Someone e-mailed us about a rumor going around in (New Hampshire?) political circles about Strayhorn not running for Gov, but instead running for Lt. Gov. Has she officially filed to run for Governor yet? Her site is still gung-ho about her running for Governor, and a rumor is a rumor. Very curious.
Update: Strayhorn's camp's official statement on the rumor: "They wish."
The Dallas Public Library was forced to change their 'code of conduct' for patrons after homeless people began to use the library as a de-facto shelter. Complaints of people taking baths in the bathroom and the strong smell of those that weren't bathing in the public restroom forced a 'you stink, get out' policy implementation.
We don't see a problem with this at all, and quite frankly just the smell of the poor tends to make our skin crawl. We do enjoy the list of prohibited conduct at the library, though:The rules prohibit a range of activities, from sleeping to eating, bathing, loud talking on cell phones, fighting, bare feet and sex.
We've been to Dallas...we imagine the only people actually using the library are the homeless. It's not exactly a literary giant kind of population if you catch my drift.
Rep. Mark Strama sent us an announcement email that he is filing for re-election to District 50 for the House. We look forward to all y'all in District 50 supporting Rep. Strama. He was certainly one of the standouts in this freshman class. Go to his web site and sign up for his fancy emails or better yet, go spend some of your holiday cash by donating to his campaign.
Today's headline that gave us a headache? Cat gets 'Lucky' in rescue on icy river
Nope, we are not shitting you. This is how slow the news is. Ah, the media. How will we respect you in the morning?
Rep. Pena informs us that the government is going to expand the medical clinic in the Valley. It's not a hospital, but something is better than nothing, we guess.
We hate how our vets get short-shrifted. We don't arm them well enough in battle, we send them to die for no reason, and then when they come back the government doesn't provide all the resources they deserve. How many times do we have to repeat it?
Fire has ravaged North Texas and parts of Oklahoma devasting some entire small towns. God's spokesman refused to comment on the specific nature of the smiting, but did say, "God's policy is to smite those communities full of sin and false prophets. The Lord has no specific comment on the fires in Texas and Oklahoma and reminds people that He works in mysterious ways."
Republican attorney Thomas A. Campbell filed his papers to challenge Tom DeLay. Campbell said, "We need to return some decency and civility to the way we conduct the public's business." Decency and civility? Hell, we'd settle for legal. Civility seems like a big stretch. We look forward to seeing how this race will shape up.
"They're obviously trying to promote an agenda on one side of the political spectrum," said Will Lutz, a columnist who wrote a scathing piece on the center for the socially conservative Texans for Texas group. "What we've created is a government-funded advocacy group for values a lot of Texans don't agree with."Within the next year, conservative groups say they plan to draft legislation that would require the center to be paid for by private sponsors instead of student fees.
Ah...the old "promoting a lifestyle" arguement. We surely hope that the folks at UT realize the importance of providing services to all of their students and not just the close-minded bigots.
We are way too lazy to do a big recap of this year's news events, but we know y'all have tons of opinions. Email us and we'll post your emails with your idea of the year's biggest stories and most memorable events.
Rep. Vo of Houston has sent a letter to the University of Texas asking them not to ban an Asian fraternity from campus after a student died of alcohol poisoning in the house. The UT investigation found that pledges were subject to hazing and in violation of rules set forth by the University on the conduct of fraternities. Vo says the fraternity is an important network for Asian students that offers support and guidance to new students.
The guidance of a good paddling, being forced to do 'brother's' laundry and drinking heavily is so important for 18 year-olds. Fraternities haze, we all know that. We also know that sometimes it gets out of hand. There are also those humliating memories of where we were forced to give our big brother a 'special massage' but other than that fraternities were great.
The Chronicle found that most Houston-area lawmakers in the Lege voted against legislation that would have helped decrease pollution. Are we supposed to be surprised? Because really, what a shocker. This is HOUSTON we are talking about. Practically every petrochemical co. in the US has an office there. We exagerrate . . . slightly.
Of course we are disappointed, but shocked and/or surprised? No way.
[Grist]
Martin Frost's new column on the domestic wire-tapping echoes the sentiment we were trying to make when we talked about how the Framer's of the Constitution (like my liberal use of capitalization?) specifically pointed out that the new government better keep its grubby hands out of our cookie jar. (like my poor use of metaphors?)
