Jon Stewart 250K. Glenn Beck 90K

Take that in your crazy train tea pot and smoke it! Fox hyped the Beck event non-stop while the rest of the media joined in. Stewart's rally was put together quicker and did not have the relentless media exposure. Yet, Jon's crowd beat Glenn's by more than 2.5 to 1.

DOJ to monitor Harris County polls

This DOJ believes in the right of minorities to vote. That's nice.

Harris County, Texas and Maricopa County, Arizona are among the 30 jurisdictions in which federal observers will monitor polling place activities or Justice Department personnel will monitor the election, DOJ announced late Friday.

Jon Stewart's rally is making me smile

Is this rally going to be this generation's Woodstock? I hope so.

Big turnout for Dems in Hidalgo County

Early voting in Hidalgo County has soared past the turnout recorded in 2006, the last time mid-term elections were held in Texas.

When the early voting period ended Friday evening, a total of 51,843 people had voted in Hidalgo County. Of these, 50,081 were votes cast in person and 1,762 were mail-ins.

In 2006, 21,519 people voted early in Hidalgo County. Of these, 20,886 were votes cast in person and 633 were mail-ins.

Over double the 2006 vote so far.

AP concern troll says young, Texas Latinos will vote republican

Stop laughing a minute and check out the latest absurdity from the propaganda machinery.

Young Democrats in this sweeping West Texas district are upset about U.S. Congressman Ciro Rodriguez's vote for President Barack Obama's health care reform. And even though it could cost him his job, the Democrat makes no apologies.

Sure, young Latinos are upset that health care might be more available to them. That their parents can carry them on their plans much later.  That their children can't be denied coverage if they have a pre-existing condition.

Meanwhile, in reality, Latinos notice the unrelenting hate coming from the republicans.

Nearly two thirds of Latinos in the U.S. think they are being discriminated against, and a plurality believe the backlash over illegal immigration is the central driver of such bias.

"More Latinos are seeing discrimination against Hispanics as a major problem," said Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, which released the results of a nationwide survey of Latinos on Thursday.

Even the white kids aren't fooled by the old fools.

The tea party is failing to woo young voters despite a loose structure that could make it easier for those under 30 to achieve leadership roles, analysts and political activists say as the grass-roots movement prepares to flex its muscles in midterm elections.

Mr. republican is going to split his vote in Kansas

A relative has a husband, born and bred in Kansas. Part of his identity is that of a republican. He's not voting for Sam Brownback. He can't shake the label of republican, but he can vote Democratic.

How many Kay Bailey Hutchison voters will vote for White? I can't imagine very many Dems voting for Perry. But, I can see many republicans disgusted with the current slate of extreme candidates. I can see droves of republicans tired of Rick Perry.

Galveston Dems file suit over misuse of campaign funds

The county Democratic Party filed complaints Friday with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office and the Texas Ethics Commission claiming the county Republican Party had misused campaign funds.

Lloyd Criss, the chairman of the Galveston County Democratic Party, claims the county Republican Party transferred about $1,000 from an account dedicated to paying for March’s party primary election to its general election campaign effort.

Mingling funds intended for noncampaign uses with campaign accounts violates the law, Criss said.

Nueces County Dems want bribery investigation over treats at polls

The Nueces County Democratic Party asked for a bribery investigation into four Republican candidates, who it accused of giving voters candy bars, crackers and bottled water at a polling location.

Passing out fliers, food and other freebies isn't prohibited by the Texas Election Code as long as campaigners stay 100 feet away from polling spots, said Jordy Keith, the deputy director of communications for the Secretary of State's office. It's not regulated by the Texas Ethics Commission, either.

The problem is that the items given out had the candidate's name and photo. Wouldn't that be wrong to bring into the voting booth?

Texas is only state continuing to give the EPA the finger

Cause Perry loves his cronies. Cause Perry likes the image he cuts giving the EPA the finger while Texans choke and die on his cronies' pollution.

Texas has refused to meet new federal greenhouse gas emission rules that go into effect in January, the latest anti-Washington move in an ongoing battle that could halt new construction at the nation's largest refineries and other industries in Texas.

Perry, what a guy.

republican insider blasts Karl Rove.

But, Matt Latimer is still living in his own dream world.

The party still hasn't rinsed itself clean from the Rove-Gillespie approach, as vapid and intellectually lazy as Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The Obamas’ alleged “terrorist fist bump,” the nutty birther movement, the lame controversy over who is wearing an American flag pin on their lapel, and books claiming Obama is “inviting” a terrorist attack—all are legacies of a strategy focused on demonization over debate, tactics over ideas. This approach has disillusioned even Republicans.

"a strategy focused on demonization over debate, tactics over ideas" is disillusioning republicans? Have you seen the la la land that Sharron Angle. Ken Buck, Joe Miller, Christine O'Donnell, Jan Brewer, Carl Pallidino ... are pushing? Whaaa? The only problem republicans have with Bush is that he diminished the republican brand after executing republican principles in the White House. Cronyism, aka free trade, doesn't work. Ideology over what works is doomed to fail.

Who wants a coal fired plant in their backyard?

Donna Harris fears for her grandchildren's future.

The fourth generation Matagorda County resident owns a ranch house five miles from where the proposed White Stallion Energy Center plant would be constructed.

"Having a coal plant nearby will harm my grandchildren, and this will not be good for the environment," she said.

No punishment for DA accused of misconduct by 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

A day after prosecutors dismissed the capital murder charges that sent Anthony Graves to death row in 1994, they accused the district attorney who convicted him of prosecutorial misconduct.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said "prosecutors elicited false statements from two witnesses and withheld two statements that could have changed the outcome."  And, yet the DA will not be prosecuted nor slapped on the wrist by the Texas State Bar.  Why?  republicans don't really care for accountability or justice.

Plans afoot to damage higher education even more in Texas

The state's higher education agency called Thursday for sweeping changes in policy, including a revised method of funding community colleges and public universities, a greater emphasis on merit for certain financial aid and a series of cost-cutting measures.

A greater emphasis on merit is sure to mean less opportunity for the poor.  republicans do not like the public to be educated. It's that simple.

Dick Armey throws Newt Gingrich under the bus

This is funny.

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey claims Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich developed a “bond” over the affairs they had in office, swapping stories over wine and cigars.

And, Armey knows this because ... Does Dick like swapping stories, too? Who does Mr. corporate Tea Party like for 2012, if not little Newt?

DA blasted by colleagues in wrongful conviction

Prosecutors today blasted Charles Sebesta, the former district attorney for Washington and Burleson counties, accusing him of hiding evidence and tampering, then threatening witnesses to convict Anthony Graves of capital murder in 1994.

Graves was released from jail Wednesday after spending 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

Shouldn't the DA go to jail for ' hiding evidence and tampering, then threatening witnesses'? I'm thinking 18 years isn't enough.

Global warming means Texas temperatures will be permanently higher

republicans will feel the heat even though their brains won't admit to scientific facts.

As the debate over climate change rages, average temperatures in Texas are slowly but steadily rising, according to a report from state climatologist John Nielson-Gammon.

Benzene linked to spina bifida in Texas

Thanks to all those polluters spewing it out.  You're spewing tragedy and death.

Women who live in Texas neighborhoods with high levels of benzene, a pollutant from refineries and tailpipes, are more likely to have babies with a serious neurological defect, according to a new study.

Kino Flores - guilty on all counts

Good. Now, lets send the war criminals, the negligent CEOS whose companies caused worker death and environmental damage, and the guys who swindle us all through Wall Street to jail to join him. Lots and lots of republicans can join the few corrupt Dems behind bars.

Neither side denies the strong-arm influence Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores has on western Hidalgo County politics.

And even after a jury in Austin convicted him Wednesday on nine counts of tampering with a governmental record — including four felony counts — and two counts of perjury, those familiar with Flores say the sun has not set on his influence over the region.

More on this topic from TexasVox.

What’s important here is not what he was convicted for, but what he was NOT convicted for. As the article says, this case basically amounted to “clerical errors” but this still stinks to high heaven. Unfortunately, (and probably by design) we have a State Ethics Commission which is relatively toothless and whose only major enforcement actions are for paperwork violations.

Hidalgo voters have the right to ask for assistance

“Shame on our system because little old men and women are literally dragged out of nursing homes for mail-in ballots and for early voting — that’s a tragedy,” said [state District Judge Rudy] Delgado, noting that the Precinct 1 race is only the latest South Texas election where the strategy has been used. “But it is a tragedy in our system that is allowed simply by skirting the law.”

Delgado ruled shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday that he would not grant an injunction that would force election workers to ask voters who request assistance whether they have a disability or cannot read English.

How does Delgado know that people are 'dragged out of nursing homes' against their will to vote?

Harris County deputy charged with taking bribes from drug dealer

It is time to legalize drugs and take the profit motive out. Otherwise, we will see more and more corruption.

A Harris County sheriff's deputy twice accepted $500 from an alleged drug dealer in exchange for his protection and access to confidential law enforcement computer records, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.

