Updates on Fort Worth gay bar raid

Surprise. Surprise. The police say it was business as usual.

Police officers did not target gays during a bar inspection early Sunday in which one man was injured and seven people were arrested, Police Chief Jeff Halstead said Monday.

How can the Chief know that for certain so soon? Did he just take the officer's word for it while ignoring what the patrons said?

"There was never, ever anyone employed with the Fort Worth Police Department who would want to specifically target a location because of the date," Halstead said. "That simply did not occur.

So, it simply did not occur to inspect a gay bar on A DIFFERENT DATE? So much for community policing. Openly gay Fort Worth city council member, Joel Burns, said that the police were unaware of Stonewall.

In addition to a Fort Worth police IA investigation, the TABC might investigate as well. Might???

The TABC is waiting on a report from the Fort Worth office, but “given the concerns that have been raised, it would not be unusual” for an internal investigation to be done, said agency spokeswoman Carolyn Beck.

The Dallas Morning News is skeptical.

'Cause – Problem No. 1 – bar patrons who were there say it wasn't a "check," it was a "raid." Problem No. 2, this particular "check" ended with a kid in the intensive-care unit with a head injury.

Problem No. 3, in what I can only hope is a spectacularly infelicitous coincidence, all this took place on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Raid.

The Fort Worth raid is in the national spotlight. That's good news. We need to find out what happened. Official details of the raid can be found here. Eye witness accounts and commentary can be found here. More details here.

A Lesbian couple had their home raided by San Antonio police April 28. San Antonio's police chief, William McManus, has a better relationship with the San Antonio LGBT community.

The San Antonio Police Department has come under fire lately from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activist after police allegedly used derogatory comments against a lesbian couple during a home raid.

...

The outrage from the community was swift and resulted in numerous emails to Police Chief, William McManus, resulting in him contacting the San Antonio Stonewall Democrats to advise them that he wanted to speak to the LGBT community about the situation. Chief McManus arrived at a crowded restaurant to a round of thunderous applause. He stood before the room and began by disarming everyone with a history of his involvement with the LGBT Community, including serving as Grand Marshal of the San Antonio Gay Pride Parade in spite of severe criticism. He then assured the group that, because of this history, he would never turn a "blind eye" to allegations of inappropriate conduct by officers against the gay community adding that, "[if the allegations] happen to be true, there are heavy consequences."

Obama looking for troops to send to our border

Are we at war with Mexico? I don't think so.

The Obama administration is developing a plan to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military’s counterdrug efforts along the Mexican border, senior administration officials said Monday.

The stopgap measure between the Defense Department and the Homeland Security Department, and comes despite Pentagon concerns about committing more troops to the border — a move some officials worry will be seen as militarizing the region.

How many ways does law enforcement differ from fighting a war? Rules for shooting people just for starters.

Gag order for Brownsville Mayor's trial

While Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr., his attorney and a state prosecutor were ordered not to talk about the mayor's check scandal Monday, he looks forward to the "end of this chapter" of his life where he faces criminal charges.

...

The charges against the mayor stem from a $26,139 check that the city issued to Tarsia Technical Industries Inc. of Hauppauge, N.Y, on Oct. 22, 2008, that ended up in Ahumada's business bank account on Oct. 28.

See previous posts.

Texas makes deal with BP

The Texas attorney general and BP have reached a partial settlement in a lawsuit against the oil company for what the state claims were repeated environmental violations at its Texas City refinery.

Earlier this month, the state sued BP for what Attorney General Greg Abbott said was a “pattern of unnecessary and unlawful emissions” at the refinery between 2000 and 2007.

I'll bet somebody (Gregg Abbott, I'm looking at you) is running for higher office. Republicans don't normally go after polluters, except for the occasional symbolic gesture. Republicans are big on symbols. And, even bigger on cronies.

Slow to no justice for boys raped in Texas juvenile facility

More than two years ago, a pair of former administrators at a remote West Texas juvenile prison were indicted on charges accusing them of sexually preying on teenage boys at the facility—a development hailed by the state's attorney general as a first step toward justice in a statewide scandal.

But the cases have languished in court. And the delay could spell trouble for the prosecution, say attorneys and legal scholars.

Ill health of the judge or Republican crony justice?

Soulforce visits Hagee's church

This Sunday, as the 40th anniversary of Stonewall — the birth of the gay rights movement — was being observed, the Rev. John Hagee also welcomed a community that doesn’t traditionally attend. They were lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The only things distinguishing them from the rest of the congregation were the small buttons they wore that read, “Gay? Fine by Me.”

Hagee addressed them at a reception after the 11 a.m. service and later spoke privately with LGBT leaders.

If any of them expected fireworks from the gatherings, none erupted. Everyone seemed surprised there were no surprises.

This sounds promising.

Perry pick for watchdog agency is a pollution crony

“His eyes are so clouded by the pollution in Texas that he couldn’t see a fact in front of him,” said [Tom “Smitty”] Smith, director of the Texas chapter of Public Citizen.

In his short tenure, [Bryan] Shaw has rankled environmentalists who had hoped that a fresh day dawned with a scientist on the dais of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — a frequent target of complaints over its stewardship of the state’s air and water.

Why would anybody be surprised that a Perry pick is a crony lover?

Senate Lucio's construction consulting jobs over

It took about five years, but state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. seems to have phased out his paid consulting jobs for construction and engineering firms.

Last year, however, he still received at least $25,000 in consulting fees from the Houston-based TEDSI Infrastructure Group, according to his personal financial statement on file with the Texas Ethics Commission.

...

Lucio, D-Brownsville, did not say what he did for the firm, but in 2002 said that he would set up meetings and introduce the firm to officials in Brownsville.

Sweet deal.

Was the raid on a Fort Worth gay bar a 'Stonewall' event?

Witnesses say that police arrived at the nightclub about 1 a.m. Sunday and arrested seven people and that one of those arrested suffered a fractured skull during the takedown and is at a Fort Worth hospital.

Why were the police there? The only arrests noted in the Fort Worth Star Telegram were for public intoxication after a couple of patrons "made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor". Did someone make an alternative gesture to flipping the bird?

One patron's skull was cracked. The police claim resisting arrest. Other patrons say the man was on his way to the bathroom when he was grabbed by the police.

The general manager of the Rainbow Lounge and several patrons disputed the police account, saying officers used excessive force to make arrests.

"He was just walking to the bathroom when an officer grabbed him and shoved him against a wall and pulled his head back," said Chris Hightower of Fort Worth, a friend of the injured patron. "He (the injured man) was then thrown to the ground and three other officers were on him."

Lets find out what really happened. Two first steps have already occurred: the news is out on the internets and in the papers and Fort Worth City Council member Joel Burns is asking questions.

“... As elected representatives of the city of Fort Worth, we are calling for an immediate and thorough investigation of the actions of the city of Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in relation to the incident at the Rainbow Lounge earlier this morning,” Burns said.

Will Obama take this opportunity to make up for his appalling indifference to gay rights by getting his DOJ involved in an investigation? Will this raid serve as data for hate crimes legislation? At the very least, this raid must show Fort Worth, Texas and the US that official gay bashing will not be tolerated.

So far, its looks like ugly gay bashing by public officials.

Raymond Gill was at the bar early Sunday morning. He says one of the TABC officers targeted him. "I asked him why I was pulled outside. He stated it was because the way I was walking. He said I looked like I was drunk. But as I stated, I got to the bar 30 minutes before they got there. I sat down had not got up before police got there. No one saw me walk."

Hat tip to Morning Coffee Evening Wine. More on this story here, here, here, here, here and here.

It's time for the Monday blogger roundup!

It's Fourth of July week, and so it's time for an extra-patriotic rendition of the Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup.

Off the Kuff takes a look at the latest Lyceum poll on the Governor and Senate races in Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal suggests that instead of blowing of your fingers lighting fireworks--during a drought in Harris County no less---that maybe you would be better off reading a book instead.

With 2010 spinning up, it's funny to watch all the different players already on the field line up to take their first hits. McBlogger, of course, thinks they're all deeply in need of a little advice which he graciously provides (with surprisingly sparse use of profanity)!

WCNews & Dembones at Eye On Williamson post on the latest controversy involving the Williamson County Commissioners Court, Budget officer not just a good idea, it's the law.

John at Bay Area Houston says Turn out the lights, the family values party is over.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks online Texas Republican commentary on Mark Sanford is interesting.

The similarities between Mark Sanford and Ray Bolger (as the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz") are just too weird, notes PDidde at Brains and Eggs.

The wise men are willing to pay a tax on their favorite junk food to pay for health care reform.