And there it is in black and white: the fourth amendment. Let’s take a moment to look at the exact words of the fourth amendment to the Constitution adopted more than 200 years ago:“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.�
Not bad for a group of farmers who were creating a new country -- one that has survived for 216 years and is the oldest continuous democracy in the world.
Read the full article by clicking 'permalink'
We had a merry Christmas (albeit too short), and hope that y'all had a Happy Hanukkah, Kwazy Kwanzaa (it's from a "Simpsons" episode), etc. As we look forward to the new year, let's not forget about the poor. While Congress has "saved" Christmas, they have diverted money from programs that would help the less-fortunate (what's new?). If you would like to donate money before the end of the year (and thus deduct it from your 2005 taxes), time's a wastin'! Here are a few non-profits we recommend:
- Capital Area Food Bank
- Habitat for Humanity's Hurricane Response
- United Way Capital Area
Questions about the KETRA legislation? Go here.
A Christmas Greeting from John Michael Snyder of the Citizens Committee For the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. I'm not kidding, it's real. [via freakgirl]
Still no Executive Director at the state lottery and claims of retalitory firings for whistleblowers continue to plague the lottery with no real action that we can see to correct this clusterfuck.
"I think that the lottery still has not come to grasp that they are under the jurisdiction of the Legislature," said Flores, a South Texas Democrat. "They still have an attitude that they want to do whatever they want to do when they want to do it."
We like that quote because our immediate reaction was "Why in the hell would anyone think differently when you have the Legislature to look to as the king of all 'do whatever, whenever" logic?
As our grandmother told us many times, "Lead by example." When the state legislature can get their corrupt and partisan bickering asses together we'll expect everyone else to fall in line. Until then what more can we expect than a free-for-all with state agencies.
Seriously, Merry Christmas to all y'all. We'll probably still be posting over the next few days, but it will be light. Once we get home with the family it's valium and champagne that keeps us going until we get back to the bosom of Austin and our own version of sanity.
An Austin blogger writes about receiving one of those infamous 'Push Polls' we've heard so much about. These are not polls, they are biased and unscientific. I can't imagine they are getting any useful data out of them...they are more like propoganda phone calls. This is the kind of shit that makes us hate you, just so you know.
Here's an excerpt from D&D Austin's blog:
So what were the questions? Things like "Do you think Ronnie Earle is once again playing politics with the Tom DeLay indictment?", "Do you think the government should be allowed to take about your house to build a building?" and "Do you think the government should allow school vouchers so that parents can send their children to the best school possible?" How do you answer these questions -- no, I don't want to send children to the best possible schools.The more the survey went on, the more frustrated I got. I realized whoever was doing this poll was going to use it for their own agenda and own spin. Still, I was curious and didn't want to hang up, so instead I became a bit obstinate. School vouchers? No. Would I vote for Gov. Perry? No. Am I a Republican? No. Am I a Democrat? No. Is Ronnie Earle playing politics? No. Is my property tax too high? No.
Odessa has decided to include Bible courses in its curriculum. Just like Dover, Pennsylvania's recent Intelligent Design fiasco; it looks like Odessa, Texas will be the next subject of national news. We'd just like to say that no one thinks you shouldn't study Christianity....but you shouldn't do it in a public school building.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State.--Thomas Jefferson
Attorney General Greg Abbott has barred the legislation by Rep. Hochberg from being enacted. The provision permitted Texans to obtain prescription drugs from Canada at up to 75% less than the cost of those very same drugs in the U.S. (wow, that was an akward sentence...did you follow me?)
AG Abbot says it violates federal statutes, but nine other states permit residents to obtain prescription drugs from Canada. The assertion that the quality of the drug is somehow not the same because it's Canadian is obscene. There is a desperate need for relief on rising health care and prescription drug costs and this decision is an example of how the politicans really don't give a shit.
Well, not really. He did not get the speedy trial he so desperately wanted. See if he gets his speedy trial, is acquitted and scoots back up to D.C. he could be elected House Leader again. Whatever Heather, this is going to drag on for-friggin-ever.
What with the Patriot Act just barely getting extended, the Arctic Drilling bill getting shot down in the Senate and all, the news of the Republican party being split on spying on Americans (WSJ: Wiretap Furor Widens Republican Divide) isn't too surprising. How many times can we read that Bush "reluctantly" agreed to something the Senate pulled? I don't think I'll get tired of it.
Representative Senfronia Thompson has announced her intention to seek an 18th term in the Lege. We are so relieved. Without her the social conscience of the House would surely suffer an agonizing death. Full release after the jump.