$1k really? That's all it took?

Corpus Christi police officer sues, citing discrimination

A veteran CCPD lieutenant has filed a lawsuit against the City of Corpus Christi for age and race discrimination.

The lawsuit alleges that Lieutenant Isaac Valencia was passed over several times, in favor of younger, Anglo men.

Silvestre Reyes' opponent neglects to file campaign report

Tim Besco, the Republican candidate for Congress, has not filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission as required by law, according to the FEC and the El Paso County Democratic Party, which filed a complaint against him.

Besco, 43, missed the Oct. 15 filing deadline, according to the complaint filed by the Democratic Party. The FEC website, which posts all campaign finance reports, does not list a report from Besco.

republicans don't think that rules are meant for them.

Lawsuits says South Padre Island town seeks to make beach available to snow birds

The lawsuit charges that the parking changes, which went into effect March 1, only apply from March 1 thought Sept. 15, discriminate against Valley residents, mostly Hispanics, to the benefit of the mainly white property owners and Winter Texans who visit during the winter.

“There is a faction in the town that does not want people from the Valley to use the beach within the town’s limits, or Spring Break on the Island,” the lawsuit states.

Lawyer hired by TRS board clears TRS board

Move along.  Nothing to see here.

Teacher and retiree groups are questioning the independence of the outside lawyer tapped in 2009 to investigate allegations of ethical lapses at Texas' teacher pension fund.

The investigation by Washington lawyer Roel Campos dug into allegations made by a top executive that some board members were improperly influencing investment decisions at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas to benefit themselves or allies of Gov. Rick Perry.

Campos' investigation, done under an ongoing $820,000 contract with the retirement system, cleared the board members and the fund's chief investment officer of wrongdoing.

The retirement system was quick to release the confidential Campos report last week to tamp down questions raised by a 2009 memo written by former investment executive Michael Green.

Who could doubt the crony capitalism going on?

Here's a silly headline

'Republicans, Democrats in Texas reaching out to Hispanics'

republicans think that Perry's nasty 'sanctuary city' ads and voter intimidation at minority polls in Harris County are reaching out efforts?

This headline shows how f*cked up we are

'2 are cautiously optimistic Legislature will allow concealed carry at Texas colleges'

Our legislators, you know that they're republicans, actually WANT students and faculty to carry concealed guns on campus? Really? That is so messed up.

republican Cameron County Judge doesn't like a get out the vote rally

Cameron County Judge Carlos H. Cascos says today's Get out the Vote Rally at Veterans Park violates the election code and has asked the county's Election Department to move it.

Perry's scorecard - good for business in the short term, bad for people

Perry has kept state spending and taxation in check. The economy has grown, and Texans are getting better-paying jobs. But the poor have suffered. And education has not fared as well in Texas as it has elsewhere, endangering the Lone Star State's ability to produce a competitive work force in the future.

republicans have to figure out how to provide educated workers to their business cronies without providing workers the ability to reason or think for themselves.

Coal fired plants use up too much of our water

There is a new front in the fight over whether Texas should build more coal-fired power plants — water.

The various water factions - farmers, environmentalists and growing, thirsty cities - have come together as allies against proposed coal plants across the state, with battles now raging from Abilene to Corpus Christi.

Their shared concern: The plants will use too much of an already stressed resource. So the unlikely allies are asking water suppliers to not sell the rights to billions of gallons to the plants, seizing on the notion that, perhaps more than ever, water still shapes destiny.

Bexar County United Headquarters burglarized

A break-in at the Bexar County United Democrats headquarters Sunday had organizers scrambling to replace stolen computers and other electronics, a spokesman said.

Coincidence? Not hardly.

Note to San Antonio News reporter Michelle Mondo or her online editor or both: DEMOCRAT IS NOT AN ADJECTIVE!!!

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes you all have voted or will be voting soon as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

This week at McBlogger, we take a look at the increasingly desperate campaign being run by Todd Staples. On Friday they attempted to eavesdrop on a conference call line if that tell you much. You simply won't believe the rest...

Letters From Texas spent most of the week pointing to Republican efforts to scapegoat and alienate minorities, first pointing out both Parties' failure to communicate effectively with Hispanic voters, then pointing out Republicans' blatant attempts to prevent them from voting, and showing that they'd planned to do it in Texas too. Most shocking, however, was the release of a photo of the most disturbing political sign in Texas.

Off the Kuff published his last interview of this cycle, with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White.

Bay Area Houston would vote for Proposition 1 in Houston if....

Ever wonder why republicans have gotten so batsh*t crazy? CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks they're locked inside their own tiny, tiny minds.

The news of the week in Harris County spread all across the country: well-fed Caucasian conservatives are going places they've never gone before -- minority early voting polling locations -- and doing their damndest to keep as few of 'those people' from casting a ballot as possible. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs kept the story up to date.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson shows the choice for governor comes down to this very simple issue, We must end Perry's unprecedented time as governor - he's been in office too long.

Martha Griffin at musings has questions about Prop 1 on the ballot in Houston. Why the lack of details about the plan and where is the political muscle to get this passed?

BossKitty at TruthHugger just decided to vent about the direction this election is trying to take this country ... with me in it - Federal Government in the crosshairs – OpEd.

Public Citizen is getting into the fray over early voting and intimidation activities across the state, with a press release and conference Monday afternoon in Houston with the League of Women Voters and a blog over at TexasVox. Keep watching for more coverage as this story continues to develop.

Len Hart at BlueBloggin looks at A Party of Panic and Depression, the Republican world of economics, death and destruction, K-Street and war. The administration of Ronald Reagan ushered in a depression of some two years. A depression of some two years, a contraction of the economy, a transfer of wealth upward to the upper quintile, the nation’s richest 20 percent. A windfall of this nature is not stimulus to invest but, rather, to transfer the gains offshore.

Lightseeker reports that , according to a recent Gallup Poll, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans...basically our non-white/non-black population...are going to vote for the Republicans in this election by a 52%-42% margin. Turns out that polling on this mid-term election has some serious problems. There is more at The Polls are Off and Nobody Knows by How Much!

Neil at Texas Liberal offered his election endorsements for Texas in 2010. And for good measure, Neil, a long-time resident of Ohio, also made endorsements for Ohio.

Former Galveston deputy loses his peace officer's license over domestic violence

Prosecutors dismissed a felony assault charge against a former deputy who was accused of hitting his wife in exchange for the defendant voluntarily surrendering his peace officer’s license.

Stefano Pothos was arrested in October 2009 at his Galveston residence on a felony assault-family violence charge, authorities said.

Ousted Kemah fire chief says he was fired because he refused to fudge a safety inspection

The former fire chief is suing the city’s volunteer fire department for $64,000 in severance and unused vacation pay on breach of contract claims.

Water Control and Improvement District 12’s Emergency Services Board fired Larry Suniga in a 5-4 vote Oct. 12 after discussing the former chief’s termination in executive session.

Suniga accused Mayor Matt Wiggins of voting to fire him as retaliation after Suniga refused to pass a failed fire code inspection of a bed-and-breakfast owned by Wiggins, the lawsuit states.

Good news. Record number of whooping cranes expected.

Although they’re about a week behind schedule, the two whooping cranes that touched down this week in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge are the forerunners of what is expected to be a record-setting flock.

The rising numbers are encouraging for biologists who study the endangered birds and track their taxing transcontinental journey because even slight changes in weather and habitat can have lasting consequences.

Early voting numbers up by more than a third in Cameron County

Can you imagine what would happen, if every eligible voter in South Texas voted?

As of Thursday, 8,526 early votes had been cast for the general election. In 2006, during the same time period 6,162 votes had been cast, a difference of 2,364 votes.

"The numbers are good, and we have been surpassing the last gubernatorial election everyday," [Elections Administrator Roger] Ortiz said. "We have had over 2,000 every day with the exception of yesterday (Thursday)."

Greg Abbott goes after women's clinic over birth control devices

I think Abbott just wants to show his anti-woman stripes in an election year.

A Grapevine women's clinic and six of its physicians have been accused of offering their patients unauthorized birth-control products from Canada.

In a lawsuit, Attorney General Greg Abbott said Women's Integrated Healthcare obtained intrauterine devices from an online Canadian pharmacy even though Bayer, their manufacturer, offers a U.S. version. Neither the attorney general's office nor Bayer has claimed that the device is unsafe.

Doctors at Women's Integrated Healthcare said that they turned to Canada because they were desperate to provide a safe but less expensive IUD for patients who were uninsured and could not afford the U.S. version. The Mirena IUD costs about $200 in Canada and $700 in the United States.

Women shouldn't have affordable birth control.  Or, birth control at all.  How else can republican men control their women?

EPA to re-issue Flint Hills permits

A deal between the EPA and some Texas refineries announced Friday should cool off a dispute over air-pollution permits and Texas jobs, the federal agency's regional chief said.

Al Armendariz, EPA regional administrator for Texas and four adjacent states, said Flint Hills Resources has agreed to seek revised state permits that would satisfy concerns that had led to EPA objections.

