I'm not usually one to join in the NIMBY crowd about development in Austin, but the UT system recommendation to develop land in the Brackenridge Tract is offensive. Everyone knows that the university could make a shitload of money by developing this charming oasis near downtown, but that doesn't mean you should.

This golf course is part of what makes the neighborhood so desirable. Even if you don't golf you aren't surrounded by hideous Gables or Post property apartments.

The Statesman is blaring the news on the front page like someone put a turd in the punchbowl. We had the same reaction.

A mistake in a Arkansas law allows babies to marry. This new law was fought hard for by the baby lobby, and they celebrated their victory with freshly squeezed breast milk martini's at an after party just blocks from the Capitol building.

Baby lobbyist and president of the "Never to Early to Love" effort Madison said, "This is a great victory over oppression in Arkansas and a sound commitment by this state to embrace marriage between two consenting babies. We are thrilled to have the right, as babies, that grown gays and lesbians do not have in Arkansas. Now, if you'll excuse me I've pooped my pants."

The much touted steroid testing for high school athletes won't start until after football season. Heaven forbid we disrupt the season!

But, wait...there's more:

The new program to test Texas student-athletes for illegal steroid use will be larger than the testing program for the Olympics. The University Interscholastic League describes it as the largest steroid-testing program in the world.

THREE MILLION DOLLARS and last reports are less than 2% of high school athletes use steroids anyway.

One question. How many arts programs, extracurricular activities, teacher pay raises could $3 million a year contribute towards?

Priorities. Something Texans routinely get upside down over and over again. Brilliant.

Austin City Councilman Brewster McCracken: Maligned as a coke fiend? Seriously. WTF is wrong with you people in Austin?
Spam the Senate: This video from San Antonio may force me to downgrade my recent high marks on the city.
Dallas Morning News: Vlogger with a speech impediment calls out the DMN, gives them the Joseph Goebbels Facist Propoganda Award.
Rick Perry: Makes an ass of himself at the California Republican Party Event. Seriously, you suck as a public speaker, Rick.

I'm gonna have to draw the line at Ayran Nation gangs killing white people. Clearly they are violating their own policies and procedures.

A 52 year old white man was murdered by white supremacists in Harris County. This just throws my whole world view upside down. White supremacists killing white people! What's next? Cats living with dogs? The whole world has gone mad I tell you. Mad!

Hey Y'all, don't forget happy hour at the Stephen F. Austin today. I'll be there by 5:30 or so. Hell, I may be there by 2 in the afternoon!!

Buy me drinks to congratulate me on moving into the world of Mainstream Media as a Director of New Media and if Eileen shows up, buy her drinks for being Best of Austin choice this year!

The Austin Municipal Court will relocate to The Home Depot on I35 when they vacate that space. No word yet on if there will be DIY sentencing.

Al Gore takes home the Nobel Peace Prize.

The mayor of Atlantic City first disappeared and then resurfaced only to resign under a cloud of what can best be described as blatant stupidity. They mayor claimed he was a big deal in Vietnam or something and when it was discovered that was a big fat lie he went off to rehab.

I love the rehab these days! It's for everything! Substance Abuse, Pedophilia, Homophobia and just plain nutcases.

How many Texans wish their mayor would just "go away" for a while? I don't mind Mayor Will Wynn here in Austin, but I tell you...that Jennifer Kim could wander off and I wouldn't give three shits.

A man in Pittsburgh tried to use a $1 million dollar bill at a supermarket. The thing he didn't know was that since 1969, the highest bill in circulation is the $100 bill. Sorry bro we don't make change for a million.

Some residents in Farmers Branch, a suburb of Dallas, are requesting the city “council to discuss mandatory exterior color standards for buildings”. The residents who put in the request are pissed that some residents have painted their homes in flashy colors. Farmers Branch is the suburb that approved the ordinance for apartment managers to verify legal status before going through with a lease. The ordinance was blocked by a federal judge.

Business owner Elizabeth Villafranca perceived it as another jab at Hispanics in a city that has targeted illegal immigration. "We know who has the bright colors," she said after the council meeting. "Latin Americans."

Latin Americans with their flashy colored homes and great food.

This Staten Island City Councilman goes off on a fake reporter. I would pay a thousand dollars to see Senfronia Thompson get this opportunity! (YouTube Video Link)

Clearly, this disproves my theory that all elected officials are complete morons.

And for once, we agree.

The latest spying on Americans in the name of protecting us from terrorists measure is coming up again. Remember the last time congress was going to vote on this there was a "leaked" threat to the capitol. Bizarrely timed, indeed.

