of climate change. We like Jurassic Park as much as the next guy (well, honestly, we don't even like it that much), but how does writing science-fiction books on climate change make you an expert? At least Sen. Jim Jeffords was seeing sense:

Mr. Chairman, given the profound human suffering and ecological damage along the Gulf Coast, why are we having a hearing that features a fiction writer as our key witness? Some may accuse me, as a policy maker, of falling into the exact policy trap that Mr. Crichton’s book critiques -- being too focused on the consequences of the recent large scale natural disasters and our nation’s policy response to them.

[Thanks to Gristmill]

added note: This is post 1001 for us. Whoo hoo!

After lunch we couldn't help but stop at the newspaper rack outside and take photos with our mobile phone of the headlines in the rack. Just thought we'd post them. Funny, not one headline screaming "Tom DeLay Is A Dickhead." Guess the print media has a ways to go to catch up to PinkDome.

MyWay: Senate Confirms Roberts As Chief Justice

"[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down"

Personally, we think aborting old white men would be a much better alternative.

Oh Yeah, That!

*Comments closed* Take it to the forums if you want to talk about ass-fucking.

There it is - the Sugar Land exterminator has been indicted on conspiracy. Check out the story. No amount of appearances with Elvis impersonators & hurricane victims can save him now. That seat is looking a lot more palatable for Dems right about now.

Also - looks like Craddick, Hammond, Wooley, & Delisi may have gotten off, but...
"Theoretically, prosecutors could ask another grand jury to consider charges between now and the Nov. 2 anniversary of the 2002 election, when a three-year statute of limitations expires. "

Delay isn't the only rockstar from Texas in D.C. - Texas is actually chock full of amazing Congressmen. Take Joe Barton for example. As chair of the Energy & Commerce Committee, he is using the hurricanes to introduce new legislation that would weaken environmental regulation on refineries while opening up areas to drilling. A couple problems? These suggestions were shot down already by Congress, remember that huge energy bill a little ways back? None of this stuff made it in to the bill. But now he supposedly has the votes to get it out of committee.

From the AAS:
"The Barton measure included easing air pollution control rules on refineries, setting shorter deadlines for issuing refinery permits and a government-funded "risk insurance" program to shield companies against lengthy regulatory delays in refinery construction. And it would give the federal government greater say in siting refineries and pipelines.

A companion measure, being put together by the House Resources Committee, called for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil development and would clear the way for states to allow oil or gas drilling in their coastal waters, including areas under a federal drilling ban. States would get half of the revenue from new lease sales."

My favorite quote? "We cannot stop hurricanes but we can mitigate some of the adverse impacts." Yeah, this coming from one of the 11 guys who voted against the huge aid package for Katrina victims.

The grand jury's term on the TRMPAC case apparently concludes today. First person to tip Pinkdome to any new indictments will receive Tiff's Treats cookies. Hook a blog up, yo!

Andy Smith is seeking to defeat Bill Keffer in HD 107 up in Dallas. If elected, Smith would be the first openly gay Rep in the Texas House. School finance, property taxes, and campaign finance are some of his pet peeves. Check out his website at http://www.electandysmith.com/

Also, it looks like someone else is heeding Rep. Bob Griggs' call to have experienced educators & administrators run for office: Dr. Bill Skinner of Grapevine is challenging Rep. Vicki Truitt in the GOP primary. He has taught in Houston for 15 years, and also served as a school assistant principal and principal before retiring as the business manager for the Keller Independent School District.

According to the Texas Observer and the DMN the DPS is screaming like a stuck pig about having to release the videotapes of the meetings to track down the Dems that fled the state during the redistricting fiasco about school vouchers.

The DPS claims it jeopardizes security at the Capitol. Really we think they don't want us to see the big orgy and silver trays full of cocaine and booze that line the hallways.

Tom DeLay may be in the crosshairs on the ever-expanding gay for pay TRMPAC scandal. From bug man to Congressional money-launderer. Not bad, not bad at all.

From a tipster:

Just before Hurricane Katrina hit the Texas and Louisiana coasts, this chart was made available to local and state officials as instruction on how to request assistance from the Department of Defense. No Joke. This is a real DoD chart designed to "assist" local officials.