Texas Supreme Court rules against a company

I know. Hard to believe. Either it's election time or somebody forgot to pay in to a republican PAC.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that a law specifically designed to protect one company from older asbestos claims was unconstitutional.

The ruling in favor of a plaintiff was a bit of a surprise from the court, which has been criticized by trial lawyers for siding more often with business defendants in these kinds of cases.

The court threw out a provision included in Texas' tort reform legislation that was intended to protect Crown Cork & Seal Co.

Oh, the lawyer for the plantiffs is a former Texas Supreme Court justice and a member of the 'GOP elite'.  Who's your crony, baby?

Texas goes after Amazon for sales taxes

Texas has sent Amazon .com Inc. a $269 million bill for uncollected sales taxes on purchases made by state residents from the Seattle-based Internet superstore over a four-year period.

Now that Texas has gotten tough with the No. 1 online retailer, other states could be tempted to pile on with their own assessments as local governments face huge shortfalls, analysts said. Recent estimates put Texas' two-year budget shortfall at as much as $21 billion.

I thought republicans were against taxes. Did Amazon forget to donate to a republican PAC? Those are the kind of 'taxes' republicans like - the crony tax.

republican on tape saying violent revolution is on the table if GOP loses at ballot box

[Stephen] Broden said Thursday that revolution, in his view, first comes at the ballot box. But he said violent overthrow is an option.

"Our nation was founded on violence; the option is on the table," he said. "I don't think that we should ever remove anything from the table as it relates to our liberties and our freedoms."

The Dallas Morning News rescinded its endorsement.

Also Friday, The News' editorial board, which earlier backed Broden over Johnson in the congressional District 30 campaign, withdrew its recommendation of him, citing concerns about his judgment. It is making no candidate recommendation in that race.

OK.DMN, how much checking did you do before you endorsed Broden? Not much apparently. Check out YouTube next time.

Cibolo censures mayor on split vote

On a split vote, the Cibolo City Council last week approved a resolution censuring Mayor Jennifer Hartman, based on allegations that she violated the duties of her office and the city's charter.

The council voted 4-3 Oct. 12 for the resolution that censured Hartman “for conduct inconsistent with the city's Charter in failing ... and engaging in conduct which is divisive or harmful to the best interest of the city of Cibolo.”

OSHA actually does something to protect a worker

Oh, yeah. Bush isn't president anymore. Igloo Products in Katy is facing more than $113,000 fine.

Texas GOP candidate stumps for violence if GOP loses at ballot box

Republican congressional candidate Stephen Broden stunned his party Thursday, saying he would not rule out violent overthrow of the government if elections did not produce a change in leadership.

In a rambling exchange during a TV interview, Broden, a South Dallas pastor, said a violent uprising "is not the first option," but it is "on the table." That drew a quick denunciation from the head of the Dallas County GOP, who called the remarks "inappropriate."

Broden, a first-time candidate, is challenging veteran incumbent Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson in Dallas' heavily Democratic 30th Congressional District. Johnson's campaign declined to comment on Broden.

What? So, this guy is just saying what Sharron Angle has said. republicans do not believe in democracy. It's their way or war.

Galveston police feud with police chief

A wall of silence gripped city hall Thursday after its staff learned an overwhelming majority of Galveston’s police officers had signed a vote of no confidence in Police Chief Charles Wiley’s leadership ability.

Wiley was tight-lipped about the news, but City Manager Steve LeBlanc apparently had nothing at all to say on the matter.

During a ballot conducted Monday through Wednesday, 116 of the police department’s 137 officers said they had no confidence in Wiley’s leadership abilities, while just four gave him the thumbs up. The other 17 did not vote, of whom seven were not available to participate.

4 out of 120 like the police chief. Wow.

Most states have a way to ensure the integrity of the electronic voting machines. Not Texas.

It's the stuff of an Orwellian dystopia: a voting machine hacked, an election stolen, the public none the wiser. Yet some civil rights groups believe it's a real threat in Texas — one of only 12 states that allows a form of paperless voting, according to the Verified Voting Foundation, a nonprofit that lobbies on the issue nationwide.

...

The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in a lawsuit brought by the NAACP and the Texas Civil Rights Project against the secretary of state, which certifies voting machines used in counties across Texas. Lawyers for the groups allege that the state agency, when it certified machines that do not allow for an independent audit or verification of votes, violated its duty under the Texas Constitution to protect the integrity of elections.

Why won't the republican Secretary of State certify voting machines with a paper trail? Hmmmm.  Does anyone expect the republican Texas Supreme Court to stand up for fair elections?  I don't.

Early voting numbers surge in Texas

Unfortunately, my good friend in Bexar County says it's the republican voting locations with the large numbers.

After four days of early voting, numbers are up sharply in Harris County and across the state, prompting analysts to suggest that Texans are getting used to the convenience, are enthusiastic about their candidates or both.

"We're experiencing tremendously high turnout, both in-person and mail ballots," said Kevin Mauzy, deputy Harris County clerk. "The numbers rival what we did two years ago in a presidential election."

In Harris County, the 2010 numbers are running three times higher than in 2006 and are approaching figures for 2008. Analysts suggested local voters may be getting a head-start because of publicity about the long ballot and about the August fire that destroyed all of the county's voting machines.

Harris County DA looks into republican voter harassment at the polls

The Harris County Attorney on Tuesday said it is investigating some credible, if somewhat one sided, complaints of minority voter harassment. The voters reported that poll watchers got into election workers’ faces and blocked or disrupted lines of voters waiting to cast their ballots.

"Either Republican or Republican party candidate poll watchers, who were almost exclusively white, [were] in areas that were almost exclusively black," said First Assistant County Attorney Terry O'Rourke of the poll watchers. “Intimidation of a voter comes in a variety of ways. Obstructing a voter on the way in to vote would be another of them."

Note: Dave Fehling says 'if somewhat one sided'. WTF??? Do all reports of wrong doing by republicans have to be balanced by something, anything, no matter how small on the part of Democrats? WTF?

Las Brisas failed pollution computer model until a state permit engineer changed it

Nothing like tinkering with the criteria until the crony passes the test

.A state permit engineer testified Wednesday that Las Brisas Energy Center’s computer models showed that pollution from the proposed power plant would fit within federal limits but only after he made some changes.

Daniel Jamieson, an engineer with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the plant’s models as submitted were not sufficient to prove the plant’s pollution would fit within federal limits for particulate matter, or fine dust particles.

The Texas Observer slams TCEQ for its blatant crony ways

No doubt that the TCEQ favors Rick Perry's cronies over your health and well being.

In case you missed it, the latest chapter in the epic farce that is the state's polluter permitting process took place on Friday at the TCEQ commissioners' meeting. In a shameless display of industry ass-kissing, the Perry-appointed commissioners publicly pressured two administrative judges to hurry up their legal review of the proposed 1,600-megawatt Las Brisas petroleum-coke power plant in Corpus Christi.

Travis County DA declines to take on Perry's TRS adventures

A top Travis County prosecutor said Wednesday his agency already has investigated Democrat Bill White's allegations of wrongdoing at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and closed the case because no criminal violations were discovered.

White accused Gov. Rick Perry of "raiding" the teacher pension fund for the benefit of some of his campaign donors because investments were made with the donors' companies. White produced a memo from last August that he claimed was the "smoking gun."

There is a difference between illegal and unethical.

republican racism erupts against Valley congressmen

There were gasps in the audience as U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa told educators Monday how he and U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes had been told to “go back to Mexico” by a group of Tea Party supporters.

Hinojosa said the incident happened in the Sam Rayburn U.S. House building in Washington, D.C. The two border congressmen were racing for a vote on the House floor. It was the day the House voted on the major health and higher education legislation and there was a big Tea Party rally outside the Capitol in opposition to the bill.

“They first asked Silvestre Reyes, ‘Are you a Congressman?’ ‘Yes, I’m from Texas,’ he answered. ‘Are you both congressmen?’ ‘Yes, I am a congressman too,’ I replied. ‘Why don’t you go back to Mexico?’” Hinojosa told educators during a question and answer session at an event at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Racism is basic to the new republican party.

Hidalgo Sheriff's office looks into credit card abuse by Palmville officials

Palmview officials denied any wrongdoing — any credit card abuse, in particular — after the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office announced a criminal investigation of elected officials and other Palmview city employees.

The Sheriff’s Public Integrity Unit initiated the probe after receiving public complaints on alleged credit card abuse “for personal consumption rather than city business.”

The city manager is cooperating fully, providing financial records, Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.

The sheriff plans to present his findings to a state grand jury, but if in the course of the investigation it is detected that federal funds have been used, “I may call in the federal agencies, like I did with Sylvia Handy,” Treviño said.

Sylvia Handy goes to prison.

Good.  I can think of a few more corruption politicians who should join her.

Former Hidalgo County Commissioner Sylvia Handy checked herself into federal prison on Tuesday with less than an hour left to comply with a 2 p.m. deadline.