WhosPlayin.com Video bring you EXTREME Congressional Town Hall - Special "Losing our freedoms" edition, sponsored by Prozac.

Over at TexasKaos, Libby Shaw calls our attention to Confessions of a Former Health Insurance Exec: "We Dump the Sick". Who knew? All the posturing , hypocritical , offers of self-reform and insurance relief are just so much bogus cover up for an industry too greedy to ever be trusted to regulate themselves!

The Texas Cloverleaf discusses gay pride, bar raids, and millions of gays marching in DFW this past weekend during the 40th anniversary of Stonewall.

Burnt Orange Report covers TX-10 Congressional candidate Jack McDonald's campaign expansion in the Austin area.

Del Rio City council members want to make recall harder

They don't want a successful citizen recall effort.

Two members of the city council who have faced recent attempts to remove them from office said changes are needed to the city’s recall election procedure.

Del Rio Mayor Efrain Valdez and Councilwoman Lisa Cadena Craig during Tuesday night’s city council meeting spoke about the effects the recall attempts had on them.

...

Cadena Craig said she is also urging that the number of signatures to force a recall will be increased.

I don't quite understand Repubicans

I was so naive in 2000. I thought facts and logic were paramount. Bush taught up was down and black was white and THEY BOUGHT IT! The media dutifully reported what they were told. Then Bob Altemeyer's - The Authoritarians helped me understand that the Republicans are all about identity politics. No wonder wedge issues are the way to go for Republicans.

The Mark Sanford affair is illustrative. Rush Limbaugh, ignoring inconvenient facts like the start date of Sanford's affair, blames Democrats for stressing poor Sanford to the point he had to seek release in Argentina. Other hacks trot out their list of Democrats who cheat. One Texas right wing blog did logic back flips to minimize what Sanford did. "He was in Argentina ... but who cares?" Maybe the people who were depending on him like his wife, his kids, his staff and the people of South Carolina who were left without a proper transfer of command. And, "Emergency? South Carolina's constitution provides for that:" Except that emergencies can come at you fast. Why should South Carolinians have to wade through the process to get to a leader? In an EMERGENCY! There's more drivel "I rather suspect that Sanford was, in fact, "on call" in case of emergency". Republicans have a rich fantasy life.

I've learned to expect all of the above. Here's what surprises me now. I see online comments saying they are disappointed in Sanford, upset about the damage his actions have caused the Republican party. And, this kicker: calling out Sanford for inappropriately using biblical text. Whaa? Where is the unrelenting hypocrisy and the blatant lies I've come to expect? Please, let these folks take back their party from the batsh*t crazies.

Gib Lewis arrested for DWI

Former House Speaker Gib Lewis, 72, was arrested Thursday night in downtown Austin for driving while intoxicated, Austin police say.

Hispanics ignoring the census seems like a really bad idea

Can't you find some other way to protest?

Some Hispanic leaders say they’ve waited too long for immigration reform so they are taking a controversial step — they want illegal immigrants to boycott Census 2010.

Valley residents delivered by a mid wife can get passports

At least some of the damage done by the Bush administration is getting cleaned up.

The American Civil Liberties Union has welcomed an announcement by the State Department that U.S. citizens born to midwives will not be denied a passport.

Last September, the ACLU sued the federal government on behalf of nine U.S. citizens who were denied passports because they have a Hispanic surname and were born to a midwife instead of a hospital.

I can hear the racist screams coming from the Republican, aka anti-Hispanic party, now.

TSU tuition and fees to go up almost 10%

Why? Because Republicans hate public education.

Tuition and fees at Texas Southern University will go up almost 10 percent this fall, with half of the increase coming from a new athletic fee students voted to charge themselves.

The hike — imposed just after a legislative session in which tuition limits were hotly debated but no action was taken — is among the highest at a Texas university this year. School officials said, however, the cost remains competitive because TSU’s tuition was lower than average to start with.

Texas Congressional delegation stands against clean energy legislation

Aren't I just proud to be a citizen.

Every Texas Republican voted against the measure, along with Democrats Chet Edwards, of Waco; Ciro Rod­riguez, of San Antonio; and Solomon Ortiz of Corpus Christi. The remaining Texas Democrats, including all three from Houston, voted with their party’s leadership.

You expect Republicans to be a**holes, but what about Edwards, Rodriguez and Ortiz?

Backlog at Houston VA among worst in the nation

Leftover Republican dissing of our troops.

Houston is at the heart of a growing national crisis involving the backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs that’s approaching a record 1 million, including thousands of returning service members injured in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Nearly 18,000 veterans are waiting for the Houston VA Regional Office to process their applications for disability benefits, according to the most recent data released by the VA. What’s even more troubling for some veteran advocates is the fact that 26 percent of those claims in Houston have been pending for more than half a year, compared to 21 percent nationwide.

El Paso loses Planned Parenthood

More than 12,000 patients will be forced to look for a new health-care provider after Planned Parenthood Center of El Paso closes its doors forever on Tuesday.

The organization's interim executive director, Analinda Moreno, announced the shutdown Friday.

"Advising the staff about the closing today was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," she said. "Our patients have always been our first priority, and we are still doing everything we can to provide transfer services. We made this decision with them in mind and in their best interest, and we hope they understand that."

...

In addition to its six locations in El Paso, Planned Parenthood cared for about 600 AIDS and HIV patients and about 500 patients at its Sierra Blanca clinic.

Those 'pro-lifers' squeezing the life out of health care for women should be proud.

Judge Longoria won't allow immunity in fight club case

[Judge Jose Longoria] Friday rejected a deal between prosecutors and a woman accused of failing to report organized fights among mentally disabled people at the Corpus Christi State School.

Prosecutors had sought to dismiss charges against former state school employee Stephanie Garza in exchange for her testimony. The deal also called for Garza to receive immunity from prosecution.

Celis likes Judge Bañales

Mauricio Celis’ attorneys have attacked prosecutors’ motion to remove District Judge Manuel Bañales from his case, saying the prosecutors are forum-shopping for a judge who would deny Celis’ request for a new trial.

The rebuttal motion was filed Friday afternoon by David Botsford, Celis’ appellate attorney, referred to in the motion as his lead attorney of record. Local attorney Tony Canales served as Celis’ lead attorney during his trial in February.

Who went forum shopping first?

South Padre Island Police Chief Robert Rodriguez resigns

That date, he said, will be the 25th anniversary of his tenure with the town.

Rodriguez said he plans to work as a private investigator and a consultant. Retirement will give him more control over his time, he said.

Jim Wells County dispute over handling truancy cases

Precinct 6 Constable Bartolo Guajardo has removed himself from truancy court duties over the last month, but would not say why he has chosen to do so.

...

“He tells me ‘it’s nothing personal, but no, I’m not going to do truancy at all, I’m not going to be in court when you’re in court and I’m telling the auditor to take whatever they paid me extra, off,’” [Pct. 6 Justice of the Peace Jose] Rodriguez said.

Perhaps Mr. Guajardo is in the wrong line of work.

Why aren't locals upset with a new Goliad coal fired unit?

Coal-fired power plants are the dirtiest of all power plants when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions.

The leading greenhouse gas is blamed for poor air quality and global warming. It's the basis for a worldwide push in stricter regulations and renewable energy sources.

Why, then, does a proposed second coal-fired unit at Goliad's Coleto Creek Power Station face such quiet local opposition?

Good question.

Texas Education Commissioner plays games with bailout money

San Antonio-area school officials aren't happy with Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott sending $24 million to bail out a select few districts that reward homeowners with a special tax break.

It means, in effect, that San Antonio homeowners and others in Texas who don't receive the optional homestead tax exemption are subsidizing those who do, North East ISD Superintendent Richard Middleton said.

“This is a clarion call to reform the entire system,” said Middleton, who wants the Legislature to undertake a study on the use of property taxes. “Everything needs to be on the table for review, every exemption.”

Finally! Kent resigns. No more 'Judge' Kent!

Kent called himself the 'Emperor of Galveston' and 'reigned terror' on his employees. Pleading guilty in a plea bargain, Kent admitted to sexually assaulting his employees and obstructing justice.

Faced with possible removal from the bench by an impeachment conviction in the U.S. Senate, U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent decided to resign 11 months earlier than he originally had announced, officials said.

...

When Kent was served Wednesday afternoon with the summons at the Federal Medical Center Devens administrative prison in Ayer, Mass., he signed a new letter of resignation, which was dated June 30 of this year, said a spokeswoman for Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader.

I've gotta say I was looking forward to watching his impeachment trial in the senate. Will they or can they continue? A plus for no impeachment trial, the women Kent assaulted will not have to testify. They deserve honor for stopping the 'reign of terror'. Thanks.