Guess what...measure is coming up again to expand spying on Americans in violation of your civil rights and another terrorist threat is "leaked".

Gee? What are the chances of that?

Now it's called the "Protect America Act" and includes immunity from telephone companies that turned over your phone records to the government. Seriously?

So pretty much it means to the U.S. Government, "Get your goddamn hands off my stuff. Whether that is technology, digital or paper...you are in violation of the United States Constitution and I'm gonna have remove my wig and kick your ass if you keep trying to get up in my business."

I disagree with you, Gardner, and the two Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb political consultants you interviewed for your story today. Cornyn's vote on children's health insurance will hurt him, just as his misrepresentation to Texans about what the children's health insurance proposal would do. He voted against providing health care to children! He voted against expanding a program that even he called a "Remarkable Success"!!

The TDP is going to jump all over this come election season. Cornyn claimed that the program was a subsidy for the middle class. Two things: What middle class? They've all but disappeared in this country or they are are living paycheck to paycheck and credit card to credit card...that's not the middle class...that's the working poor. And, there are a lot of families of four making a lot less than $80k that don't get the benefit of children's health insurance programs today.

Oh, and the fact that Texas ranks near the top in the nation on uninsured children. If you think that his kind of politics is going to last, you're wrong. Texas is wrong and the nation is wrong.

Whew! I feel better. Sorry, just had to get that out. Amber over at TDP needs to call me to talk about messaging.

I barely heard that CNN was reporting on some rampant fear that they are about to start rounding up Mexicans and shipping them back to Mexico. Something about parents are pulling their kids out of public schools and something is happening in November?

Seriously? Irving, come on...

Like how I know a lot about something before I post it? I could really care less about immigration issues, truth be told.

Last night's "Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights" had a good turnout at the Capitol. I'm curious that there were only three elected officials mentioned that were present: Rep. Mark Strama, Travis County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt, and Austin City Councilman Brewster McCracken.

Are these the only three heterosexual politicians in the state of Texas that support equal rights? Where was the Mayor? Where was Donna Howard?

I think this is a great event. I'm glad to see straight men and women work to support equal rights and put an end to legislated homophobia. We know that the men and women strong enough and secure enough in their own sexuality aren't hiding in bathroom stalls tapping their toes.

It takes a real man (or woman) to stand up for what's right.

A round of applause all the way around for everyone that was at the Capitol last night.

First Lady Laura Bush placed a commentary in the WSJ this week. WTF? Really?

"Gen. Than Shwe and his deputies are a friendless regime," Bush said. "They should step aside to make way for a unified Burma [Myanmar] governed by legitimate leaders.

Don't get me wrong, I'm opposed to evil dictatorships like the rest of America, Laura...but, for an administration and a half you've been awfully silent and now you're speaking? Is this because everybody hates George so much that no matter what he says we automatically take the opposing view just out of spite? Is the conventional wisdom that your words carry more weight? Well, they don't. You can't fool me like your mother-in-law once did. I wound up being sucked in by that old hag because she looked like my grandmother. I believed her and defended her and she turned out to be a cold-hearted greedmonger like the rest of you.

So just shut it. Don't ever speak again.

It's almost shocking to read something about the 'union' these days, isn't it? This isn't the east coast, Michigan or California. The American Airlines Pilots Union is right pissed off at management and is playing it up as contract negotiations are near.

Here's what I don't like: Disgruntled, unhappy pilots.
Here's what I'm used to: Horrid customer service from American Airlines, long delays, and an indifference to me as a customer that is so hurtful it actually affects my self-esteem.

Seriously, this proposition 15 has kind of got me between a rock and a hard place. We can all agree that cancer is a bitch and it would be great if we could find a cure. But, for Texas to spend $3 billion isn't something I'm sold on.

We kinda get screwed on this really, cause who's gonna vote against money for cancer research? But, if you do vote for it then thanks for approving a $300 million loan! Ugh. And now Lance Armstrong is asking me to vote for this thing. How do you say no to a dude that's only got one ball?

I think that $300 million is a tiny amount of money when it comes to cancer research. I think it's the feds responsibility and private partnerships with government to conduct sound medical research. I just find it difficult to get behind Texas spending $300 million a year up to $3 billion on cancer research unless: Texas money finds a cure and then makes a billion trillion zillion dollars selling it to the rest of the world. OR we only let Texans get cured of cancer and the rest of the world can go fuck themselves. Either way....it's where I'm settling in.