Bill O'Reilly caused the Plano School District Officials to get their panties in a knot when he said that students were banned from wearing red and green. When the officials demanded a retraction he admitted he was wrong, but then went on to say that there was bias. Yep, Plano is a hotbed of anti-Christian discrimination. *eye roll*
My favorite part?
"One thing that we've stood by all along is that you are certainly entitled to your own opinions, and we respect that," Karla Oliver, executive director for government and community relations at the school district said. "But you're not entitled to your own facts."
and then, "It's amazing because that's not a liberal crazy area" like Berkeley, Calif., or Austin, O'Reilly said.
State Senator Armbrister will not seek re-election[AAS]. Will the state's water be better off for it? Time will tell.
Thanks for the Memories. . .
- Aquifer schmaquifer, March 29
- Liquor's for drinking, water's for fighting, March 30
- Skipping School, April 11
- Ah, the Sneaky Bastards Doubled Down, May 11
- SB1858 and you!, May 23
- So What Exactly Did Happen Last Night?, July 11
They threatened to redecorate the White House! NBC Reports that the Pentagon spied on a gay and lesbian student group that opposed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and labeled them a 'credible threat.'
"The Pentagon is supposed to defend the Constitution, not turn it upside down," Dixon Osburn, SLDN executive director, said in a statement released Dec. 20. "Students have a first amendment right to protest and Americans have a right to expect that their government will respect our constitutional right to privacy."
Silly folks, the gays don't have First Amendment rights! There they go again with their 'homosexual agenda' demanding special rights.
"That's what Texans like to see. They like to see some action," Governor Perry said as he filed his paperwork for re-election. We agree, we'd like to see some action, too. But, what we've seen a lot of is political maneuvering and talking points and pandering.
Ah, monkey fucking a football season is upon us. We didn't even know it.
We've received this email a couple of times and decided to post it for y'all. We had no idea. Looks like the Lege got their opportunity to screw over poor women.
Turns out the good ol' boys at the Texas state legislature cut Planned Parenthood's funding by 45% last Friday. The Texas Department of State Health Services "reallocated" more than $12 million in state family planning funds, according to Planned Parenthood.
And now we can't get him to shut up. He's been giving speeches like they're going out of style this weekend. Last night's address was a tiny step in the direction I've wanted him to go...the one towards being a little bit honest with us. While we don't believe in his whole, "You with me or against me" mentality and calling people 'defeatists' because they don't agree with the policies, we do agree that now that he's gotten us into this mess he sure as hell better figure a way to get us out of it. Whether that is through diplomacy or bullets is a tough question.
Also, we'd just like to point out there were a few to many "I" statements in his speech.
Here's a handy 'How-To' on becoming Republican. Texas Democrats may want to study up.
[via Floatem]
Just what in the hell did Jack Abramoff not do? This report that he paid a scholar at the Cato Institute to write columns favorable to his clients is another in the long reach of the super-lobbyist.
Remember the pandemonium when the House took up a resolution calling for withdrawal from Iraq and that bitch from Ohio called John Murtha a coward? The assholes did similar stuff today. Basically they had a resolution with some vague language about staying in Iraq until victory is achieved.
From the article:
By putting the resolution to a vote, Republican leaders forced Democrats to make a choice: either break ranks with their party and support the GOP resolution, or oppose it and open themselves to criticism, ahead of a congressional election year in which Iraq will be a focus, that they had rejected the notion of victory in Iraq.
House Republicans forced a vote last month rejecting the immediate pullout of U.S. forces just before adjourning for Thanksgiving break as they sought to kill momentum that was building behind Murtha's call for withdrawal.
Democrats called the quick vote a political ploy that prevented thoughtful debate on Murtha's proposal - and almost all voted against withdrawal in what they said was a protest after a nasty and personal debate.
The U.S. House approved a plan to build a 700 mile wall from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico. In Sheila Jackson-Lee's (D-Houston) words, the wall would create "the largest gated community in the Western hemisphere."
Seriously though, a fucking wall? I thought this was some dumbass's attempt at grabbing a few guest spots on CNN & FOX News. They've tripled spending on the border since the 90's and immigration has kept going up. Wanna know what happened? Instead of one guy coming across, he brings his whole family because he knows he won't be able to go back. Now people aren't crossing in the major towns, they're crossing in the desert. We've got border patrol agents whose only job it is is to cruise around and pick up dead Mexicans in our deserts. How many terrorists have been caught crossing in from Mexico? ZERO. How about, instead of throwing money at the damn problem, you take a look at the real reasons why we have immigration problems. I'd like to refer you to Rep. Aaron Pena's blog, read up on the border issues he's talking about. I don't think a damn wall will help any of that.