A spokeswoman at Federal Prison Camp Bryan said Handy reported to authorities sometime after 1 p.m., beginning her 30-month sentence more than six months after she pleaded guilty in March to felony charges of tax fraud and harboring illegal immigrants.

For republicans, facts don't matter. Labels do.

Why did Rick Perry skip the debate and thumb his nose at Texas voters?  Because he has the batsh*t crazy label.  Facts smacts.

Perry and his cronies play with the Teacher's retirement fund like they owned it

Cronies.  Crooks.  Liars.  Rick Perry.What do these things have in common?

Top appointees and employees at the state Teacher Retirement System overrode staff recommendations in order to hire political cronies and business associates for investment work there, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White charged Tuesday.

White cited a whistle-blowing report from a former employee of the agency as evidence that Gov. Rick Perry's appointees and supporters are converting public service to financial gain. The memo, from an investment analyst then employed at TRS, also raised questions about what he thought were inappropriate interventions by members of the TRS board on behalf of firms and consultants seeking to do business with the retirement agency.

More here, here, here, and here.

republican judicial candidate has probated suspensions of his law licenses

About a year ago, Christopher Dupuy, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Roy Quintanilla for the bench in County Court No. 3, was given a six-month probated suspension of his law license after the Board of Disciplinary Appeals found that the League City attorney’s websites omitted information that in part made the site misleading.

If mercury is good for you, twice as much is better

Las Brisas’ proposed permit would allow it to emit twice as much mercury as the recently permitted White Stallion Energy Center plant in Matagorda County, which has comparable technology. Cabe said this is because Las Brisas assumed its petroleum coke would have more mercury than White Stallion’s. Sahu testified Las Brisas used flawed data and the limit should be much lower.

Except, mercury is very, very bad for you. Unless you're a republican crony lover.

The odious Bob Perry donates big to republican governors

Rick Perry's biggest campaign donor has given $3.5 million to the Republican Governors Association, potentially setting up an infusion of cash in the final days of Perry's re-election race.

Houston homebuilder Bob Perry (no relation) is one of several Rick Perry donors to give to the GOP group in the last quarter.

If Perry wins, expect home builders to continue as Perry's favorite cronies.

Democrats sue over thuggery at Harris County polls

The Texas Democratic Party added its name today to the list of parties suing the King Street Patriots for offenses connected to their pre-election activities in Harris County.

It seeks monetary damages against the Houston-area Tea Party group for the "1960s style" voter intimidation it says has already occurred at the polls on the first day of early voting. The complaint also asks the court to halt what it characterizes as in-kind support of Republican candidates in violation of its nonprofit status. During a conference call with reporters, TDP lawyer Chad Dunn accused the group "blatantly ignoring our election laws" and said that, even in the first "three or four hours" of early voting, witnesses in minority precincts had reported representatives from the group "shouting misinformation" and "following voters and standing behind them" as they tried to vote. Dunn said TDP intended to release video of the incidents within the next few days. (Download the full complaint above.)

Earlier voters tend to be partisan

The differences between early voters and Election Day voters can have a significant effect on a politician’s campaign strategy, Haag says. Because early voters are more likely to vote based on ideology, he says, campaigns should target those who are committed to the party early, then concentrate on the independents, nonpartisans and those less likely to vote.

Although the goal of early voting is to increase voter turnout, the report shows just a 3-percent increase. Adding more convenient early voting locations such as in grocery stores or shopping malls — rather than a greater number of locations — could help raise that percentage. Metropolitan and suburban counties with the highest early voter turnout also have more convenient voting sites. “I know a bunch of these counties where there’s one place to go vote,” says ACC Center Director Peck Young. “That’s why you have low turnouts.”

Red team, blue team tribalism

A lot has been written about the republican tribalism. Ever wonder why facts and performance don't seem to matter in a republican's 'reality'? Because identity politics trumps everything.  republicans have to be superior to 'the others'.  Ever wonder why republicans are constantly pushing 'American exceptionalism'?  Why do wedge issues work so well with the republican base?  A republican's constant need for recognition and validation is the driving motive.  Even if I don't have a job or an education, I'm better than that gay, black, Mexican woman.

Digby points out that the ancestors of today's republicans were the anti-republican, pro-slavery forces of the old South.

The civil war didn't really resolve the underlying problem, which wasn't only slavery, but also the inconvenient fact that the country is really two different political cultures, one of which has always believed that the other looks down on them and in return loathes them for it. It's that same stubborn resentment which animates the rump Republican party today. They have a chip on their shoulders the size of Mt Rushmore. And they will not be appeased even by capitulation. They demand conversion. At a time when the country is as politically polarized and economically stressed as it is today, this faction becomes very powerful, even if it doesn't represent a majority.

I believe Digby when she says ' And they will not be appeased even by capitulation. They demand conversion.'.  Has it astounded you that republicans have been trumpeting the return of slavery lately?  Just google 'bring back slavery'.  Be prepared to get sick to your stomach.  I have no doubt that failing 'conversion', these batsh*t crazy people would love to either kill you or enslave you as an infidel.  All in the name of Christ, of course.

What has all of this 'exceptionalism' brought us? republicans, rather than gaining respect, are called batsh*t crazy. Even if they win lots of seats in this year's elections, the polls show the republican brand is low.  America continues to slide with respect to outside measurements such as life expectancy (49th) and education (18th out of 38).

What gains have the batsh*t crazies won on the social front since the Civil War?

• abortion is legal since Roe v Wade although the batsh*t crazies have made headway since that time in making abortions very hard to get.
• women continue to gain their freedom with better job opportunities, better wages, better educational opportunities and the ability to make life choices for themselves
• children are no longer considered property to be beaten, molested and otherwise abused.
• racism is frowned upon in public with even the batsh*t crazies howling at being called out.
• minorities are becoming majorities and visa versa.
• gays are becoming more and more accepted as valuable members of society.
• alcohol is legal in more places while discussions are afoot to legalize marijuana.
• blue laws are disappearing.
• atheists are increasing in numbers as are the unchurched.

Except for 'progress' on stopping abortions, what have the batsh*t crazies gotten?  Their fat cat corporate puppet leaders are even fatter.  Yup.  The batsh*t crazies are the greedy corporate bastards' useful idiots.  Nothing more.

Update: A new NAACP report calls out the republicans, aka 'The Tea Party', for what they are. Racists. Pure and simple.

Tom DeLay's trial is bound to be a circus

Why not?  Tom DeLay is clown.

Lawyers in the Tom DeLay conspiracy trial have subpoenaed a who's who of witnesses, from associates of disgraced Washington, D.C., lobbyist Jack Abramoff to former Texas Speaker Tom Craddick, for the biggest political trial in Austin in years.

The witness list for Travis County prosecutors includes chief executives of companies indicted for donating corporate money, several state lawmakers, enough Beltway lobbyists to pack a Capitol hearing and associates that DeLay shared with Abramoff, a former D.C. powerbroker nicknamed "Casino Jack" who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe public officials.

DeLay's lawyers have countered with their own heavyweights: former Ambassador Tony Garza, Austin lobbyist Buddy Jones and Craddick, the politician who benefited the most from DeLay's campaign efforts, which led to the charges that he conspired to launder corporate money — which is illegal in Texas campaigns — during the 2002 elections.

Another Texas education screw up

Texas is losing potential doctors because it doesn't have enough residency slots to train all the medical students the state pays to educate.

The problem, expected to loom large as health care reform's influx of the newly insured strains a Texas physician workforce already in short supply, could get worse as a result of the 82nd Legislature's projected budget shortfall of as much as $21 billion. The state Legislature provides one of the sources of funding for residency training.

People who previously did without health care will now be able to afford it.  Too bad republicans fix it so they still can't have it.

Early voting starts today. Vote

Google your county's election website and find an early voting location near you. Look for a sample ballot for your precinct, print it out and be ready to vote today. Scare a republican.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is fired up and ready to vote as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

Off the Kuff has interviews with Linda Chavez-Thompson and Barbara Radnofsky.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks breathing benzene, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants is bad. Why doesn't the TCEQ agree?

The Texas Cloverleaf posts on Blog Action Day about clean water in the Barnett shale.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson points our that there a still many unanswered questions regarding Gov. Perry and a special favor for a mega donor, The drip, drip, drip continues for Perry's mega-donor problem.

The King Street Patriot extremists are breaking the law again in Harris County. A lot more voter suppression and intimidation is in store from these thugs. Brains and Eggs has the details, including the link to the video of TeaBaggin' Jim Murphy (he's going to lose to Kristi Thibaut again) doing the honors.

Neil at Texas Liberal can't imagine that the people of Houston might wish to get rid of Red Light Cameras. Our roads in Houston are already filled with drunks and crazies. Why would we want to make things even worse by making it easier to run red lights and get away with it? Neil urges folks in Houston to vote Yes on Prop. 3 and help keep our streets somewhat less bloody than they might otherwise become.

