Well, really it's the Capitol standers in this picture. But, I love it! Love the sign! Love the sneakers!
If you're in this photo, shoot me an email and I'll send you some Tiff's Treats!
What would you rather do than sit in a 'policy' luncheon in Houston called: TPPF Policy Primer: Energy and the Environment-Economic Growth in the Face of the Challenges of Clean Air and Global Warming.
Me first. "I would rather go to dinner with Warren Chisum, than attend a Texas Public Policy Foundation Policy discussion."
"I would rather be completely sober for three straight days, than attend a...."
"I would rather act like Linda Harper Brown fascinated me for a full hour, than attend a..."
The streaming video of Austin City Council proceedings caught the first ever glimpse of Mayor Wynn's long-thought imaginary advisor, the Mangia Pizza dinosaur. In this screen grab (click to enlarge) we see the mayor listening intently to the Mangia Pizza icon pontificate on important policy issues.
We're all relieved down here in Austin because for a while we thought the mayor was taking his policy advice from Leslie!
Somebody write something for us explaining all this Blackwater crap. You know why I haven't read any of it? I don't like the name, Blackwater. I think they should fire their Marketing Director that came up with that. It's horrible. What kind of brochure would you do for a company called Blackwater? Sounds like it would be full of bacteria.
City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian has held three press conferences in one week opposing a strip club in her district. WTF? Seriously, what else is there do to in San Antonio? Walk along the riverwalk, drink overpriced margaritas, take a disappointing tour of the Alamo (there's no basement), visit a flea market and go to a strip club. That's it. And, I think I'm being generous.
In endorsing Rudy, Perry has pissed off some Texan conservatives. He also used it as another opportunity to let us know that he absolutely won't consider the VP nomination no matter how many times nobody asks him.
His public speaking skills continue to mystify me. Take this quote, for example:
"When I go to buy a pickup truck, if it's got one option on it that I'm not either particularly fond of or not looking for, doesn't mean I discard that pickup truck. I'm looking at the results and I think that's what Americans will coalesce. They'll look for the results," Perry said.Uhm...ok? I have to ask...is he mildly retarded?
President Bush was reduced to holding a press conference yesterday. His first since September. It was where he decided to tell Congress to quit being so lazy and pass his bills.
A collective guffaw was heard from the Hill.
Some creative folks modify Pez dispensers for fun. Here's a particularly politically incorrect version.
Some are much sweeter than this. (via)
According to the TPJ site, AT&T gave Tom Craddick $50,000 during the last reporting period. They also gave $70 to Lon Burnam (D-FW). A.) If you were Lon wouldn't you have sent that back with a simple two-worded note?
Back to Craddick and AT&T. That's either a brave move for a man with a tenuous grip on the gavel or a nice thank you for the recent deregulation legislation pushed through under the Craddick regime.
What state representative from the Alamo City is considering a retirement announcement?
The deal to buy the fake Davy Crockett letter by the Texas Historical Commission is a great example. A dealer contacted Historical Commission board Chairman John Nau that the letter was for sale to the state. Two weeks later a public announcement was made. The only dickering on the price was an agreement by the seller to donate $60,000 of the money to the state...which sounds a little shady. "I'll buy what your selling if you give me some money back." In business, we call that a kickback.
The state also says that they have 120 days to authenticate the letter. But, instead of waiting to authenticate the letter before a public announcement and face possible humiliation when it is deemed a fake...they made a big to-do! In business, we call that a "marketing nightmare."
There is also the question of the price. Is the price competitive for other historical documents sold on the open market? Well, the state wouldn't care about that. They have no idea what the words "free enterprise" mean. In business, we call that customer a sucker. One is born every minute.
Then there's the whole hurry up and spend your money or you lose it mindset. Buying a letter seems like the perfect way to dump $490,000 in a hurry. In business, we call that grounds for termination.
Ugh. Don't mind us! No brilliant minds at work over here!
No word on where Speaker Tom Craddick was yesterday.
Senator Obama's family tree shows both Cheney and Bush are related to him. Obama played off the announcement by Mrs. Cheney saying, "Obviously, Dick Cheney is sort of the black sheep of the family."
It just goes to show you that you can't pick your family!
Gardner Selby is reporting that Perry and Railroad Commish Michael Williams are set to endorse Rudy Giuliani for president tomorrow. Apparently the Texans didn't get the memo that the far right is none too happy about the former mayor, who happens to support a woman's right to choose, gay rights, and gun control. The horror, I know.