So Texas is boring me today, I figured I'd run down some talk going on in D.C. The torture issue has been cleared with McCain et al, and now the Defense Spending Bill is making its rounds, on its way to passage. Included in it will be $17 billion for hurricane relief. Now folks are trying to hang their own special ornaments onto it.
-Under the guise of hurricane relief, Joe Barton passed an energy bill that allows for drilling in ANWR. It got stalled up, and Senator Ted Stevens is contemplating attaching it to the Defense Bill.
-Also under the guise of hurricane relief, voucher-style funding for private schools in the hurricane-damaged areas of the Gulf region is also an option.
-Now on from hurricanes to bird flu: Dr. Bill Frist wants to tuck in language that would remove liability for drug manufacturers in case the bird flu vaccinations they are so quickly working on happen to backfire and seriously fuck people up. So go get vaccinated in case a bird sneezes on you, but don't plan on collecting any money if the shot ends up putting you on your deathbed.
So yeah, oil industries, voucher proponents, and pharmaceutical companies get a free pass because nobody wants to cast a vote against the troops and against hurricane relief. Kinda makes you miss Texas politics, doesn't it?
President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials. We know we all jumped on the 'security' bandwagon after 9/11, but come on....this shit is just too much.
We have a strong message to deliver to the government....get your friggin' nose out of our personal business you oppressive regime! Just kidding about being so conspiratorial about it, but think about it for a minute before you go posting a comment about our nation's security and all that. At PinkDome, we are not students of history...but we seem to remember the early Americans being pissed off that the King could and would force you to open your house to soldiers and you had to house them. This was a big government intrusion on the lives of people that we as Americans have long opposed.
So, where does this fuzzy line of national security and police-state meet?
We've got a new candidate. Bob Gammage has announced his candidacy as a Democrat. Here's a quote from his announcement:
“Today we have a governor who is just a cog in that machine. Rick Perry's been a weak governor with a failed record. He totally lacks the will and the ability to reform a system that produced him."
Suh-weet. We love a little bitchslap before lunch!
W. Gardner Selby's column today features a breakdown on the breakdown between Dewhurst and Craddick. Smartly, both men deny any such a thing exists. They will only cop to having 'different approaches' to things like school finance. We don't buy it for a minute. These two and their petty (I blame Craddick) dispute over a power grab is getting on my last nerve. How long can the State of Texas be held hostage by these two?
Either the House has got to replace Craddick as Speaker (fat chance) or these two have got to get along. Craddick's crazy old white dude schtick (however you spell that) gave us one of the most contentious legislative sessions ever.
We had a great time last night at the Brown Bar. Thank y'all for coming out to share some drinks with us. Now that we've all bonded, we hope you'll keep sending us tips and pointing us to news stories we haven't read yet.
Now, I'm off to go find my pants.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described the Holocaust as "a myth" and suggested that Israel be moved to Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska. [CNN]
Son of a bitch. Here we go again, was all we could say.
MAQUOKETA, Iowa - Sheriff Russ Kettmann has painted the jail's drunk tank pink.
A pink drunk tank, huh? Sounds an awful lot like the what Brown Bar's gonna be tonight. If you haven't yet, go RSVP, we'll see you there. Happy hour prices all night long.
A friend forwarded us a message from Texans for Rick Perry with a link to this video. We understand it is supposed to have a point, but it doesn't really get to it. If Ben Barnes and Carole Keeton Strayhorn have something dangerous in common, shouldn't the video just spit it out? As our friend notes, "i feel like i just got left with blue balls."
We couldn't have said it any better.
Hit permalink for full Texans for Perry newsletter.
Pop up with brand new websites with absolutely no warning! I hate that! Give us a heads up for Chrissakes. Otherwise, kudos to both for mixing it up a little. Now, please, let's all beg the DMN to do something about their hideous site.
President Bush denies race had anything to do with the Katrina response. He says, "You can call me anything you want, but do not call me a racist." (Y'all can have a field day in the comments section!)