Intrepid Intern Ali Rawaf and Campaign Finance Curmudgeon Andy Wilson team up at TexasVox to remind you that early voting starts today, Monday, Oct 18, by giving you the sobering truth of who exactly is financing our Congressional midterm campaigns and what special favors they will want if you let their chosen candidates get into office. This is the first in a series-- keep an eye on TexasVox in the next 2 weeks for more in-depth looks at who's financing the Texas Governor's race, races for Ag Commissioner and Railroad Commissioner, and the Third Court of Appeals-- and maybe others.

Do you think breathing 500,000 pounds of chemicals might harm your health?

BP says no.

The company operating community air monitors for BP and other industrial complexes was sued Thursday and accused of failing to accurately monitor the air.

The claim stems from an error the state’s environmental regulatory agency said last week was contained in the data connected to a 40-day emissions event at BP’s Texas City refinery.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a retiree who claims tests showed she had been exposed to benzene and a woman who blames the death of her infant son on the emissions event.

Valero gets a fine for pollution

Damage to local health? Priceless. The fine to Valero? Just a little cost of doing business. Thousands of pounds of sulfur dioxide and hundreds of pounds of who know's what. Breathe easy. Citgo got an even tinier fine for 15,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide.

Las Brisas to get favorable treatment in permitting process

The TCEQ never met a crony it didn't like.

State environmental commissioners pledged Friday to expedite the Las Brisas Energy Center air permit case as much as possible.

The promise came during a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality meeting in Austin at which commissioners had asked for a status update from two judges overseeing the case. If the permit is not issued by Jan. 2, it could be delayed for years, company officials have said in court documents.

Why the hurry? To beat stricter air pollution rules. So, obviously, the obvious choice for a republican is to race so that a crony doesn't have to worry as much about polluting.

American citizen wins fight to get a passport

Why shouldn't a US citizen be able to get a passport?

After a three-day trial, U.S. District Court judge Hilda G. Tagle ruled in favor of Cynthia Trevino, saying the court found credible her documents and the family members who served as witnesses.

"Having considered all testimony and exhibits, the court concluded that the petitioner had met her burden to show by a preponderance of the evidence that she was born in Brownsville, Texas, and therefore is a citizen of the United States of America," Tagle states in court documents.

The harassment of Hispanics will continue none the less.

Perry bot chairing Texas Forensic Science Commission prejudges case

Coincidence? Not if you're a Perry bot.

Texas Forensic Science Commission Chairman John Bradley's depiction of Cameron Todd Willingham as a "guilty monster" touched off heated exchanges at a meeting of the state panel Friday as some members said the remarks threaten the commission's image and objectivity.

Threaten the Commission's image and objectivity. Hummm. Perry appointments kind of shoot that argument, though recent flashes of 'objectivity' from the gallery are encouraging. Thanks for that. You give me hope.

Sharon Keller has the gall to run for re-election in 2012

What can you say? Clueless. Soulless. Corrupt. Ok. What makes her different than any other republican running for office? She got a tiny, temporary slap on the wrist. I guess I see her point in running. Never mind.

republican state district judge indicted for bribery

A state district judge and three others have been indicted on multiple bribery charges related to her 2008 campaign.

Judge Suzanne Wooten, along with campaign manager James Stephen Spencer, David Cary and Stacy Stine Cary, each face six counts of bribery and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity.

Organized criminal activity. Yup, sounds like the republican party to me.

Candidates say f*ck you to Project Vote Smart

Why? Because labels are so much more important than actual positions. We're that dumb.

Nonpartisan research group Project Vote Smart has called out congressional, statewide and legislative contenders for ducking its issues questionnaire. The latest response rate from Texans was the lowest of any since the first survey here in 1992.

We all know Perry said f*ck you to Texas Newspapers. Now, Texas House candidate Bill Zedler says f*ck you to the League of Women Voters.

Zedler didn't just skip the Arlington chapter's candidate forum Monday.

He bailed on the invitation an hour before the event, skipping out on debating Rep. Chris Turner, D-Burleson, in front of 75 voters.

Instead, he went to a 912/Tea Party meeting of about the same size in central Fort Worth.

Perry blames chief of staff for dirty slush fund donation

republicans are all talk about responsibility, but always avoid it for themselves. Perry's buddy, aka 'donor', was denied his request for taxpayer start up funds, and yet he received them anyway.

Appearing in Round Rock on Thursday, Perry defended his office's management of the fund. He said he does not know whether there was a compelling reason that allowed Nance's company to bypass the preliminary review process before the statewide tech fund advisory board — a 17-member body of mostly Perry appointees — recommended it to the state's top leaders last October .

He said he was unaware that the local review board had turned down Nance's application. "If my office has interaction with them, I'm not familiar with it," Perry said of the local boards. "They don't tell me. They may tell (chief of staff) Ray Sullivan."

Court stops Willingham inquiry

Facts are stubborn things. Even though republicans have managed to create and live in their own version of hell reality.

During an unprecedented hearing completed just before an appeals court ordered it to stop, state District Judge Charlie Baird on Thursday heard from two leading fire experts who said Cameron Todd Willingham, executed in 2004, was convicted based on faulty science.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Refugio police officers say they were fired for whistleblowing

Two former police officers are suing the Town of Refugio, saying they were forced out for assisting in an investigation into wrongdoing in the department.

Refugio's former Interim Police Chief Fernando Garcia and former Officer Dean Ochoa resigned from the department this summer, but they are claiming they were forced out as punishment for helping state and federal agents investigate former police chief, Chris Brock.

Rick Perry admits that donor he gave our money to is a 'special friend'

What do you call it when a politician ignores a screening board to give our tax dollars to a special friend who is also a political donor?  I call it public corruption.  Shouldn't it be illegal?

Gov. Rick Perry acknowledged Wednesday that he has a "nice, close personal relationship" with a major campaign donor whose company was awarded $4.5 million in state technology funds despite its failure to win approval from a regional screening board.

Warren Chissum decides to throw his whacko hat into the ring for speaker

Because republicans have decided this is the year of the whacko.  Chissum wants to regulate what goes on in your bedroom from hindering divorce to deciding who you can love.

Conservative legislator Warren Chisum announced his candidacy Wednesday, saying his experience is needed as lawmakers confront the mounting budget shortfall and contentious redistricting.

The only place Warren Chisum is needed is the psychiatric ward.

5th Circuit Court affirms theocracy

Whenever I say the pledge of allegence, I always skip the 'under God part'. That's why I skip Whataburger if I want a hamburger. Whataburger flaunts the 'under God' in their signage. Check out the wording near the drive through.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of the Texas Pledge of Allegiance on Wednesday, rejecting a Dallas couple’s argument that the pledge violated the First Amendment, according to a news release from the state attorney general’s office.

I refuse to be coerced into pledging a religious belief.

Pollution from coal plants? Texas republicans don't care.

So what if coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, faces tightening air-pollution standards from federal regulators? Texas — probably more than any other state — is aggressively building new coal plants.

A permit recently approved for a coal plant in Matagorda County, known as the White Stallion Energy Center, is one of six granted to projects that are not yet up and running, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, while four more projects — near Abilene, Odessa, Sweeny and Corpus Christi — are seeking permits, including several that plan to store some of their greenhouse gas emissions underground. The TCEQ will hold a discussion about one of those four, a proposed plant called the Las Brisas Energy Center near Corpus, on Friday, though it's unlikely a permit will be granted then. Texas, which consumes far more coal power than any other state, already has 19 operating coal-fired power plants, the majority of which are in East Texas. (Some plants, including the proposed Las Brisas facility, burn petroleum coke, a refinery byproduct that is similar to coal.)

Electronic voting case should go to court

Alleging that Travis County's electronic voting machines are not secure or reliable, a group of voters Tuesday asked the Texas Supreme Court to let their lawsuit demanding changes go to trial.

The lawsuit, filed in 2006 but held up on procedural questions, seeks to force Travis County to provide voters with a paper copy of their just-cast ballot to review for accuracy. That ballot would then be submitted to create a record that can be checked in event of a recount or problem with a machine.

The current system, which tabulates all votes cast on a machine but does not provide individual printed ballots, cannot ensure accuracy or provide a backstop to a voting system that has had problems in the past, the voters say.

A republican court probably loves a voting system subject to manipulation.

Jim Wells DA forfeiture account to be audited

Jim Wells County approved an audit of the District Attorney Forfeiture Fund for fiscal year 2010, presented by Certified Public Accountant Raul Hernandez.

Joe Frank Garza dodged a criminal charge for misuse of forfeiture funds.

[Paid subscription required to read the article.]

Bishop chemical plant explosion injures worker

Who cares about worker safety.  Who cares about the people living near this plant.  It's all about the profits that can be made when you don't care.  Deregulation means more chemical plants exploding.  Where do you live?

There's new information about what caused an explosion at a chemical plant in Bishop last night that critically injured one man.

Lamar Smith wants to replace the justice department in gay rights dispute

Smith wants to be sure that gays continue to be treated poorly.