What has the 5th Judicial Circuit learned about it's good old boy ways? They gave Kent a 4 month paid vacation as punishment when an employee who had been assaulted complained. Later, they moved Kent to a Houston building where the woman who complained worked. Why can't we punish the 5th Judicial Circuit?

Info from the House impeachment here. (Hat tip to Sentencing Law and Policy)

See previous posts.

Perry calls a 96 hour special session

Gov. Rick Perry is summoning lawmakers back to the Texas Capitol on Wednesday for a special session to make sure key state agencies keep operating, take up highway bonds and consider public-private transportation partnerships.

All were left unaddressed when the Legislature adjourned June 1. Perry told reporters he expects lawmakers to finish their work in “72 to 96 hours. I think that’s three to four days, right? My Aggie math — y’all kind of check me on that.”

Perry said he won’t place the contentious issue of voter identification before lawmakers, even though the call for stricter voter identification is a priority for GOP leaders and lawmakers.

Does Perry really think more toll roads are going to happen? SocraticGadfly thinks so. Yet, no Voter ID. That's a relief.

File this under 'dumb criminal'

Don't send text messages to the underage daughter of a federal law enforcement officer.

A man facing indecency with a child charges used cell phone text messages to contact two 12-year-old girls, one the daughter of a federal law enforcement officer, and may have contacted other girls, officials said.

indecency

Windstorm insurance to go up 10%

It could have been worse.

Premiums could jump 10 percent next year for thousands of coastal residents and businesses insured by the state windstorm association.

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s board voted this week to seek state approval for a 10 percent rate increase that would go into effect in February, said Jim Oliver, the association’s executive director.

Senate agrees to impeach Judge Kent

Well, who wouldn't! The sexually assaulted him employees and then lied about it. He's in jail for obstructing justice in the case and won't resign. Can they impeach the 5th Judicial Circuit for letting Kent have is reign of terror in Galveston?

Although no timetable was established to convene a trial that could remove Kent, the Senate did pass two resolutions.

The first summoned Kent to a possible trial. The other appointed a bipartisan committee to hear and gather evidence. The committee’s evidentiary proceedings could take weeks.

Here's hoping the reports of a done trial before the August recess are true.

More judicial fighting in Celis case

First Judge Manuel Bañales said Luitjen looked biased. Now Neuces County DA, Carlos Valdez, wants Bañales to get off the case.

The district attorney’s office has filed a motion asking Judge Manuel Bañales to step down from the Mauricio Celis case.

Bañales signed an order last week assigning a Jim Wells County district judge to hear the three remaining trials for Celis, a former law firm operator accused of money laundering, theft and impersonating a peace officer.

Bañales then signed another order keeping himself on Celis’ current case, in which Celis has been convicted of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer.

Valdez has some good points. B'bye Manuel.

Tom Schieffer explains his votes for George Bush

Oh, wait. NOTHING can adequately explain votes for George Bush. Seriously. If he had a single brain cell, he would have known better than to vote for him. He did his clean up for him, for crying out loud! Did he not care about the damage this man could and would do to our country?

"It was hard, it was hard the first time I did it," Schieffer said. "But George W. Bush was a friend of mine. And it was more on a personal basis than on a political basis."

Oh, I see. Friends above country. Isn't that cronyism? Isn't that what Republicans do?

EPA questions TCEQ permits

Shucking off years of arms-length relations with Texas' anti-pollution activists, the Environmental Protection Agency has reached out to organizations that have challenged state permits and practices.

The new federal attitude is already putting pressure on some major Texas industries and on the oft-criticized Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which is run by Republican Gov. Rick Perry's appointees.

In the five months since President Barack Obama took office, the EPA has sided with the TCEQ's critics and blocked the reopening of a controversial copper smelter in El Paso; signaled new federal enforcement against big, state-regulated facilities such as refineries and chemical plants; and threatened to strip Texas of its authority to issue major air pollution permits unless the state agrees to changes.

Texas students deprived of a US standard degree

Republicans hate public schools. Putting Texas kids at a disadvantage in today's global job market? Not a problem.

Texas has decided to steer clear of a national effort – involving 46 states – to develop uniform standards for English and math instruction in public schools.

Texas joins Alaska, South Carolina, and Missouri at the bottom of the education heap.

Who will be our next governor?

Tom Schieffer is running hard. Got to give the man credit for that. Along with his enabling of George Bush.

Fort Worth lawyer Tom Schieffer, who says Texas is “literally on the road to disaster” after more than eight years under GOP Gov. Rick Perry, formally launches his bid Wednesday to replace him.

After a rally in front of the Fort Worth elementary school he attended, Schieffer plans stops in Houston and Austin as he seeks the Democratic nomination for governor. He’ll be in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley Thursday.

“People know there is something wrong – they know that Texas is falling behind. They are worried about it,” Schieffer said in an interview last week with the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle.

What are our Democratic choices? Sen. Leticia Van de Putte said she's not in the race. Van de Putte urged Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin to run. I hope Watson does. Otherwise, I may be forced to support Kay Bailey Hutchison, if my choices are Perry, Schieffer, Friedman or Hutichison.

Harris County passes new ethics rules

The Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a slate of ethics reforms, placing new controls on money and influence in government for the first time in years.

After months of infighting and setbacks, the court unanimously and without discussion passed several measures including online posting of officials’ personal and financial disclosure forms, ethics training for all county employees and the voluntary registration of lobbyists.

The senate will hear articles of impeachment against Judge Kent today

Kent's in jail after admitting to sexually assaulting his employees and obstructing justice, but he's still a judge getting a paycheck. The senate can remedy that by voting to oust him.

After the Senate convenes at 10 a.m. today for a quorum, five members of the House are expected to enter the Senate chamber to present the four articles of impeachment, which would be read aloud.

...

A two-thirds majority is needed for conviction, and if convicted, then Kent would be removed from the office he held in Galveston for almost 20 years.

Since the House voted unanimously to impeach on 4 articles, I don't think 2/3 is going to be difficult in the Senate. The Senate plans to be done with Kent before the August recess. Too bad they won't ding the 5th Circuit Court for letting Kent take a 4 month vacay as their punishment.

See previous posts.

AAS notes Perry vetoed many 'uncontroversial' bills

From the Austin American Statesman:

Of the 37 pieces of legislation that Gov. Rick Perry vetoed on Friday, at least a dozen of them did not garner a single dissenting vote as they moved through the Legislature.

These included measures to create new standards for the sale of life insurance and annuities, to transfer 332 acres from the state to Brazoria County and allow for the faster expulsion of records in a criminal case when no charges are filed. Several other measures received just a handful of dissenting votes, such as a measure to ban taxpayer dollars from advocating toll-road policy, which received one dissenting vote.

So should the number of dissenting votes matter? Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, was the author of a bill related to the conduct of judicial proceedings after a disaster. Perry vetoed it, saying he preferred some of the provisions in a similar bill that the Legislature approved separately. And while Gonzales agreed that only one of the two similar bills needed to become law, she wishes it had been hers.

What will Obama's DOJ do about voting rights?

The Supreme Court’s decision Monday to uphold key parts of the Voting Rights Act means that broad swaths of the South, including Texas, will still need to get the federal government’s approval before making changes to election procedures.

In a narrowly tailored 8-1 ruling, the high court allowed a utility district in Austin to opt out of the pre-clearance requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act because of its unblemished record free of racial discrimination.

Voting rights experts said the ruling would still require Texas to seek Justice Department approval for any voter ID bill the Legislature might approve, as well as for congressional and legislative redistricting plans.

The Bush administration politicized every bit of the US government they could, while they could. Many 'career' employee positions are filled with Bush hacks. Bush's DOJ was an abomination. Obama should remove those in career positions who act in a partisan manner and refrain from installing his own hacks into career positions.

Bush's DOJ abhorred the voting rights of those who might voted Democratic. What will the Bush infested DOJ do now? Will Obama stand up and demand his DOJ protect voting rights? Maybe this issue will get Obama's attention unlike that d*mn fence or LGBT issues.

El Paso JP may have mishandled arrest warrants since 2003

A justice of the peace accused of mishandling perhaps thousands of arrest warrants since 2003 erupted in anger Monday at County Commissioners Court amid allegations he may have violated the civil rights of defendants.

County Commissioner Willie Gandara Jr. believes Precinct 6 Justice of the Peace Ruben Lujan systematically failed to send state-required letters to defendants informing them they needed to appear in court, instead ordering warrants for their arrest.

If true, why waste taxpayer money to humiliate people?

A new school finance lawsuit may be in the offing

There no doubt Republicans hate public education. Their plan to destroy it is working well.