This free reign should allow us to get a few things off our chest. We won't call you a racist, but we will say you're bordering on incompetence. We'll also say, you let us down. We could make plenty of jokes here, but from our point-of-view it was shocking to see Americans 'left-behind' and while we were looking to the President, he was playing guitar in San Diego.
Bush also went on to discuss the war in Iraq. Here's the dumbest thing he's said in 24 hours, "I think we are welcomed," he said. "But it was not a peaceful welcome." Let that one just sit there for a minute. If you walked into your family's house and they hit you in the face with a cast-iron skillet as they said, "Hello, fuckstick" would you say..."I was welcomed, but it was not peaceful."
Travis County District Attorney has asked the judge to delay any trial in the DeLay case until he has a chance to appeal the dismissed charges. Any setback will shoot a hole in Tom DeLay's bid to be re-instated as House Leader or stave off the wolves in the House from electing a new leader when they come back from recess on January 16.
We've seen the commercials asking seniors to get help in explaining the new complex prescription drug coverage options and we've taken a look at the website. Here's the confession.....we used to work in creating health care coverage plans nationwide and even we get confused. When you have government trying to create something why does it always wind up as an 800 page 'booklet' that reads like an Engineering textbook? Some Congressman are 'raising the red flag of concern' over the confusing plan.
Here's a suggestion for Congress: Instead of 'raising the red flag of concern' three weeks before something is to go into effect, why the hell don't you raise your voice during the original debate on the floor of Congress?
PinkDome and In The Pink Texas are hosting, "Pink Is The New Christmas," at the Brown Bar in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, December 14. If you have not already received an email e-vite you may click on the link and add your email and RSVP.
Starting at 6 p.m. we'll gather and celebrate the holiday the way we do best...by drinking and talking smack about everyone. You don't want to miss out because we can't talk about you if you're there. The Brown Bar at the corner of 8th & Colorado is so excited we're coming they've agreed to happy hour drink prices all night long. RSVP now!
Photo credit kinkyfriedman.com
Kinky Friedman's camp rolled out 3 new ads for TV. Good for a chuckle as you get ready to leave work...
From the press release:
"Beginning today, commercials featuring the new Kinky Friedman Talking Action Figure will air in five major Texas TV markets - Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso. The humorous commercials feature the 13-inch Talking Action Figure at a life-sized podium answering a barrage of questions from reporters during a campaign "press conference."
I'll toast a shot of Jameson's for ya tonight, Kinky. I'm off to get my self hungover tommorrow.
Check out the ads here.
The Houston Chron is reporting on the large number of incumbents that are not seeking re-election to the lege. Some folks think the list of 14 could keep going up, and we'll just have to wait and see. Some comments we agree with, like those of Rep. Jim Solis of Harlingen, "The last two sessions have been horrific. We've got a small Washington, D.C., now in Austin," he said, criticizing extremists on both the left and right.
We almost felt sorry for all those leaving in disgust or because they are tired or because they can't earn a living while being called back for special after special....almost. Then we remembered that they elected the leadership of the House and they are the ones that put re-districting and gay marriage and taxes on plastic surgery ahead of school finance.
Once again, we'll share a pearl of wisdom from dear ol' Dad, "Hell, I don't care what party a politician is...as long as it ain't 'incumbent'."
Andy Brown isn't giving up regarding his residency status. A press release he's sent out today indicates he's still up for the election.
"I am waiting for a response from the Secretary of State's office regarding my status on the ballot, and I plan to fight for the families of District 48 for their right to choose."
The Republicans are proposing a $14 billion cut in student loan programs. First the Republicans give tax breaks only to those top income earning Americans, then they abandon the poor with cuts to social programs, now they go after those families that need just a bit of help with getting their children off to college.
Oh well, if you can't afford to pay cash for college maybe you shouldn't go in the first place. I mean we always need people to work FOR us.
The U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear all about what the hell went on in Texas with the redistricting thing. We think they should sell tickets. The rest of the country will once again have their eyes on Texas as we collectively show how we can outdo just about anybody when it comes to politics as sport.
Dateline NBC has one hell of a deal for Governor Perry! Agree to waive the death penalty and they'll get a guy to confess to two murders on national TV. Wait, the best part is that NBC will then report a favorable piece on how instrumental the Governor was in the resolution of this case and bringing justice in these crimes.....you know, by whoring his office out for national TV coverage.
We think Governor Perry ought to call Mr. Abbott and find out how to get that producer from NBC in a Texas jail cell for attempted extortion or something.