Hoping to preserve a law that forbids the U.S. government to recognize same-sex marriages, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith has asked a federal court to let him and not the Obama administration appeal a ruling that strikes down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Smith, a San Antonio Republican whose district includes western Travis County, wants to be in charge of the appeal challenging twin rulings by U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro of Boston, who found in July that the marriage law improperly forced Massachusetts to discriminate against its residents.

Cause loopy, dopey, doofus Smith is so much smarter than anyone else. Especially those folks in Massachusetts.

Bad headline from Trib Blog

'Keller Cleared'

No. Sharon Keller was not cleared. Everyone still knows she's a selfish, ideological a**hole. Keller's reprimand was ruled inappropriate by her crony buddies.

republican Cameron County Judge says no to money for the poor

In his response, [Cameron County Judge Carlos] Cascos said “no” on two health care issues that Valley Interfaith has been championing to help the indigent poor of Cameron County. One involved the expenditure of the so-called “tobacco monies” that the State provides the County. The other involved how to best use the so-called Upper Payment Limit funds the county receives from the State after it has leveraged indigent health care dollars from its general revenue.

Cascos told the Guardian that Cameron County was using what money is available for indigent care wisely.

...

Cascos’ challenger said he would commit to supporting Valley Interfaith’s agenda on health care for the poor.

“We have, historically, always funded the indigent health care program at eight percent of our general revenue. However, in the budget for 2011 it will be less,” said [Cameron County Commissioner John] Wood, a Democrat.

Texas Association of School Boards has a revenue plan

TASB’s new school finance model is a single-tier, single-guaranteed yield system that would replace the current target revenue and two-tiered, multiple-yield systems currently in effect. In the coming biennium, it would guarantee every school district a minimum increase in revenue per Weighted Average Daily Attendance (WADA) of $30, while limiting any one district’s gain to $200 per WADA.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance is imagining a world in which John Lennon lived to see his 70th birthday as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff published interviews with Democratic candidates Jeff Weems, Hector Uribe, and Hank Gilbert.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is disgusted again. This is a very serious election. America is the deer in the headlights and appears to be frozen. So, the last thing I want to hear is "its a TRUCK"! This election is all spin and conspiracy, not that previous elections haven't been. But this one is critical because even hinting at rolling back what forward motion has been achieved. Israel is sliding, America is sliding and the radicals are ready. This is NOT the choice American's should face.

Mathew Dowd, a Bushbot, longs for the glory days of the Bush presidency and envisions Rick Perry as president. That sound you hear is CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme retching uncontrollably.

Bay Area Houston says during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Americans are truly a sick bunch of people.

nytexan at BlueBloggin is beyond irritation at the continual hypocrisy of Congress and Republican policy of NO. Coburn and Brown Take Pay Raise and Say No To Federal Employees. It’s stunning that the US Congress can continue to give themselves pay raises every years and then claim that federal employees are overpaid. Tom Coburn believes “We need to expect more, and we need to pay less.”

The Texas governor is apparently going to finish the 2010 campaign much the way he started it: remaining cowardly, and trying to get re-elected based solely on his good looks.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts (again) on the failure of our states leadership, Public school finance continues to be a problem.

WhosPlayin writes about why it is so important for Texans to log on to www.donatelifetexas.com and check the status of their organ donor registration, and sign up if they are not already.

Neil at Texas Liberal attended the Governor's race debate on the topic of education that was held in Houston. All the candidates were there except incumbent Rick Perry.

Even Texas republicans say BP benzene emissions were at unsafe levels

You'd think any benzene wouldn't be safe.

Texas environmental regulators said Friday that BP's Texas City plant emitted dangerous levels of benzene for one hour during a 40-day release in April and May, revising previous reports that the emissions all were below levels hazardous to health.

In an earlier report on the incident, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said that BP's monitors detected no levels exceeding limits for short-term health effects relating to benzene or pentane.

I don't trust the TCEQ. Do you? Not when republicans are so anxious to protect their cronies.  Here's a chance to do something about it.

TCEQ is broken. It’s not working in the public’s interest, and there are direct costs that all of us in the state of Texas are paying as a result. But there is an opportunity for us to fix some of the problems with this broken state agency by participating in the Texas Sunset process.

The Alliance for a Clean Texas kicked off a series of town hall meetings across the state on the sunset review of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on September 15 th. Last night in Corpus Christi, residents criticized the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, saying it holds too much power and ignores public concerns in the interest of business.

Here's a headline you don't want to see

'Corpus Christi police officer posts bail on indecency charges'

A Corpus Christi police officer indicted last week on allegations that he fondled an underage girl has turned himself in and posted bail.

Raul Rodriguez, 46, was indicted Sept. 30 on two counts of indecency with a child, a second-degree felony.

Perry bashes immigrants with promise to go after sanctuary cities that don't actually exist in Texas

Gov. Rick Perry said Friday that he plans to make getting rid of sanctuary cities -- where officials do not enforce immigration laws -- a priority in the next legislative session.

To do that, he said, he'll make it an emergency item in the 2011 legislative session, saying that the action would help Texas law enforcement officers better enforce state laws.

...

The only Texas city Perry has specifically targeted is Houston, where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White served as mayor. Officials there have said Houston does not have a formal sanctuary-city policy, but a longtime policy does prevent authorities from asking suspects about their immigration status.

Bush/Cheney flack is pushing for a Rick Perry 2012 nomination

Mathew Dowd starts his article with a fond reference to little Georgie. If you need to puke, this is the article to read.

So which Republican is able to speak passionately to this anti-establishment fervor and has credibility as an elected official? Gov. Rick Perry.

Oh, please. We don't even like governor 39% in Texas.

But if Perry cares about the will of Texas voters who responded to the KHOU-Belo Texas Poll, he will resist the temptation to run for the White House. Only 25 percent of likely Texas voters in our survey favor Perry running for president in the next election. About half -- 51 percent -- are against the idea. (The rest either didn't know or wouldn't say.)

republican candidate for Galveston County Commissioner skips paying taxes

The Republican candidate for Precinct 2 county commissioner is under fire for a series of property tax delinquencies, some of which led to lawsuits.

Kevin O’Brien admits he was delinquent on some tax payments but insists other cases — including a $6,300 tax bill that dates to 1990 but that records show still is owed — were mistakes made by banks or by the central appraisal district.

No Texans have complained about new health care law. Not one.

During a Texas House committee hearing today, Rep. Susan King found herself stopped by the last page in the state insurance commissioner's written testimony. Commissioner Mike Geeslin, who'd been talking about the federal health care overhaul, concluded with a bullet point saying there'd been no complaints to his department's consumer services unit about the federal law.

I'm sure the republican dirty tricks campaign will remedy that.

Galveston County Judge may have to choose between insurance board and being County Judge

Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough’s position as a director for American National Insurance Co.’s board of directors might run afoul of a little-known state law that prohibits county judges or commissioners from serving on boards of publicly traded companies that do business with the county.

Yarbrough, who’s been county judge for 16 years, said he was unaware of the law that apparently prevents him from serving on the Galveston-based insurance company’s board of directors. Yarbrough joined American National’s board in 2001.

Didn't it raise a flag when you joined the board of a company that does business with Galveston? Huh?

There are more Yoga adherents than Southern Baptists

Apparently, that p*sses off the Baptists.

A Southern Baptist leader who is calling for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments is getting plenty of pushback from enthusiasts who defend the ancient practice.

Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler says the stretching and meditative discipline derived from Eastern religions is not a Christian pathway to God.

These guys are such a joke. Why are there so many of them?

Dead sea turtles washing up at Bob Hall Pier on North Padre Island

"This is the 333rd sea turtle that we've dealt with since January the 1st, which is a record," [Tony] Amos said. "The last record was 270-something."

Amos said, the cold winter is partially to blame, but so are people.

"We've had a lot of boat propeller accidents, where, especially these green turtles are being hit by boat propellers. There's a lot more fishing going on."

Democrats fight back republican attempts to surpress voter registration

The founder of the registration drive group, Fred Lewis, is punching back with a defamation suit.

Lewis recently filed a defamation suit against Catherine Engelbrecht, the founder of True the Vote, in Travis County court. The suit arises from comments she made at an Aug. 9 True the Vote meeting that linked Houston Votes to the New Black Panthers, a radical black separatist group known for the inflammatory statements of its leaders. The meeting featured a speech from Christian Adams, the Department of Justice lawyer who resigned in June to protest a decision by his higher-ups to drop an investigation into whether the Panthers intimidated Philadelphia voters during the 2008 presidential elections. While introducing Adams, Engelbrecht showed an undated clip of an unidentified black man in dreadlocks on speaking on Fox News, saying, “We have to exterminate white people off the face of this planet to solve this problem.” After playing the clip, Engelbrecht said, “Houston has a new neighbor; the New Black Panthers have opened up an office.” Then she showed an image of the Houston Votes office, saying: “That looks mysteriously like the T-shirt that the Houston Vote group wears.” (Watch the clip, provided by Lewis’ attorney, below. A video of the full meeting is on the King Street Patriots site here.)