The distribution of resources is less equitable today, they say, than it was when the most recent such lawsuit four years ago resulted in the Texas Supreme Court rejecting the public school funding system because so many districts had reached the maximum property tax rate allowable — creating, in effect, an unconstitutional statewide property tax.

“What parents of children need to understand is that the funding of public education is in serious condition,” said John Folks, superintendent of San Antonio's Northside Independent School District, the fourth largest in Texas.

Don't look for a solution from the batsh*t crazy crowd.

Will there be a new wind farm in Webb County?

The Commissioners Court today will consider a proposal to install a $250 million wind farm in east Webb County.

Representatives from DKRW Wind, a wind energy development company, will deliver a presentation to the court on a proposed project called Cedro Hill Wind.

County Judge Danny Valdez said the company already has an agreement with landowners to lease about 20,000 acres in the Oilton area to install 100 turbines.

The El Paso Times looks forward to the Perry/Hutchison battle

Well who doesn't. Will the batsh*t crazies re-elect governor 39%? The El Paso Times online poll, as of this post, has Perry at 44, Hutchison at 49 and Democrats at 45. I know. It's an online poll and there aren't many votes. Still, the El Paso Times poll tends to skew very right wing, in my opinion and a Hutchison lead is still interesting.

The El Paso Times gives Perry the title of 'conservative'. Whaa? I thought all Republicans said they were the conservative.

The 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary in Texas, the biggest of the red states, will likely pit conservative Perry against the more moderate Hutchison.

Hutchison gets the 'kiss of death' title of 'moderate'.

There's more.

People across the nation, [Greg Rocha, University of Texas at El Paso political science professor] said, will be watching to see whether Texas, a Republican bellwether state, sticks with ideologically conservative Perry or chooses a new direction with Hutchison. The choice, experts said, could have a lasting effect on the party's chances for continued success as the demographics in Texas, as in the nation, shift in Democrats' favor.

What new direction? They're both right wing. One isn't totally sucking up to the batsh*t crazies. That is not a difference between 'moderate' and 'conservative'. It's a difference between right wing and batsh*t crazy.

It's blogger roundup time!

It's Monday, the day after the first day of summer, and it's time for another Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup.

President Obama, Bill White, and John Sharp are all in the same sinking DOMA boat. The Texas Cloverleaf comes off of hiatus to tell you why.

CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme cheers the impeachment of Judge Kent. 4 articles passed without a single nay. Lets hope the Senate is through with him by August.

BossKitty at TruthHugger finally signed up for Twitter to get updates on the Iran protests. What a day of drama and emotion it brought, Icons and Martyrs“ All Day On Twitter Watching Iran. I was really meaning to highlight the regressive influences causing upheaval in personal lives, especially in Texas. Immigration Policies and Gay Rights“ Contradictions

Unlike Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign, Neil at Texas Liberal makes a promise he'll keep - He'll never cheat on his wife! Also, Neil sings the Damned's Wait For The Blackout at the Houston Ship Channel.

Off the Kuff takes a look, then a second look, at the bills Governor Perry vetoed.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson knows in order to solve big problems it takes leadership, Who is willing to lead, who has enough LBJ in them?.

Castle Hills Democrats heard candidates Tom Schieffer, John Sharp, Bill White, and Neil Durrance speak at the Dual County Fish Fry in north Texas. The blogger reviews their messages--and reports on feedback from the Dems in the audience.

WhosPlayin investigated the claim by a former mayoral candidate that the city is hiring illegal aliens for its road projects because one of its contractors doesn't yet use the E-Verify program.

Teddy at Left of College Station writes about escorting at Planned Parenthood and how what happens in Kansas doesn't stay in Kansas. Today on Left of College Station: a report from the T. Don Hutto Residential Detention Facility and the protest on Saturday (including exclusive photographs).

Big Gas wants you to believe that regulating hydraulic fracturing is a state's rights issue. The truth: Only one state in the US regulates hydraulic fracturing. TXsharon busts the Big Gas bubble again on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

Citizen groups opposed to new coal plants being built in Robertson County and near Victoria were given a chance to intervene last week when two of the 12 newly proposed coal plants in Texas had preliminary hearings for their waste water permits. Check out the video over at Public Citizen's Texas Vox.

Over at TexasKaos, Libby Shaw tells us that Dumb, Self-serving Politicians Make Dumb, Self-serving Decisions. What a surprise that Governor Goodhair takes the starring role in this little drama. Check out the details.

Do you love the Real Housewives on Bravo? Were you a little less than impressed by the NJ version? So was Barfly over at McBlogger.

Perry on track to screw up Texas A & M

More than the cultural clash between the old school and the new, Murano fell victim to a classic power struggle over who would control the university — especially its $600 million research enterprise.

On the surface, it was a battle between Murano and Chancellor Mike McKinney. But insiders and influential alumni say the Murano affair is symptomatic of the damaging political influence of the state’s most prominent Aggie, Gov. Rick Perry, that they fear threatens to derail A&M’s drive into the top ranks of higher education.

Ha, ha. Perry on defensive over ethics bill veto.

How do you defend the indefensible? Fluff your hair?

Gov. Rick Perry on Saturday defended his veto of a bill that would have required a waiting period before former Harris County employees could lobby the county, saying a “piecemeal” approach to Texas ethics law isn’t good public policy.

No wonder Kay Bailey hasn't felt the need to publicly campaign yet.

As for that other Republican candidate in the race.

Fort Worth lawyer Tom Schieffer helped make George W. Bush a wealthy man. And as President Bush’s ambassador to Australia, Schieffer sold the war in Iraq and the indefinite detention of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

Now, Schieffer hopes to convince the liberals, progressives and populists who dominate the Texas Democratic primary that he is their best chance for their party to win a statewide election for the first time since 1994. Schieffer on Wednesday will formally announce as a Democratic candidate for governor in 2010.

Why would any self respecting Democrat, human being, breathing mass of protoplasm, vote for someone who is proud of his votes for George Bush? If the race comes down to Schieffer vs Hutchison, I won't be voting for Schieffer.

New Del Rio practice fields may violate FEMA rules

Work by county crews on a planned series of practice fields on the city's north side must stop immediately, city officials say.

City Engineer Robert Parker, who also serves as the city's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain administrator, said the county has done none of the preliminary work required for construction in a floodplain, an oversight whose repercussions could affect the entire population of the city.

Hate crimes are on the rise

What is a hate crime? A crime of intimidation, usually violence, against someone for the purpose of intimidating an entire group of people. What is happening in Iran is a good example. Shooting into a crowd of protesters is not just a crime against the people hit with bullets. The shots are meant to intimidate anyone thinking about protesting. Beating up gay people is meant to tell the LGBT community to get back into the closet. Burning crosses can tell African-Americans they are not welcome in a neighborhood.

As for the cr*p about 'though police' give me a break! What is the difference between 'shooting someone when your life is in danger' and 'planning an elaborate murder of your spouse for the insurance money'? Are both cases tried as first degree murder? Are both eligible for the death penalty? Yeah, the difference is intent or ta da ... thought!

In a report by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, it was found that: African Americans are the most frequent victims of hate crimes; hates crimes against Latinos increased 40 percent from 2003-2007; and of all hate crimes reported in 2007, the proportion of crimes committed against gay, lesbian and transgender individuals rose to the highest level in five years.

Couple these statistics with the length of prison sentences handed down to the perpetrators of the hate crimes mentioned and it stands to reason that current hate crime laws are woefully inadequate.

Perry kisses lobbyists, vetoes ethics bill

Has Perry every met a crony he didn't like? Government for the connected by the connected. Citizens? Not so much.

Gov. Rick Perry vetoed an ethics-related measure that would have mandated a waiting period before former Harris County employees could lobby the county or benefit from contracts they worked on as employees.

It was among 35 bills that Perry vetoed this session, along with measures that required motorists to give cyclists at least 3 feet of clearance when passing on most highways, that would have expanded the state’s pre-kindergarten program and given the state new powers to seize children and their medical records without a parent’s consent or a court hearing. He also vetoed three resolutions.

Okay. He doesn't like bicyclists or toddlers either.

Judge Kent should be convicted in Senate before summer recess

By voting to approve each article separately, House members authorized Kent’s impeachment on the grounds of high crimes and misdemeanors. No member voted against impeaching Kent.

The Senate is likely to convene a trial before its August recess to remove Kent from the bench, Professor Arthur Hellman, an expert on judicial discipline, said.

Kent sexually assaulted his female employees, lied about it during investigations and generally ran the courthouse like his own kingdom. Special mention, and not in a good way, should go to the 5th judicial circuit who took Kent's word and gave him a 4 month paid vacay as a punishment.