Check out this flow chart. (PDF) Download file

"We saw it did not go flawlessly" [AAS]

President Jimmy Carter once donned a sweater in an address to the nation on the importance of conserving energy. It was one more thing that created the laughinstock that was a significant part of his failed policies. Today, President Bush had the gall to step up to the microphone and ask us to not make any unnecessary trips or perhaps to car pool.

You're kidding me right? This is from the man that's got motorcardes and airplanes taking him across the country for photo opps, got us into an un-winnable war and seen the deficits grow higher than in recent memory. His failed policies and inept leadership continue to astound me.

You want us to really stop driving, Mr. President? Or do you really just want the poor people to stop driving to the polls on election day?

Mass transit, indeed. This president is so out of touch he actually thinks we'll believe he gives a flying shit about energy and oil and et cetera if he asks us to conserve. We bet you a liquid dollar he'll demand oil drilling in every pristine part of Alaska and wherever else he can rape the environment. And nuclear plants? Really? I love a nuclear plant and all, but when was the last time we ever built one? Three Mile Island anyone?

How about incentivizing the car manufacturers to produce more hybrids, better fuel economy cars, introducing more renewable energy sources and creating funding for better mass transit?

Talking out of your ass doesn't mean we think you know what you're talking about, even if it does sound a lot smarter than when you talk from your mouth.

Carole Keeton Strayhorn has been so quiet lately. Did they whole fake audit thing take the wind out of her sails? We've called her press office twice to ask a simple question and got nary a reply.

Speaker Craddick was asked about the injunction that takes effect October 1 stating that the Comptroller would have to stop cutting checks to the school districts. This was in response to whether or not a.) the Supremes are going to make a decision this week and b.) if the Lege will come back and address it or not.

We called Grandma's office twice to ask if the injunction really mattered since the case was what you could consider to be 'under appeal' and if there was a statement about the impending deadline.

*crickets chirping* Strayhorn must be licking her wounds at all the press Perry is getting for being the Father of Texas right now. Poor thing.

Those nasty gals Rita and Katrina haven't kept us from hearing about that Mr. "I believe in Intelligent Design, but I'm still a Social Darwinist" Frist and his stock problems. Whether or not he really knew that the family stock was going downhill when he sold it (Hello, Martha?), we think this is a bit too shady for a possible Presidential candidate. The SEC Chief himself has to recuse himself from the investigation because he donated money to Frist's re-election campaign.

We don't have a high opinion of Frist, but since the whole "stem cells are okay" thing, we were getting to where we could stand him a little more. But if he gets away with this, no way. There was talk of him being a candidate for 2008, but we don't think that will happen if this continues to blow up in his face.

As we understand, the last day to register to vote in the November 8 ballot is October 11. If you are not already registered, get your ass in gear.

Prop. 2, the One Man, One Woman, One Donkey amendment will be on the ballot. So far, it looks like the Houston Chronicle is the only newspaper to come out (no pun intended) against Prop. 2. [BOR]

A recent report by the Federal Reserve paints a dangerous picture of Americans living beyond their means. At no time in history have we had so much collective debt. The report concludes that Americans have no savings and no cushion. A dangerous situation in the event of, say, a natural disaster that forces you out of your home and city and job for three weeks and counting.

Here's where we tell you that you are brainwashed. And yet, if you asked many Americans, they'd say life's prospects have never looked brighter.

That's right, prospects never looked brighter. The budget deficits are skyrocketing. We're in a cluster-fuck war, the gulf coast is obliterated and will cost billions to rebuild, you're living on your credit cards and employers are laying off staff, and the list keeps growing.

In Texas, we can't pay for schools or give teachers a decent wage. No one has the balls to say the whole property tax thing isn't working and businesses aren't paying taxes and Perry is jumping around on Hurricanes like a dog in heat to fuck every bit of good publicity out of them as he can. "Look at me...I care deeply about Texans, and NEW Texans!"

America reminds us of Patty Hearst right now and we're embarrassed to see you in that stupid beret.

Someone needs to slap some of you people.

"Rick, George already did this photo opp. Find your own, lazy bitch." Karl Rove told me when he saw this.
[AAS]

We've been pretty slack this week (read: drunk) so we've missed a few things. We'll start by clearing out our inbox and then we'll go look at the newspapers to see if anything interesting catches our eye.