The Texas Democratic Party is suing Harris County Tax Assessor’s office.

Juanita Jean and the Burnt Orange Report have more.

Justice and embarrassment for Perry is delayed in Willingham case

A court of inquiry into the investigation that led to the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, convicted of setting fire to his Corsicana home, killing his three daughters, was postponed Wednesday.

Outside a Travis County courthouse, Willingham's ex-wife repeated her assertion that the unemployed Corsicana mechanic confessed to her that he killed the girls.

Guilty or innocent, the public deserves to have fair trials.

Democratic SBOE challengers raise more money for race

Why? Are the batsh*t crazy people afraid to open their wallets?

Democratic candidates for State Board of Education have fundraising advantages over GOP opponents in every race, except for the contest to represent El Paso’s State Board of Education District 1.

The Texas Independent previously reported on the battle between District 1 Democratic incumbent Rene Nuñez and GOP opponent Charlie Garza.

Judging by contribution totals, Trinity University professor Democrat Michael Soto is on his way toward replacing SBOE District 3 incumbent Rick Agosto (D-San Antonio), who is known for sometimes aligning with the board’s socially conservative bloc on divisive issues, and who opted out of a reelection bid.

Judge's company owes $130K in back taxes

A company partially owned by the Montgomery County judge owes Galveston County more than $130,000 in delinquent taxes.

County Judge Alan Sadler and his business partner Aslam Kapadia have seven properties in Galveston County under the company Development II Partners, Cheryl Johnson, the Galveston County tax assessor-collector, said. The company owes $131,723.92 in back taxes from 2009.

Las Brisas wants to avoid new greenhouse gas rules

Why? Because, they don't mind polluting your air.

Company attorney John Riley has expressed concerns about that date, saying in court filings it likely wouldn’t allow the commission enough time to consider the permit before new rules about greenhouse gas emissions go into effect Jan. 2. The Las Brisas permit application doesn’t include limits on greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

Boo hoo. Deregulation would say let Las Brisas pollute as much as they want. You can decide to breathe or not.

Should UT having a taxing district in Cameron County?

Sure, the poorest should pay the most, if you ask a greedy republican.

Brownsville officials and residents expressed concern over a proposed partnership agreement between UTB and TSC that would require the junior college to continue operating a tax district, even as the two merge into a four-year university of the UT System.

Global warming won't be kind to Texas

Two unusually warm summers — in South Texas in 2009 and North Texas this year — are signs of what's ahead, [Texas A&M University atmospheric sciences professor John Nielsen-Gammon] said.

A recent Texas A&M University news release said the heat could bring water shortages, more severe droughts, crop failures and more difficulty controlling air pollution. Farmers will need to irrigate more.

Pew Center says Hispanics are going strongly for Democrats

With all of the hateful rhetoric how could any Hispanic vote for a republican? With all of the incompetence and failed policy decisions, how could any sane voter go for the republican?

Nearly two thirds of registered Latino voters across the country, about 65 percent, said they would likely support a Democrat in their local U.S. House race, according to a study released today by the Pew Hispanic Center. The figure almost tripled the 22 percent who indicated support for a GOP candidate in the same race.

“If this pro-Democratic margin holds up on Election Day next month, it would be about as wide as in 2008, when Latinos supported Barack Obama for president over John McCain by 67 percent to 31 percent,” says Mark Hugo Lopez, the associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center.

Partisan republican hack in Harris County is SUPPOSED to be working for the citizens, not republicans

Yeah, I know. Every single republican now a days always works in a partisan manner. Self serving is their total and complete mode of operation. Promoting the general welfare is completely off their radar.

Voter fraud scares are common prior to an election, says University of Texas political science professor Sean Theriault, though the amount of actual fraud is “pretty minimal.” But even one or two instances can create the impression of “rampant” fraud: “It's not at all unusual or out of the ordinary for someone to fill out more than one voter registration card,” he explains, and it doesn’t necessarily suggest sinister motives.

Partisan hack Harris County Registrar Leo Vasquez

called a news conference to decry an "organized and systematic attack" on the integrity of Harris County’s voter rolls.

BullshI*t and shame on you, Leo Vasquez.  Too bad, republicans have no shame.  And, no integrity.  The people who are hurting this election process are the republicans who are denying legitimate voters access to the polls.

Prosecutor in Willingham case wants a new judge

Fifteen years ago, Judge Charlie Baird was one of the justices on the state’s highest criminal court who reaffirmed Cameron Todd Willingham’s death sentence. Now a state district judge, Baird is scheduled on Wednesday to begin a process that could determine that the conviction — and Willingham’s execution — were mistakes. And the prosecution objects

.Who wants truth when fiction works so much better for your point of view?

Perry thumbs his nose at newspaper endorsements, after thumbing his nose at the editors

republicans have no shame.

The way Perry sees it, newspapers are old news and have lost much of their influence. In a rapidly changing media climate, Perry said he decided before the March primaries that seeking their endorsements was a waste of time. After winning by 20 percentage points, the governor said he sees no reason to switch strategies in his race against Democrat Bill White.

Previously, Perry ducked questions from newspaper editors at the National Conference of Editorial Writers luncheon in Dallas. Perry knows that he can't stand up to basic, intelligent questions or scrutiny.

Bexar County takes 2 or 3 times longer than other large counties to deliver justice

Bud Ritenour, immediate past president of the 520-member defense lawyers group, said lawyers are eager to be part of the dialogue — and solutions.

“We need to look at the big picture of the justice system,” Ritenour said.

“I agree 100 percent with you,” [Bexar County Judge Nelson] Wolff said.

“We've struggled to get a handle on how to make the system more efficient and at the same time giving the person a right to (a speedy) trial,” Wolff said. “All these cases are just dragging out so long.”

“We are getting better, but we've got a way to go,” Wolff added. Bexar County “takes two or three times longer to dispose of a case” than other major counties.

Texas republicans to decide 15,000 people should just die

republicans claim to be pro-life, but in practice they are the opposite.

Unless lawmakers dig deep, Texas may pull back a lifeline that keeps about 15,000 people alive.

The Texas HIV Medication Program, which supplies life-sustaining anti-retroviral drugs to people with HIV or AIDS who can't afford them, will run out of money in the next two years and be forced to cut off enrollment, tighten eligibility or stop covering some drugs unless the state provides an additional $23 million, officials said.

Another refinery. Another fine.

Washington state officials hit Tesoro Corp. with a $2.4 million fine Monday — the highest penalty ever issued by the state's workplace safety regulators - after an investigation of an April 2 explosion that killed seven at the company's plant north of Seattle.

The deaths could have been prevented at the company's Anacortes, Wash., refinery had the San Antonio-based company followed standard industry procedures and its own policies, regulators said.

Seven deaths for $2.4 million. For businesses, life is cheap.

Historic downtown Galveston among most dangerous places

Galveston’s historic downtown district, a popular tourist destination, was in 2008 among the top 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in the country, according to data compiled by a research and data mining company.

Galveston officials, however, said island crime rates in the last two years are at a 30-year low and that downtown is as safe as any other isle neighborhood.

Neighborhood Scout recently released on walletpop.com a collection of data gathered from FBI crime reports, proclaiming that people on Church Street between 19th and 26th streets stand a 1-in-11 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime, author Andrew Schiller said.

1-in-11 chance seems awfully high to me. Are the Galveston officials saying the rest of Galveston is just as bad? Something tells me that the tourist interests will be lighting a fire under the 'Galveston officials'' butts.

Latina Leader award goes to UTB-TSC president

Juliet V. García, president of the University of Texas Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, received a 2010 Latina Leader Award from the Imagen Foundation at a Sept. 28 reception, dinner and ceremony at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington D.C.

The award recognizes Hispanic women who have made differences in all areas of society. García was nominated by U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, whose District 15 includes a portion of Cameron County.

Cameron County is ready to vote

Elections Administrator Roger Ortiz of the Cameron County Election and Voter Registration Department, said the office has received large numbers of voter registration applications for the Nov. 2 election.

“We’ve got hundreds of them (applications) that came in today and a lot of walk-ins that have come in to register to vote, which is good because we normally don’t see a lot of walk-ins,” Ortiz said.

“I think it is going to be above 170,000 registered voters in the county” when the counting is done, Ortiz said.

The Dallas Morning News notices Perry's dirty slush fund benefits Perry

The way Texas doles out money from its Emerging Technology Fund raises such serious questions about the role of political donations in the fund's operation that the governor and the Texas Legislature should revamp it.

A Dallas Morning News investigation published Sunday and yesterday found that more than $16 million from the fund has gone to companies whose investors or officers are major campaign donors to Gov. Rick Perry. On top of these ties, the fund, created five years ago at Perry's urging to aid struggling but promising technology firms, is structured in a way that allows the governor to play a pivotal role in determining how the funds are distributed.

Harris County DA is going after Houston City Council members

The Harris County District Attorney's Office has opened an investigation into potential ethical misconduct and "inappropriate contact" between Houston City Council members and a security contractor, according to a subpoena issued by the office.