Solomon Ortiz Sr. plays hardball with Neal's appointment

U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz says he’ll take back $3 million in funds meant to offset Ingleside base closure if the Ingleside City Council confirms Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal to the board that oversees base redevelopment.

Ortiz’s office announced Thursday that the U.S. House Armed Services Committee authorized $550.4 billion that includes a $3 million earmark for the Ingleside Local Redevelopment Authority. The earmark’s purpose is to help mitigate the job losses from closure next year of Naval Station Ingleside.

I don't like Neal much either, but ...

The mayor agrees.

Mayor Stella Herrmann said she will side with the congressman against Neal. Herrmann, who is chairwoman of the planning authority, was removed recently from the new implementation authority by a majority vote from Diehl, Wilson, Vaden and Elaine Kemp.

“I could not support Loyd Neal being on the LRA,” Herrmann said. “He was not in favor in the beginning. He accused us of having secret meetings and now that we have been successful there are a lot of people who want to be involved in the implementation authority.”

Judge Kent is impeached in the US House

4 articles passed. 3 unanimous with the 4th passed with one lone rep voting 'present'. Who was that? Now it's on to the Senate for trial.

Note: For some reason, Mel Watt of N. Carolina voted present for article 4..

Bush-era documentation requirements for Valley births changed by proposed law

This month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began enforcing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that requires U.S. citizens to present a passport when entering the country from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.

The State Department does not recognize midwife certificates or other records as sufficient documentation without a birth certificate when it considers passport applications.

A federal lawsuit was filed in February by Rio Grande Valley residents challenging the department's criteria.

Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, filed a bill last week that would allow documents other than birth certificates issued at hospitals to be used to apply for passports.

Republicans love to throw red meat to their racist base. How's that working out for ya'?

State district judge indicted for keying neighbor's car

A Harris County grand jury on Thursday indicted a state district judge on a criminal mischief charge after his neighbor gave prosecutors a videotape that he says proves the judge keyed his car.

Woody Ray Densen, 69, could face 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted. He could also be disciplined by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Adam Kliebert, a 40-year-old home builder, set up a surveillance camera in his Rice Village-area driveway that recorded a man he identified as Densen walking behind his 2006 Range Rover and appearing to pause and tamper with it on May 23. Kliebert has said he was frustrated that someone kept damaging his SUV, leaving him with repair bills for $3,000.

Let's hope Judge Kent gets impeached today

House impeachment proceedings against Judge Samuel B. Kent, although initially scheduled for Thursday, were pre-empted by a daylong voting marathon on a spending bill and postponed, possibly until today.

Should there be a new bridge to Mexico?

The proposed international port of entry in the Lower Valley that has Ysleta residents in an uproar has suddenly become El Paso's hottest political issue.

East-Valley city Rep. Eddie Holguin on Thursday responded to the emotional pleas from residents in the Riverside and Bel Air areas not to build a bridge by adding to next week's City Council agenda an item that would kill all plans for the project.

In response, East-Central city Rep. Emma Acosta and Eastridge/Mid-Valley city Rep. Steve Ortega created several agenda items of their own that would keep the bridge feasibility study but guarantee that the impact on the neighboring residential areas would be minimal.

"I am just listening to my constituents," said Holguin, who wants the city instead to focus on the expansion of the Ysleta bridge. "We were just in a public meeting where hundreds of people told us that they didn't want this bridge. I'm doing what I was elected to do."

Who will stand up for the American people on health care?

Not the the Republicans. They think 50th in the world for life expectancy makes us #1. We spend the most and get very little. Not 'key senate Dems' either who refuse a the only chance we have for decent health care for all Americans.

Key Senate Democrats, bidding for bipartisan support on health care, pared back subsidies designed to make insurance more affordable on Thursday and floated a compromise that rules out direct government competition against private insurers.

Despite the cost-cutting, the proposal backed by Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, requires most individuals to purchase coverage and forbids insurance companies from denying it on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.

Shame on Max Baucus. A public health plan is needed to keep private plans honest. Apparently, Baucus prefers insurance profits to your health. We already knew the Republicans did.

Hutchison gets involved in Texas A & M politics

"The current situation with the leadership is unfortunate, unacceptable and does the great Aggie community a disservice," Hutchison said in a statement. "I hope at their meeting today, the Board of Regents remains focused on keeping A&M a nationally recognized university and ends the politics involved now."

Ok. What the heck does that mean? How was it helpful?

Blanco grand jury indicts former PEC officials

A Blanco County grand jury handed down indictments Wednesday against the former top executive and former top lawyer for the Pedernales Electric Cooperative.

The 12-member panel indicted former co-op General Manager Bennie Fuelberg and Walter Demond, who had been the PEC's top outside lawyer, on three felony charges each.

Did the Sheriff's office use equipment for recreational hunting and boating?

The the request of Bandera DA Bruce Curry, the Texas Attorney General will look into charges that a Bandera Sheriff's office rescue boat and evidence guns were used for recreational purposes.

Coleman fined for campaign report violations

The Texas Ethics Commission on Wednesday fined state Rep. Garnet Coleman $9,500 in civil penalties for failing to report $107,577 in political expenditures in 2006 and 2007, including $60,176 in credit card charges.

Coleman, a Houston Democrat, said the fine is for reporting errors, not misuse of campaign money.

Coleman said Cheryl Armitige, his 2006 Democratic primary opponent, filed the complaint against him after reading a 2007 Houston Chronicle report on how he was among numerous legislators not properly disclosing credit card charges.

The House scheduled to 'debate' Judge Kent's impeachment

Two hours are scheduled, but I can't imagine it needs to be more than 15 minutes.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is expected to bring Kent’s impeachment report to the floor, but a time for the proceeding wasn’t immediately known, Katie Grant, a spokeswoman for the congressman, said.

Kent, 59, pleaded guilty Feb. 23 to an obstruction of justice charge in exchange for federal prosecutors dropping sexual misconduct charges.

After admitting having nonconsensual sexual contact with two of his female court employees, Kent was sentenced May 11 to 33 months in prison and reported Monday at Federal Medical Center Devens, an administrative facility in Ayer, Mass.

While they're at it, why not impeach the 5th judicial circuit court judges who voted to give Kent a 4 month paid vacation as 'punishment'?

See previous posts.

Will Perry cave on electronic textbooks?

Is the batsh*t crazy base more important to Perry than respecting local control of schools? Is the batsh*t base more important than using technology in new and efficient ways? The Austin American Statesman wants to know. I think Perry has spoke very clearly. Perry is running hard to the batsh*t crazy side for the primary.

BexarMet gives in to having a conservator

The Bexar Metropolitan Water District grudgingly agreed Tuesday to enter discussions with the state about appointing a conservator to oversee operations.

The board of the troubled utility voted 4-1 to reach out to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality about finding a conservator. But the vote came after two board members who oppose the idea had left and a third flipped positions.

The board is doing a poor job. Why would they willingly do the right thing now?

What if we wanted to shut down our nuclear plants?

Too bad. No money for that. Just let them sit with their dangerous contents.

The companies that own almost half the nation’s nuclear reactors are not setting aside enough money to dismantle them, and many may sit idle for decades and pose safety and security risks as a result, an Associated Press investigation has found.

The shortfalls are caused not by fluctuating appetites for nuclear power but by the stock market and other investments, which have suffered huge losses over the past year and damaged the plants’ savings, and by the soaring costs of decommissioning.

The Supreme Court won't touch that d*mn fence

The No Border Wall coalition has expressed disappointment with the announcement that the U.S. Supreme Court will not hear arguments in the border wall lawsuit brought by El Paso County and others.

“The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear arguments that the waiving of all state, local, and federal laws to build the border wall is unconstitutional is a tremendous blow for border residents and the principle of the rule of law,” said Scott Nicol, a spokesman for the No Border Wall group.

Latina Lista says we need a wise Latina.

Sylvia Treviño resigns as Harlingen city secretary

"It's effective at the end of July, unless I can talk her into staying longer," the city manager said.

Will Judge be charged for keying neighbor's car?

A Harris County grand jury this week will review whether a state district judge caused nearly $3,000 in damages to his neighbor’s Range Rover by scratching the vehicle with a key after a surveillance camera captured his actions on video.

Judge Woody Densen, 69, could be charged with felony criminal mischief. Prosecutors have reviewed the video, which the neighbor gave to Houston police.

The El Paso Times slaps the childish El Paso County Judge

County Judge Anthony Cobos seems to be under the impression that it's against the law to question any of his actions.