David Van Os gets an endorsement from Jim Hightower.

Bill Clinton will be in our very own State Capitol to open the Texas Book Festival. We got an email that was all about wristbands that you have to have or you can't even breathe the same air as Bill. Well, sending off a letter to request one seems like too much effort so fuck that, we'll catch a clip on the news. Better yet, W. Gardner Selby...you get a wristand and write something clever about it.

TexPIRG released their annual report card on legislative performance. We love how black and white the scores are: Voted FOR the public interest or Voted AGAINST the public interest. Myra Crownover and Sid Miller are the two worst on the list. Check it out to see how your Rep. scores.

Dumbest Press Announcement of the Week: "Legislative Process to Come Alive as Senator Van de Putte Visits Local Schools"

This media advisory was one we never quite figured out. If Senator Van de Putte brought hordes of cash she smuggled across the border to give to the schools then maybe this would have made the news. Otherwise we think statewide elected officials ought to be kept a 3 mile radius from any school property...you know, like they make drug dealers, pedophiles and anyone with a gun stay away.

We don't have much to post today. We're secretly relieved that Rita is headed east of Austin. Sorry about y'all that are going to have a crappy time of it this weekend. But, with two bottles of Dom Perignon in the house we're looking forward to the weekend.

We could write some smart-assy things about the John Roberts confirmations, or even remark on Carole Keeton Strayhorn calling for a special session to address the burden on the state's budget because of the evacuees and disaster stuff or we could write about the Supremes expecting a decision on school finance in the next couple of weeks but we'll wait until Monday.

In the meantime, hit up the forums to discuss amongst yourself. Change "Katrina" to "Rita" and there's a forum for you or any of the others you can start your own threads.

Cheers, and so long Port Arthur or Beaumont or wherever.

Mark Fiore takes on Karl Rove and his reconstruction plan.

Putting Karl Rove in charge of the reconstruction effort in the Gulf States seems like such a sad joke.

Remember Pastor Wiley Bennet in Tyler? The one that put the sign up that claimed because New Orleans was wicked was the cause of them being blown off the map? Well, as Hurricane Rita moves a little East of Austin now I am using all bit of self-restraint to not call Pastor Bennet and ask him what did Tyler do to deserve this storm?

Maybe it's got ignorant zealots and God is a little pissed about it or something. My self-restraint doesn't mean you have to practice it as well. His phone number is in the link. Just make sure you tell us what he says. Cause that would be hilarious!

Common Dreams: Take the Liberal Media Quiz! Here's a sample question for ya:

5. In a typical half-hour television newscast, how many minutes of actual news to you receive (excluding commercials, sports, cross-promotion, celebrity fluff, weather and anchor pontification)?

4 minutes = 190 points
14 minutes = 3 points
24 minutes = -76 points

If you haven't seen Kinky's new ad, you don't know what you're missing.

Oh, and he won that poll yesterday.

PD Adds: Endorse a candidate? Bwahahaha. Please, you'd have to buy our endorsement just like everyone else.

A rubber company in China has begun marketing condoms under the brand names Clinton and Lewinsky, apparently seeking to exploit the White House affair that led to the impeachment of America's 42nd president. [AAS]

First, our reaction is...ew

Second, isn't this old news? And furthermore, the whole Monica Lewinsky thing was about blow jobs. Are people using condoms for blow jobs now?

Freaked out much? Well, I've never been through a hurricane, but today Rep. Pena posted on his memory of being hit by Hurricane Beulah many years ago.

Current forecast eye path for Rita from accuweather.com (if you feel the desire to be reminded)

We doubt that Rita will leave us with a Katrina-like mess, but what do we know? We're not meteorologists. We just hope all our loyal readers get through it alright and that the die-hards out at ACL don't get too wet.

Determined not to be caught with his pants down (again) Governor Perry has recalled Texas National Guard troops to Texas in preparation for Hurrican Rita.

Honestly, we're thinking of chucking this whole political blog idea and becoming full time Hurricane bloggers. Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Give us a break already.

(You are all welcome for the visual of Governor Perry with his pants down while you're still having morning coffee. xo)

Ever wonder what the Special Assistant to the Director, Honorary Chairs and Awards, Office of Presidential Correspondence makes every year? Now you can thanks to the National Journal with an exhaustive list of Bush Administration staffers and their compensation.