The firm named in the subpoena, Elite Protective Services, was hired in 2009 as a subcontractor through the city's minority business program to work on two major security contracts worth more than $66 million. Wackenhut, the Florida-based company that won both jobs, hired Elite to do 15 percent of the work for one contract and share 12.5 percent of the work on the other with another firm.

Banks got consumers coming and going out of their homes

It's campaign time and a republican wants to appear to give a sh*t.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott called for a halt on foreclosures Monday amid nationwide scrutiny over the way they are processed.

Kino Flores accused of more dirty dealings

State Rep. Kino Flores, facing trial this month on ethics and perjury charges, is accused in a new court filing of a long list of backroom schemes including an allegation that he was known as "Mr. Ten Percent" because he demanded payments from vendors doing business with local and state agencies.

The 52-year-old Democrat from Palmview, in the Rio Grande Valley, has been the subject of repeated criminal investigations in the past seven years but is not charged with any new crimes. Instead, Travis County prosecutors prepping for Flores' Oct. 18 trial on the 2009 charges filed a list of alleged "extraneous offenses" they intend to bring up in court.

republicans say f**k y** to Texas Gulf Coast

Republican members of a powerful committee joined with the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to kill a bill last week that would have halted the loss of about $40 million in federal disaster grants for Hurricane Ike victims, according to congressional staff.

The leadership and Republican members of the Appropriations Committee agreed that Texas took so long to spend its share of a 2008 disaster grant for $600 million that the state probably didn’t need the money, said the staff member, who wasn’t authorized to comment on the issue and asked not to be identified.

Why do some Texas lawyers think it is ok to have sex with their clients?

Some do. Really.

Lawyers and their love lives have made for pretty good television over the years, but the state's real-life failure to regulate sexual relationships between lawyers and their clients is becoming one of Texas' longest-running legal dramas.

For seven years, lawyers working on behalf of the Texas Supreme Court have been drafting new rules of conduct for state-licensed attorneys.

Now, with a draft of those rules finally on the table, the biggest sticking point has been the innocuously named Rule 1.13, or as it is more interestingly known, the "sex with clients" rule.

PAC says Rick Perry loves his cronies

We've been saying that, too.

"Perry pushed for a law that lets insurance companies raise homeowners’ rates without having to justify the increase.

Want another example?

Austin entrepreneur David G. Nance and Gov. Rick Perry say they are big fans of each other. Nance has taken Perry hunting. Perry's son owned stock in Nance's former biotech company. Nance wrote fat checks to Perry's campaigns and pet projects.

Nance also is one of a number of large Perry campaign donors – he has contributed $80,000 since 2000 – whose companies have received millions of dollars from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. The Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday that more than $16 million from the tech fund has gone to firms with officers or investors who were major Perry contributors.

In July and August, tech fund awards of $6.5 million were made to companies founded or overseen by Nance.

It's Monday TPA blog roundup time!

The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the arrival of October as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on Texas Governor Rick Perry is still in denial about the economy in Texas, Trying to make a living in the best state not to have a job in.

Off the Kuff examined the possibility of a Libertarian effect on the Governor's race.

Bay Area Houston has an opinion on Renew Houston's new tax for drainage improvements.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme thinks that the republican running for Harris County Clerk is an idiot.

News you won't hear on the Lamestream Media this week is that the conservative/TeaBag/GOP momentum peaked three weeks too soon, while the liberal/progressive/Democratic momentum is surging. You can wait a month and learn what happened on FOX ... or you can read all about it now at PDiddie's Brains and Eggs.

Rev. Manny at BlueBloggin takes a look at Tea Party Candidates — More Proof that they are running cover for the Corporate Agenda. When I think of ultimate horrible business hustles, it’s a long list, but near the top are sweatshops, mercenaries, commodity profiteering and environmental assault. Enter the Tea Party.

It was another bad week for Sleazy Todd Staples. First off, there is now a video to go with his votes to expand eminent domain. Then he tried to defend some of his inaction with stupidity. Hank, of course, slapped him down hard.

Libby Shaw does yeoman service to us all be gathering together a sort of besatiary of Far Out Right Wing Republicans who are running for office this cycle. Check out the videos. Oh, word of warning don't try to ingest anything while you are viewing. Either you will gag or you will brust out in laughter. Neither is good for your digestion. Check it out....The Scourge of the Republican Radical Right.

Neil at Texas Liberal noted a report that aliens are disarming nuclear missiles in the U.K. and the U.S. Neil supports this course of action by our alien visitors, and urges them to come to Texas to disable the means by which we execute people. The number of innocent people executed in the U.S. is a crime of a galactic scale.

Judge wants more hard data before uranium mine gets a permit

What an idea. Usually, republicans like disaster to hit and then, be forced to make safety changes.

A judge has asked for more information in the ongoing struggle between a uranium company and Goliad County residents.

The judge on Thursday recommended the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality allow for the submission of additional data about uranium mining at Goliad's In-Situ Recovery project before the Uranium Energy Corporation moves forward with any mining.

People are expendable. Money from cronies is spendable.

BexarMet wants to flaunt fluoride law

Sounds like the batsh*t crazy crowd.

The Bexar Metropolitan Water District board’s decision this week to stop adding fluoride to its water would violate a San Antonio ordinance and has put the public health debate back in the spotlight.

The 4-1 vote might have legal consequences. The city attorney’s office and Metro Health are considering their options to enforce the law, which took effect in 2002 after a pro-fluoride citywide vote.

The John Birchers have taken over BexarMet.

republican in Harris County Clerk's race doesn't understand perils of electronic voting machines

The Democrat wants a paper record of the vote.  Verified by the actual voter, I presume.  The republican?  Doesn't understand that a 'mistake' in recording a vote can be replicated when the mistake is copied. If the table associating the voter's selection with a candidate is wrong, then the ballot will be counted wrong.  The voter selects 'John Doe', but the software associates that position on the electronic ballot with 'Jane Smith'.  Jane Smith gets the vote.  This kind of error has happened and was caught before.  How many times it has happened with out being caught?  Who knows.  Even the CIA says electronic voting is insecure.

Democrat Ann Harris Bennett said she would like to have a paper record of each ballot cast as a guard against fraud. The eSlates the county uses do not produce paper records, but Bennett nonetheless praised Kaufman's quick purchase of enough replacement machines to run a proper election on Nov. 2.

"I think we're going to be stuck with them for a while. How long, I don't know," Bennett said. "By virtue of the fact that we have spent $13.5 million, we may be done."

Republican Stan Stanart also praised Kaufman's response to the fire and said buying more of the machines was the right thing. The eSlates record votes electronically in three places, he said, making the vote much more secure than paper ballots.

Stanart is an idiot. But, then, he is a republican.

More on voting problems here and here.

Mauricio Celis convicted, sentence to probation

A judge on Friday sentenced former law firm operator Mauricio Celis to a suspended jail term and two years probation for falsely identifying himself as a peace officer.

Celis, 38, had been accused of impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony.

But a jury in July found him guilty of the lesser charge of false identification as a peace officer, a Class B misdemeanor.

As you may recall, Mauricio Celis is a Mikal Watts associate.

Waco Tea Party refuses to endorse Chet Edwards' opponent

Can't stand Chet Edwards, but I like republicans even less.

“As a movement based on American principles and not partisan politics, the Waco Tea Party does not, and is not, supporting or endorsing candidates of any political stripe running for office,” said Michael Simon, vice president and co-founder of the organization.

John Cornyn all for batsh*t crazy candidates. Except when he isn't.

Sure, rapist enabler John Cornyn says it's all fun and candy for the 2010 election.

With just over a month to go before the midterm elections, Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Thursday predicted big GOP gains in the Senate, saying the party has gotten past its infighting and tensions between tea party activists and party leaders.

What about all the lies on Christine O'Donnell's resume?

National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Sen. John Cornyn told reporters that Delaware's Senate race still does not appear to be competitive for the GOP thanks to Christine O'Donnell.

TPM spoke briefly with Cornyn following an event at the National Press Club Thursday, and asked about O'Donnell's recent snafu with her education history and how serious of a problem he deems that to be. Rather than defend her, Cornyn spoke generally.

Galveston police to sue their chief

Galveston’s police officers voted Wednesday evening to file a lawsuit against police Chief Charles Wiley claiming his actions in a layoffs dispute violate their rights under the Constitution’s First Amendment.

I'm sensing a server morale problem.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals lets loose its religious prejudice on man sentenced to death

The court already showed its prejudice while hearing the appeal of a man who converted to Satanism in prison while waiting trail for murder.  One judge used Christian doctrine to evaluate the man's religion.  Another judge said Satanism shouldn't be considered a religion at all.

A convicted murderer is appealing his sentence claiming his religion was used to obtain the death penalty. The judges, instead of looking at whether or not his claim has a basis, visit their own prejudices about the man's religion.

True to their prejudices while ignoring the obvious, the judges said it was ok to inflame the jury with the prisoner's choice of religion.We do live in a theocracy.