This whole matter is out of hand and makes a complete mockery of the county's ethics infrastructure. El Paso is already under the cloud of an FBI investigation into widespread corruption and misconduct. Now we're unwilling spectators to a childish display of legalistic maneuverings that do nothing more than give El Paso a bigger black eye.

TCEQ answers questions about Las Brisas

Would you believe a word the TCEQ says? They're the ones that approved the reopening of the Asarco smelter in El Paso.

Las Brisas managing partner Kathleen Smith said the company believes the TCEQ did a thorough job of responding to comments.

Did a Las Brisas PR firm write the answers? I'd say Corpus Christi will have to depend on Obama's EPA. With Obama's track record on that d*mn fence, transparency in government, and civil rights, I wouldn't hold my breath. But then, with Las Brisas you might have to.

Bob Hall Pier has a massive water leak

How big?

Millions of gallons of water are spewing into the surf at Bob Hall Pier as a repeating problem with waterline breaks costs Nueces County tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars yearly.

City and county officials don’t know the amount of water waste because the pier supply is not separately metered from the rest of the county park’s fixtures. But the cost consistently overwhelms the several hundred dollars a month income from the pier’s concessionaire and fishing fees.

It's time for the Monday blogger roundup!

It's Monday, and that means it's time once again to present the best of the Texas Progressive Alliance blog posts for the week.

TXsharon can't choose one post this week! It's a toss up between the aerial video view of Barnett Shale Industrial Wasteland Texas or the Barnett Shale drilling induced earthquakes or Erin Brockovich does Midland or the governmental warnings about defective pipeline materials on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

Xanthippas at Three Wise Men blogs about how utterly ridiculous it is for us to pay a tiny South Pacific nation to take Guantanamo Bay detainees because we are a nation of bed-wetting, pearl-clutching morons.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson analyzes what might possibly happen in the upcoming special session, Perry calls a special - what gets done is up to him.

Off the Kuff looks at a Lone Star Project report on State Rep. Dwayne Bohac and his questionable relationship with an employee of the Harris County Tax Assessor's office.

BossKitty at TruthHugger sees a growing pandemic of hate that erupts in violence. See the diagnosis: Scapegoat Lessons: Holocaust Museum ‘Act Of Cowardice’

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is glad that Judge Kent is going to jail. Too bad his sentence wasn't longer. CBT can hardly wait to see his impeachment hearing in the senate.

This week, McBlogger finds out that the 290E tollway will be built using stimulus dollars. Which means Austinites will pay three different taxes to support this road.

John at Bay Area Houston> wonders about the lack of diversity at the Nancy Pelosi event in Houston.

Citizen Sarah at Texas Vox wonders if the specter of Texas losing its leadership role creating clean energy jobs is scary enough to address in a special session.

George at The Texas Blue thinks that forced arbitration with credit card and cell phone companies is fundamentally unjust, but forced arbitration in a rape case is just disgusting.

Teddy at Left of College Station, reports on whether or not America is actually becoming more pro-life? and looks deeper into the polls to find that opinions on reproductive rights are much more complicated, and Left of College Station also covers this week in the headlines.

Neil at Texas Liberal writes about Juneteenth. Juneteeth is June 19th and it has a Galveston origin.

Midland's chromium 6 contamination got more linkage from PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Over at TexasKaos, liberaltexan asks, what exactly does the latest abortion survey means? He answers not much new, since it does a poor job of asking the question and sorting out the nuances of public opinion. See the rest here: Are More Americans Pro-Life?

Justin at AAA-Fund Blog took some time to remember Tim Russert.

Judge Kent goes to prison today

Too bad about the cavity searches.

As federal Judge Samuel B. Kent reports for prison today, U.S. House members were expected to convene impeachment proceedings against the convicted jurist possibly this week.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved four articles of impeachment, accusing Kent, 59, of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Kent, who was on the bench in Galveston for years, pleaded guilty last month to obstruction of justice after federal prosecutors agreed to drop sexual misconduct charges against him.

His caseworker, Cathy McBroom, and secretary, Donna Wilkerson, accused Kent of non-consensual sexual misconduct, saying Kent forced himself on them, touching them while in his chambers.

He should have gotten a longer jail sentence for sexually assaulting his employees. But, at least he got a bigger punishment than the 5th Judicial Circuit gave him - a 4 month paid vacay.

Did Perry dump Texa A & M's first Hispanic female president?

Was it so Perry's cronies can take commercial advantage of A & M research?

The Austin American-Statesman reported Saturday that working behind the scenes in the rift is the influence of Gov. Rick Perry. Perry is a Texas A&M alumnus who appointed all nine regents who supervise nine A&M System universities, including the flagship College Station campus as well as campuses in Corpus Christi and Kingsville, a health science center and seven state agencies.

The newspaper pointed out [Texas A&M University System Chancellor Mike] McKinney is a former Perry chief of staff, that the governor is close with Guy Diedrich, vice chancellor for federal relations and commercialization, and that Mark Ellison, associate vice chancellor for economic development, is a former director of the state's Emerging Technology Fund, a pet project of Perry's.

In addition, the Statesman said Perry influenced the recruiting of Brett Giroir, a former official of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, for the position of vice chancellor for research. Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Weber, the vice president for student affairs, has been friends with Perry since they were classmates at A&M, the Statesman said.

...

Murano has complained system officials sometimes have bypassed her in working out agreements with faculty members or private companies to commercialize scientific advances, while some faculty say the governor's influence has led to an emphasis on commercially viable research at the expense of basic research.

The Austin American Statesman has some interesting speculation.

People don't like that d*mn fence in their yards!

The border fence is two-and-one-half miles away from the Rio Grande, [Joe De La Garza] said, and that is just wrong. Landowners like De La Garza were under the impression the fence would be built 180 feet from the river, not from his storefront, he said.

...

[Otalia] Perez from her front door could see the levee, with acres of green land shortly behind it.

All she sees now is a brown barrier known as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's border fence, blocking her view of everything located right in front of her home.

Why is the Obama administration continuing the construction of a monument to racism and fear? Does Obama answer to the Republican batsh*t crazy crowd? Reading his DOJ's DOMA brief, I'd have to say "yes, he does."

Judge Sotomayor among Hispanics selected by Obama

President Barack Obama has selected far more Hispanics for his administration than any previous president in American history, a stark reminder of the increasing clout of the nation’s fast-growing and largest minority group.

But it also reflects a Hispanic power shift from Texas to California. Of the top Latinos in the Obama administration, 21 have connections to the Golden State, while 14 boast Texas ties — a reversal from days of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The bright spotlight on Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court has focused national attention on her Latino heritage and yet obscured an unpublicized but highly significant shift in the ways of Washington: Latinos have comprised 11 percent of the new president’s first 300 nominees for senior administration positions requiring Senate confirmation, according to the White House.

Why are Corpus Christi developer requirement discussions behind closed doors?

Don't the citizens have a right to know what requirements are on the table? Do you trust a developer loving city council to talk turkey behind closed doors?

The City Council has scheduled a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss what it is looking for from potential Memorial Coliseum redevelopers. Open government advocates say the council shouldn’t hold the discussion in closed session.

Tuesday’s council agenda has an executive session scheduled, where the council will have “deliberations regarding the lease of real property and for deliberations regarding the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect relating to Memorial Coliseum.” It says possible discussion and action could occur in open session.

Different DWI justice for the rich in the Valley

The McAllen Monitor investigated the dispositions of 20 high profile DWIs to see if the former McAllen Mayor's demand for special treatment in a DWI case was likely to get him special treatment. In this study of connected residents, 73% cases were dismissed somewhere along the line.

Since 2004, at least 20 high-profile people have been charged with of driving while intoxicated. Some of their cases are still winding their way through the court system years after the initial arrest. Others were halted abruptly before a single court hearing.

But no matter what circumstances landed them behind bars, nearly all their cases ended in dismissal. Only three of these high-profile drunken driving cases have resulted in convictions.

Of these cases that have been resolved, 73 percent were either tossed out by judges or closed following a district attorney's refusal to prosecute. That dismissal rate is more than three times higher than the 23 percent rate for all the DWI cases in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties over the same period.

Is there one justice for the connected and another for regular folk?

Hondo vote to recall leaders suspended by judge

The three Hondo City Council members recalled May 9 were reinstated Friday — at least temporarily — while the U.S. Justice Department assesses the validity of the election, officials said.

“It's a victory for the voters of Hondo who supported the ‘real change campaign,'” said Councilman Chavel Lopez, who was elected on that platform in 2008 — and then ousted — with Lucio Torrez and Virginia Gonzales.

The trio were returned to office by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who also canceled a July 13 special election to replace them, ruling in a lawsuit three residents filed against the city.