GEO Care, Inc. lobbyists are attempting to influence legislators to prevent the Texas Youth Commission from carrying out its duty to protect the well-being of the youth that were confined at the Coke County facility. Unfortunately, GEO and its lobbyist have called legislators to pressure TYC to continue operation at the Bronte, Texas, facility after the commission documented abuse and neglect at the GEO facility.(QR)

Lobbyist name you'll recognize?
Scott E. Gilmore, former Chief of Staff for Ray Allen.

Did you know that Texas blogs have over 5 million page views a month? Texas blogs cover politics, sports, guns, mommy blogs, gossip, Christian life, urban life, music, fashion, gossip and a whole lot more. If you're looking to promote your brand or issue, advertise on Texas Blogs and reach the eyeballs of Texas.

A 30 day ad buy on 67 blogs from the coast to the panhandle and east to west reach over 5 million readers for less than $10,000! Try to run a print ad anywhere for a month at that price.

Click here to buy your ad!
Email me for information about advertising on blogs and why you should or if you're a blogger not in the network and want an invitation.

The Austin Film Festival is gearing up with a week of movies, panel discussions and parties. Support independent films and do something different this week by attending some of these events. I love a good movie, and one not made as a 2 hour commercial is always a treat.

And I'm going to give it to you...If you cannot generate a profit on your little historic train to nowhere, then you need to shut it down.

Ok, so Friday is happy hour day at the Stephen F. Austin. Join us. Go ahead, mark it on your calendar. I'll be there by 5:30. Get there early and buy me a bottle of Veuve and tell them to put it in the freezer so it's nice and cold by the time I get there.

See you there!

Begrudgingly, I'm going to amend my long held belief that San Antonio is a ten block radius of tourism surrounded by a shit hole city. I went there Friday night to see Mamma Mia at what is surprisingly a beautiful theatre and then had the best steak dinner I've had in a couple of years at Bohanan's.

Consequently, San Antonio goes from my shit hole list to my "eh, it's ok" list. A huge jump that is also unprecedented. It is my goal to convert my opinion on two more Texas cities before the end of the year. I'll accept nominations in the comments.

When I read today that Britain is going to get half of their troops out of Iraq by Spring, I thought...man, that's quite the effort. Until, that is, I realized they only have 5,000 troops there now. WTF? Where did everybody go? Oh, that's right...they've all left. There are what? Approximately 168,000 U.S. troops in Iraq now?

Texas' share in dollars exceeds $37 billion so far. That's pretty close to being real money. The over 350 Texans that have been killed in Iraq mean we have the distinction of having more casualties in this war than 48 other U.S. states.

So, how much money is too much money on this thing? How many lives are too many lost?

The State Comptroller's office has a "wellness" program. By wellness program, they mean they get a small group of employees and take a half hour stroll around the Capitol. Besides the obvious question of is this walk half-hour deducted from a lunch hour or are we paying for employees to take a 30 minute break from what can only be described as the mind-numbing work in the comptroller's office.

I have a reward for the first person to send me a photo of this rag-tag group on their daily stroll.

Happy hunting!

Check out this video from CBS news on Youtube where Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones gets an attitude about a reporter springing up to ask her some questions. It must be tough to have to answer questions about stuff you vote on.

PD ADDS: And, I rarely defend reporters...but good going to the reporter that let the Rep. know that it is unacceptable to lay a hand on my person. I don't care who you are, if you grab me by the wrist like that I'm afraid my country might come out and none of us want to see all that.

You really have to see this documentary if you haven't already. The amazing world of credit and how so many Americans are caught in a credit crisis by predatory lending is an amazing story. I came away from this saddened at how easy it is to fall into debt that can ruin your life. Watch the trailer.

"Death will be the only debt relief for millions of Americans."

That's a pretty profound and sad statement about the richest country in the world, isn't it?

Ok folks. I don't know anyone from Idaho. But they must be STUPID!! Putting Larry Craig in the Idaho "Hall of Fame"! . OK -- let's do a "Texas Hall of Fame." Drew Nixon for soliciting prostitution. State Rep. Mike Martin for staging his own shooting. Nomination time: and the winner is: ...

But, as they said on SNL this weekend...Senator Larry Craig is not gay, but he solicits gay sex in a bathroom. Plus, he voted against gay rights every chance he gets. He really DOES have a wide stance!

You blog? Go to Vegas!. We could put together a PinkDome trip! We're really only interested if they have an open bar and hookers, though.