Mainly, we love the creative job titles. In lieu of a real salary we'll give you an extra long title! So Republican.

In today's SA Express-News poll, you can vote for who you'd elect for Gov if elections were held today. Kinky's results are a little old, but as of 2:58pm, he's a-winnin'. Chris Bell's coming up second, and "someone else" is in last place.

[via Onegoodmove]

I love this response. The FEC has filed suit against the Club for Growth. A pro-Republican fundraising machine that spent over $21 million dollars in the last presidential election. The FEC claims they should register as a political committee. The club's president responds with, "outrageous" and the suit is a "bizarre interpretation of the club's mission..."

Oh, that made me laugh. So if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's a lying pack of Republican soft-money campaign finance law cheats.

The first indictment of a Bush Administration official is now on the chalkboard. David Safavian, a former chief of staff of the General Services Administration and Abramoff lobbying associate, is charged with making false statements and obstructing a federal investigation. [AAS]

Since nothing else good is coming out of the pink dome, we think this is the best idea yet.

Q: I am planning a wedding in 2006. My fiance and I would love to get married at the Capitol.

Is this possible? If so, who do we need to contact to make arrangements?

Answer after the jump.

Someone tipped us to an article in the Houston Chronicle from this weekend regarding the Texas Restoration Project, a "non-partisan" group that seems to be serving as a get-out-the-vote front for Perry. Very shady.

Texas Restoration Project, which organized the voter-registration drive, says the effort is an attempt to bring morality to government by empowering Christian voters, regardless of party. But critics say the Texas Restoration Project is nothing more than an adjunct of the state Republican Party and Gov. Rick Perry's re-election campaign.
. . .
"We will have Citizenship Sundays that are intended and designed to encourage the voters then registered to turn out and vote and to vote as Christians, to vote not on the basis of their party affiliation or their economic status or their ethnic background but as Christians," White said.

Rick Perry is trying to go the "Compassionate" (read: hypocrital) Conservative route that his buddy Dubya paved. I would say that this group sounds an awful lot like a PAC, but nothing I find has stated that the group has donated money to Perry's campaign. But its members have. These are the same people who put on the forum where preachers blamed Katrina on the gays.

If God is actually speaking to these idiots, we hope they get some hearing aids.

update: We actually posted on this group when they were forming. We haven't forgotten them! We will continue to keep an eye on them. . .

Warren Chisum (idiot) claims that Glen Maxey is going to bus in homos to vote against Proposition 2 in November. Maxey says Warren is smoking crack.

For a measure that doesn't have SBC versus Time Warner this looks like it will be fun.

For the record we don't think Warren Chisum is smoking crack. We just think he was dropped on his head a few too many times. That, or his boyfriend beats him.

Streaking politicians! In New Zealand a politician promised to streak through town if his opponent won. Saying he won't break a campaign promise he'll be nekkid and swinging in the open breeze of the streets of New Zealand.

Can you come up with any politicians in Texas that wouldn't make you run screaming for an acid eye wash if you saw them running at you naked?

"If you start down that road, where do you stop? Do you have multiple partners?" state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, asked in a debate on Proposition 2, the gay marriage ban, one of nine constitutional amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot. [Chron]

That's pretty much all we have to say about Warren Chisum.

To go with my earlier Hear no evil post, I find out that Brown had such "difficulty" dealing with the LA gov that he communicated with her husband instead. What the?!? How much more patriarchal can we get?

So let's get this straight: women in power may be asked for bathroom breaks, but can't be dealt with in emergency situations? Arrgh.

Thanks to Gristmill for the pointer.

Hoy es Diez y Seis de Septiembre, Mexican Independence Day.

The president's speech tonight interrupted my day of suffering through a massive champagne hangover. His broad plans for recovery and claim that the rebuilding effort will be the biggest in the history of the world worked on me for about 15 minutes and then my pickled brain went, "Wait a minute. Who the hell is gonna pay for all this shit?"

Y'all discuss in the forums or the comments.

This NYTimes article makes a frightening statement about what lies ahead for New Orleans:

Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort, which reaches across many agencies of government and includes the direct involvement of Alphonso R. Jackson, secretary of housing and urban development.

Bush's note yesterday to Condi. [Yahoo: Reuters]