This will just p*ss everyone off even more.

268 state school employees fired or suspended

268? That's at a minimum how bad Perry let the state school system get.

Documents obtained by the AP through an open records request show that 11 of the 268 firings or suspensions were considered serious because they involved physical or sexual abuse that caused or may have caused serious physical injury. Employees may also be fired for a violation as mild as neglecting to protect a resident with mobility problems from stumbling into a wall.

“I think what the number of firings and suspensions say is we do not tolerate abuse or neglect in our state schools,” said Cecilia Fedorov, a spokeswoman with the Department of Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the schools.

Perry turns down unemployment funds. Texas borrows to pay unemployment.

There's Republican logic for ya'.

Gov. Rick Perry’s Texas officially became beholden to the Obama administration this week, borrowing $160 million from the government to keep the state’s unemployment trust fund solvent — even after refusing to take $550 million in federal stimulus dollars.

Borrowing became unavoidable as the number of jobless being paid benefits in Texas jumped from 139,592 in May 2008 to 353,881 in May 2009, costing an additional $258.2 million for the month.

This is for the batsh*t crazy crowd: 'Texas officially became beholden to the Obama administration this week'

La Marque Police Chief resigns

Chief Richard Price, the head of the La Marque Police Department for seven years, abruptly announced his retirement Friday.

The chief said in his letter to City Manager Eric Gage that he would step down July 10.

El Paso County Judge drops suit to stop an ethics investigation

County Judge Anthony Cobos has dropped his lawsuit against the county government.

It sought to keep the county board of ethics from taking action on a grievance filed against him.

Cobos' attorney, Stuart Leeds, said in an interview Friday that the lawsuit was no longer necessary.

Leeds said that he and attorney Theresa Caballero have enough testimony from a state court hearing on Monday to defend Cobos in an ethics complaint filed by city Rep. Emma Acosta.

Cobos filed an ethics complaint against commissioner Veronica Escobar because she asked in public what the legal costs might be to defend Cobos.

Being Bush means you don't have to testify in court

An appeals court overturned a ruling Friday that would have put former President George W. Bush under oath in a dispute involving his presidential library.

A three-judge panel with the 5th District Court of Appeals in Dallas ruled that Bush does not have to submit to a deposition from a former condo owner suing Southern Methodist University, future site of the presidential library.

The 5th Circuit Court has already proved it's a good old boy network with its handling of Judge Kent. Kent, who admitted to 'unwanted sexual contact' with his employees and admitted lying under oath was given a 4 month paid vacation when one employee first complained. Kent is on his way to jail and impeachment in Congress no thanks to the 5th District.

Berman pushes Perry to be more batsh*t crazy

If Perry can be more anti-immigrant(wink, wink anti-Hispanic), maybe Leo Berman will leave the entire right, right wing of the Texas Republican party to Perry. Oh, please, no. Keep Berman in the race.

Hours earlier, the Tyler Republican met with Gov. Rick Perry about dropping his bid to unseat him as governor. Berman said he told Perry over lunch that he wanted the incumbent governor to agree to support four issues Berman felt passionately about.

“He’s going to let me know and if he can agree with the four issues and he can actually accept them as his own, then I’ll step out of the race and endorse him for reelection as governor,” Berman said.

Meanwhile, yawn, Kay Bailey Hutchison said she's going to run against Perry.

Hate radio targets new San Antonio Mayor.

Julian Castro stands tall.

Mayor Julian Castro's historic decision to serve as grand marshal of the city's Gay Pride Parade July 4 is either an embarrassment or a bold step into the future for San Antonio — depending on whom you ask.

San Antonians critical of the mayor's commitment, which he made March 29 at a candidates' forum, have been responding with e-mails, spurred by conservative Christian radio host Adam McManus. Others have thanked Castro for “bold forward thinking.” In all, Castro said he has received 80 to 90 e-mails, both positive and negative. He said none could be described as hate mail.

The mayor also said none have swayed him from his decision to participate.

The San Antonio Express News implies 'an embarrassment' is an ok answer thereby endorsing bigotry.

Obama calls out high cost of healthcare in McAllen

President Obama cited the high cost of health care in McAllen, Texas, as a reason why the industry should be reformed in a town hall meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Thursday.

Obama contrasted health care costs in McAllen with those at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, which he said was famous for some of the best quality health care. He said health care costs in McAllen were three times higher than that at Mayo, though the outcomes were worse.

We have to wait for Judge Kent's impeachment

What do we want? Judge Kent's impeachment! When do we want it? NOW!

The House leadership says the impeachment resolution against Judge Sam Kent will not be brought to the House floor today for debate.

...

House Rules Committee spokesman Vince Morris said Thursday that the impeachment resolution would go directly to the House floor today, without going through the gate-keeping panel that establishes the rules for debating measures on the floor

The man who declared himself 'Emperor of Galveston', with the right to sexually assault any employee who worked for the court, should not be drawing a government salary while he is in jail.

Friendswood officials sue to issue bonds without citizen approval

But, don't say they're 'suing the citizens of Friendswood'. More like screwing the citizens of Friendswood. Would the mayor like that better?

Friendswood is not suing its residents by asking a judge to validate the city’s plan to issue $11 million in debt without voter approval, Mayor David Smith said.

“That is not true,” he said.

Instead, the city is trying to answer, once and for all, whether the city can issue certificates of obligation to pay for park land outside city limits that it put a contract on in 2008.

A 1997 city charter amendment prohibits the city from issuing debt without voter approval that it could not finance from its own revenue streams, except in cases of “emergency or public need.”

Ethics fighting in El Paso commissioners court

Lawyers for County Judge Anthony Cobos have filed an ethics complaint against County Commissioner Veronica Escobar, saying that she was out of line to ask how much their litigation against the county was costing taxpayers.

The complaint, filed Wednesday by attorneys Stuart Leeds and Theresa Caballero, alleges that Escobar used her authority to interfere with Cobos' re-election campaign. They say Escobar did this Tuesday when she inquired about costs during a public meeting of County Commissioners Court.

Whaa? A question about litigation cost to the county is out of line? Cobos is a piece of work.

Attorney thinks other state schools staged fights

[An attorney in a civil suit, Bob Hilliard,] said he believes the [Corpus Christi state school] fights were not isolated incidents and that similarly staged bouts may have been going at other state schools much longer. After Thursday’s hearing, he said a woman who worked for the state school in Austin in 1979 said she knew of similar fights, wagers on fights by supervisors and busing in of the Corpus Christi winner for a fight against the Austin winner. Hilliard on Thursday wouldn’t identify the woman who he said now is an attorney. He said she contacted his firm after seeing a national news report the Corpus Christi State School. He described the woman as a potential witness in the suit.

Perry signs bill to overhaul oversight.

New protections include video surveillance in common areas, an effort to eliminate problems such as the fights between residents at Corpus Christi State School that police say staffers organized.

Employees will face enhanced criminal background checks, random drug testing and receive more on-the-job training. An Office of Independent Ombudsman will protect client rights. The law also creates state investigations of abuse and neglect complaints involving residents living in privately run facilities.

Rare, 100 year old palms moving, but that d*mn fence is stalled

Will the palms survive?

About 300 native sabal palm trees are being scooped out of the path of the border fence and transferred to the Nature Conservancy and Sabal Palm Audubon Center in Brownsville. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving the trees, the only palm species native to South Texas, off of what is now government-owned property at no cost to the nature centers.

Why didn't the government answer basic questions about the taking of Brownsville farmland?

Government lawyers are now scrambling to meet the judge's orders and provide written answers to landowners' most basic questions: What precisely is the government taking, and how will property owners access the thousands of acres of land stranded between the border fence and the Rio Grande?

The answers to those questions could have implications for the dozens of cases scheduled for trial next year to determine how much the government will pay landowners.

Actually, the basic questions part is easy. Bush's government, like Bush, was arrogant with an incredible sense of entitlement. The real question is 'why is Obama continuing that d*mn fence?'.

Here's a headline you don't see often

'Weslaco police chief laid off ' Wouldn't your police chief be one of the last to be let go?

J.D. Martinez was axed along with the public works director, assistant director, the HR director and the city secretary. Is the city manager going to be doing everybody's job?

Rare palms endangered by that d*mn fence!

Some 300 rare Texas sabal palm trees are being extracted and relocated to save them from being killed for the government's border fence, the Nature Conservancy of Texas said Wednesday.

The trees, some a century old, are among the last remaining from a palm forest that once flourished along the Rio Grande but was felled for farmland and development.

The monument to racism and fear that Bush ordered and Obama is building may kill another bit of our heritage.

