North
Texas
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The GOP's Tarnished Brand

2008-05-16T22:47:00.008-05:00

Peggy Noonan wrote a piece in the Washington Post reflecting on the Republican's loss in Mississippi. She acknowledges the failures of the Bush administration, but blames the GOP for its dismal prospects in the upcoming elections. I'm not fan of Noonan's but I think she summed it up rather well.

What happens to the Republicans in 2008 will likely be dictated by what didn't happen in 2005, and '06, and '07. The moment when the party could have broken, on principle, with the administration – over the thinking behind and the carrying out of the war, over immigration, spending and the size of government – has passed. What two years ago would have been honorable and wise will now look craven. They're stuck.
Mr. Bush has squandered the hard-built paternity of 40 years. But so has the party, and so have its leaders. If they had pushed away for serious reasons, they could have separated the party's fortunes from the president's. This would have left a painfully broken party, but they wouldn't be left with a ruined "brand," as they all say, speaking the language of marketing. And they speak that language because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership.

The Republicans gained their political advantages through incredible party discipline. Rove's divide and conquer strategy helped win elections but the need to cater to so many special interests kept the party from evolving its message on the larger issues like the economy and the war.

Cheney's cudgel kept anyone from stepping out of line, but also prevented development of leadership with the courage to think independently of the administration's agenda.

At the same time, some of the worst policies and leadership in the history of this country were uniting Democrats and converting independents, ensuring that the GOP would have fewer safe seats. (The lingering question of the Mississippi race seems to be whether they have any safe seats at all.)

Running away from Bush's debacles would have been difficult under any circumstance, but McCain's history as a Washington insider virtually ensures the failures of this administration will be rehashed endlessly for the next six months. Jaren Bernstein has a perfect summation of the legacy the GOP will be running from this fall.

For seven long years, we've tried entrusting our government to those who discredit it, defund it, and fundamentally disbelieve in its role, except when they seek a lucrative contract or a bailout. We gone down the road-and it is a crumbling road, with potholes and failing bridges -- where the solution to every problem is a tax cut, where critical agencies are staffed with cronies at best and opposition lobbyists at worst, where secrecy trumps transparency and cynicism rules, where budget resources are never available for expanding children's health care, but always there for war.

The biggest problem the Republicans face in rebuilding their brand is the fact that their agenda has finally been laid bare. They are the party of big business, and that's not going to change no matter how much populist rhetoric Huckabee spews. When a rising tide was floating all yachts, the average Joe simply didn't care that corporatists were plundering the treasury, gutting oversight and rewriting the rules to their liking.

Now that the economy is headed south with no bottom in sight, people are waking up to a new reality - the long shadows on the horizon tell us it's no longer morning in America. Unfortunately, tossing the arrogant plutocrats responsible for this travesty won't begin to wrest power from the oligarchy that wields the power. If Democrats can win the White House this fall, will they still have the backbone to unwind the policies that brought us to our knees?

ellen degeneres on california marriage equality

2008-05-15T21:09:00.003-05:00

"I’m thrilled that the California supreme court overturned the ban on gay marriage. I can’t wait to get married. We all deserve the same rights, and I believe that someday we’ll look back on this and not allowing gays to marry will seem as absurd as not allowing women to vote.

P.S. I’m registered at Crate & Barrel."

- Ellen DeGeneres, daytime talk show host and famed "out" comedian, discusses potential wedding plans with longtime lover Portia de Rossi following California's decision to make gay marriage legal in that state.

free to be you and me

2008-05-15T17:02:00.005-05:00

In a monumental 4-3 decision, the California Supreme Court made history today by ruling that a state ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, effectively rendering gay marriage legal in the state of California.

California is the second U.S. state, following Massachusetts, to recognize marriage equality.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said the following in a statement today:

This is a historic day for the state of California, and a long-awaited day for the plaintiffs in this case and their families. The California Supreme Court has made clear that same-sex couples in committed relationships and their families deserve the same level of respect afforded to opposite-sex couples. The court did its job by ensuring that the state constitution provides the same rights and protections for everyone. This is a decision that strengthens California families.