But perhaps there are other reasons. You have to admit, this really does seem to fit in with Rick's m.o.:
Perry will be on Fox News at 6:20 a.m. Who the F is up at 6:20 a.m.? Farmers, I'm guessing.
Robert is the new TEA Commish. Now you got it, let's see what you can do with it. Will the TEA lead the education community in policy development and what's right for public education or will the status quo rule supreme?
The eyes of Texas are upon you now, Robert.
OK. If this woman is cited for yelling obscenities at her toilet , wonder what the penalty is for yelling at the overflowing sewage from the Gov. and the Speaker?
Cell phone companies refused to answer Congress' questions on whether or not they provided private subscriber call data to the government citing objections from the White House and claiming "state secrets" privileges. State Secrets? WTF is this, Russia in 1973?
Verizon is the only company that has not provided information and claims to the government that they don't even keep that sort of data. Everybody else just rolled over and let the government invade your right to privacy.
The advertisement slogans may say, "It's the New AT&T" but it's really the same old bullshit.
The drought is very bad in the Southeast. My parents fill me in on the news and can't believe it's not getting the same level of coverage as Britney Spears. I tell her it's because nobody cares if George, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee dry up into a big dustbowl.
The reservoir that supplies Atlanta and 1 out of 3 Georgia residents has enough water to last them 90 days and there is no rain in the forecast. The governor of North Carolina has asked residents to stop washing their cars and take short showers. In Georgia, they are talking about imposing fines on both business and private citizens for waisting water.
This seems to me like a precursor to what we may start to see across the world as populations explode and water supplies dwindle.
Fascinating.
An obvious disgruntled employee at the DMN Metro Desk (do they have anything but disgruntled people at the DMN anymore?) sent out this email on his apparent last day. It's a fascinating look into the lack of writing skills at the DMN. Enjoy.
One of the most important pieces of media training advice I've ever given anyone is "SHUT UP." Seriously, if something goes wrong, just stop talking. Senator Craig just won't shut up. The man was "outed" a year ago...this is no surprise to anyone but those corn-fed dimwits in Idaho anyway.
If the Senator had any staff trained in media they all ought to be fired, because they are obviously incompetents.
Elected officials, pay heed. If you ever get caught up in something, call a publicist and media manager. Then do not speak except to read statements they feed to you. Ask Dan Gattis and Sylvester Turner for lessons, they can parrot words fed to them like nobody's business. Remember how Terry Keel humiliated them during the last days of the session? Priceless. But, I digress.
Seriously, what's up with that? I'm so jealous. I waited all day for the rain. My hibiscus trees look tired.
Here's another death penalty case, and once again gets me to reiterate the death penalty as a form of punishment. I honestly think we ought to be "culling the herd" a lot more than we are. this particular man choked a mother and then took her five year-old daughter to the everglades and threw her in the water in an area known as alligator alley. The little girl's body was found a couple of days later with a crushed skull and a missing left arm.
Now, while he didn't crush her skull or rip her arm off personally...he's obviously not fit to walk amongst us. Well, maybe, not "us" per se. Let me clear here. He is not fit to walk amongst people like me.
Evan Smith found out that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison hates blogs. She said,
The mood of the country right now is pretty frustrated. People don't like the partisanship -- there's kind of a toxic atmosphere about politics -- I think the blogs, interestingly, feed on that. The intemperate nature of blogs, and the lack of accountability, have had an overall toxic influence on our elections. These blogs are cynical and mean -- on all sides. I don't think that's good. Even if you disagree with the mainstream media, there's a sense of integrity and honesty and standards. There are journalistic standards, which blogs don't have.Blogs are mean? Really? I think that politics is mean, or as my grandmother would say..hateful. Cynical? Gee? I wonder why? At least I'm not a conspiracy theorist like some of the wackos that blog. But why shouldn't we be cynical...politicians lie to us.
What else? Integrity and honesty and standards are not exclusive to the MSM, KBH. As a matter of fact if you think that there's more honesty and standards and integrity in MSM than in some blogs then you are part of the problem...not me.
That being said, suck on it. I don't like you, either. I heard you're a mean and horrible boss. So there.
Elise Hu's political blog made me laugh at her bad driving skills. She's almost hit Patrick Rose and Tom Craddick as they darted out in front of her tearing around downtown. I can sympathize. I, too, have poor driving skills. But, I will say Elise is a better person than I am because if some politician darted out in front of me and I had them in the sites of my hood ornament, I'm not sure I could stop.
You know, the brake pedal can be hard to find sometimes. *shrug*
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