Harris County registrar is fine with having GOP consultant in his office

KHOU broke the story of a paid GOP consultant working in an official capacity for Harris County.

Ed Johnson is a high-level employee in the Harris County voter registration department. In sworn testimony he has been described as, “pretty much the one that does everything.” (Deposition of Elizabeth Hernandez. Clerk/Processor)

It was also revealed that Johnson reviews provisional ballots in Harris County. Michelle Dixon, a 12 year veteran of the voter registration department said under oath that Johnson “opens the sealed envelopes of provisional ballot affidavits.” 17 year employee Kim Shoemaker said that “Ed Johnson will stand over us” during provisional ballot review. (Depositions of Michelle Dixon and Kim Shoemaker). The Houston Chronicle reported that white out was used on many provisional ballots before delivery to the Ballot Board. (Houston Chronicle, 11/12/08) Dixon also said that Johnson was in charge of purging voters from the system. (Depositions of Michelle Dixon)

What does the registrar say?

Leo Vasquez, Harris County tax assessor-collector and voter registrar, issued a statement that dismissed complaints that Johnson’s job, which can include approving or rejecting voter applications, conflicts with his side business.

“Ed Johnson is an honorable man,” Vasquez said. “It is slanderous and absolutely reprehensible to suggest without evidence that he is involved in inappropriate activity with regard to voter registration in Harris County.”

Vasquez’s spokesman, Fred King, said Johnson has been in this type of business since the mid-1990s, so his involvement in voter registration data was no secret.

This situation, along with Vasquez, stinks to high heaven.

Drug cartels like Houston and Corpus Christi

Not only is Houston a major center for Mexican cartels’ smuggling drugs and weapons, but banks and financial institutions in the nation’s fourth largest city’s also are targets for gangsters trying to hide millions of dollars in profits, according to a White House report released Wednesday.

Underworld organizations, particularly those aligned with the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels, have major bases of operation in Houston and Corpus Christi, continues the report, prepared for the Obama administration by the National Drug Intelligence Center.

Will levees protect Galveston?

Today, the city council will consider approving a recovery spending plan that includes $500,000 to study the feasibility of a levee system that would ring the city’s core with a wall to keep the water out.

“This is the missing link between what was done in 1900 and now,” May said. “This is needed to bring a good level of protection so we don’t suffer what we did during Ike.”

The Ike Dike.

Judge Kent closer to impeachment

By a unanimous vote Wednesday, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee adopted four articles of impeachment, accusing U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of high crimes and misdemeanors.

The full committee during its morning meeting in Washington, D.C., also approved by a 29-0 vote a resolution on the impeachment, which will be forwarded to the U.S. House of Representatives, and if members there vote to impeach the embattled federal judge from Galveston, he could be prosecuted in the Senate.

We there finally be justice? The 5th Circuit Court, whose job is justice, couldn't get beyond their self serving good old boy ways to deliver it.

San Antonio area legislators fight over who is enabling BexarMet

State lawmakers are looking for ways to step up scrutiny of the troubled Bexar Metropolitan Water District, even as they're trying to assign blame for the bizarre death of legislation that would have put the utility's fate to a customer vote.

The legislation died in the final hours of the session last week when a representative from Fort Worth with seemingly no interest in BexarMet “tagged” the bill, a procedural technicality that pushed the possibility of a vote on the legislation past the end of the session.

Sen. Carlos Uresti, who authored the bill, contends Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio recruited Fort Worth Rep. Lon Burnam to tag the bill in an effort to kill it without leaving any official link to Martinez Fischer.

Both Martinez Fischer and Burnam vehemently deny orchestrating any such scheme.

Tier One relegates Valley schools to Tier None

A top McAllen business leader is going to vote against a constitutional amendment dealing with higher education this November in protest at the “willful and negligent abuse” handed out to Rio Grande Valley universities.

Keith Patridge, president and CEO of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation, says Senate Joint Resolution 35 was deliberately skewed to help universities other than the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) achieve Tier One status.

“The way I understand it, this constitutional amendment will lock in the formula by which Tier One universities are selected and we (in the Rio Grande Valley) will never have an opportunity for a Tier One. If that happens, we are screwed,” Patridge said.

Why is it ok for Harris County Pct 4 deputies to blow off finding a crash victim?

The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office says no deputies were disciplined for failing to find a woman killed when her truck was knocked off the elevated portion of the Hardy Toll Road by an alleged drunken driver accused of speeding at 100 mph.

...

The constable’s office has yet to take a written statement from Guberman’s husband, Steve, who found his wife’s battered truck after seeing debris strewn across the Hardy Toll Road and following the sound of her horn, which was stuck.

THAT WAS OK? NO PROCEDURES WERE VIOLATED? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!

Sorry for the shouting. Somebody should care. Shouldn't they?

Harris County is #1 in the nation: in DWI deaths

Why? Too much dependence on driving cars.

Harris County has the highest rate of alcohol-related traffic deaths among the nation’s most populous counties, researchers say, and a series of horrific crashes blamed on drunken drivers in recent days seems to back the claim.

Experts agree the county’s high DWI fatality rate is partly a byproduct of limited public transportation for the region’s 3.9 million residents and an urban sprawl leading them to drive many miles. Stepped-up enforcement by more officers patrolling the roadways at peak times for drunken driving offenses, meanwhile, keeps the county jail full of DWI suspects. Adding to the deadly mix is a stubborn reluctance to rely on designated drivers, or cabs and other services that keep the intoxicated from driving.

League City Administrator resigns

The city administrator of League City abruptly resigned early Wednesday morning as the city council met behind closed doors to discuss his job performance.

With his decision to step down, the council members convened into open session at 12:30 a.m. and accepted Reed’s resignation, which is effective June 30. As part of the terms of his resignation, Reed will severance pay equivalent to one year’s pay.

Sounds to me like he was 'fired'.

See previous post.

There will be a special session

As soon as Perry can figure out which topics will benefit his primary run against Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday that he would call a special legislative session so lawmakers can deal with unfinished state business, but he wouldn't say when.

"We now are to the point that we can say that there will be a special session. When is still a little bit up in the air," Perry said.

The Legislature adjourned its 140-day regular session June 1 without passing key "sunset" bills that would have kept important state agencies running, including the transportation and insurance departments and the Texas Racing Commission.

Last week, Perry said his staff was studying all options to decide whether a special session was necessary to continue the operation of the agencies. By Tuesday, he said, it was clear that a special session would have to be called.

Perry may be a bit delayed since he broke his collarbone.

More here.

Chemical accident at Tyco injures workers

A Tyco International worker was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after two employees fell into a plastic tank containing toxic chemicals.

A crew was cleaning a 1,500-gallon plastic tank at Tyco Fire Suppression & Building Products when two employees fell into the tank after succumbing to toxic fumes just before 11:15 a.m., Lubbock Fire Department Chief Rhea Cooper said. A 45-year-old male employee was taken to University Medical Center, where he was in critical condition Tuesday evening. The other employee was taken to UMC and was in satisfactory condition Tuesday evening.

Recuers and other workers were hurt.

Before first responders had the situation contained, 10 more people went to the hospital. Five of them were also Tyco workers, but the other five were emergency crew members. Doctors at University Medical Center treated and released those patients. By Tuesday night, only two people remain hospitalized. The 45-year-old in critical condition, and a 34-year-old man who was in satisfactory condition at last report.

KHOU exposes Harris County assistant director of voter registration as a PAID GOP operative

With documents obtained from the Lone Star Project, KHOU (Houston) aired a story last night revealing that Ed Johnson , the assistant director of voter registration for Harris County, is a paid Republican campaign consultant. His company, Campaign Data Systems (CDS), has numerous Harris County Republican candidate as clients, including the Conservative Republicans of Harris County PAC, Senator Dan Patrick, and Congressman Michael McCaul. Republican State Representative Dwayne Bohac (HD 138) is also a principal owner of CDS. Johnson and Bohac are both listed on the Articles of Organization and on the CDS website as a person to contact. It is unacceptable that a county employee with unimpeded access to Voter Registration records, who can grant or deny the ability to vote to an individual, also works as a partisan political consultant.

This looks more an election fraud problem than voter impersonation ever was.

Why do Republicans want Texas children to go hungry?

The national average is just over 17 percent. Texas ranks fifth in the nation in this category.

According to that same study, 22 percent of Texas children under 18 live with food insecurity. The national average is also just over 17 percent, but in this category the Texas figure is the highest in the nation.

Even the most rugged of the rugged individualists would have to admit 5-year-olds have trouble finding jobs to pay for food.

Republicans want a two tiered society with the ultra rich at one end and abject poverty at the other. Texas is well on its way to being a Republican utopia.