We congratulate and commend the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the ACLU, Heller Ehrman, the Law Office of David C. Codell, Equality California, Our Family Coalition and, of course, the courageous plaintiff couples and their families who looked to the courts to defend their rights.

Civil unions or domestic partnerships are available to same-sex couples in Connecticut, Washington, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.

Gay marriage is currently recognized in five countries: Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium, and Canada.

pinky and the brain

2008-05-15T15:57:00.006-05:00

Remember Carrollton mayor Becky Miller? The one that allegedly went to Western Kentucky University, married a few of the Eagles, and faced sniper fire when her plane landed in Bosnia?

Well, she's not the mayor anymore.

In last Saturday's election, underdog opponent Ron Branson unseated the incumbent in a come-from-behind victory that the Dallas Morning News is taking credit for.

Mrs. Miller had led by 9 percentage points in early voting, but those ballots were cast at least a day before a Dallas Morning News story delved into her background. She wound up losing by 9 percentage points.

"That's a total flip," Dallas County Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet said. "I can just make the assumption that ... that [news story] definitely had an impact."

Now, with Pinky out of the picture, Mayor Branson, known as "The Brain" for his propensity to hatch dastardly schemes, can move in and quickly enact his evil plan to make Carrollton the next Farmers Branch (whites only).

With Tim O'Hare's mayoral victory in neighboring Farmers Branch, two strong advocates of expelling illegal immigrants will lead neighboring northern suburbs. ....
Voters Saturday offered a mix of opinions about the candidates. Bob Olsen, 52, supported Mr. Branson because of his tough stance against illegal immigrants.

"He thinks kind of the same way Tim O'Hare does," Mr. Olsen said.

You're next, Lewisville.

our new home: northtexasliberal.org

2008-05-15T15:35:00.004-05:00

Those of you that usually access our site by visiting www.northtexasliberal.com... well, don't.

We inadvertently let our domain name expire and it was immediately scooped up by a wannabe cowboy in the former Soviet Bloc. We feel about as disenfranchised as a Florida primary voter, but we decided instead of caving to communist blackmail, we'd just find a new home.

You can now visit our blog at the following locations:
www.northtexasliberal.org
www.northtexasliberal.net
northtexasliberal.blogspot.com

Please update your blogrolls and RSS feeds!

Thanks,
The Management

the secret life of becky miller

2008-05-08T06:36:00.004-05:00

The Secret Life of Becky Miller is the story of an ordinary soccer mom that fantasizes she's a pirate and a superhero.

Stay tuned for the upcoming sequel based on a true story: The Secret Life of Becky Miller 2: The College Years. The synopsis -- an ordinary Texas mayor fantasizes that she attended Western Kentucky University.

Update: The Miller-Branson showdown, a.k.a. Carrollton's municipal election, is this Saturday. The Dallas Morning News failed to make an endorsement in this race, but they did issue a stern editorial, saying "Carrollton needs a straight shooter" and encouraging Carrollton officials to push Miller out should she win Saturday's contest.

Why does the news media hate Pinky?

carrollton gone wild

2008-05-08T06:23:00.006-05:00

Who would have thought Carrollton politics would make national news?

Well, come to think of it, Carrollton's not the first Dallas suburb to make the big time with its antics: we all remember the Farmers Branch fiasco.

Anyway, Wonkette has picked up on a Dallas Morning News story about Carrollton mayor Becky Miller, the Texan Pinocchio. Here's the quick run-down, Wonkette style:

She tells people she was engaged to Don Henley, frontman for the "westerny" '70s rock band, the Eagles. Why this would be anything to brag about, we don't know. But according to an Eagles spokesman, Henley has "never heard of her, doesn't know her, certainly was never engaged to her." Maybe he was on drugs, because that is what Rock Stars do.
She claims to have sung backup for Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne. Ooh, aren't you cool. Spokesmen for Browne and Ronstadt, as well as Miller's entire family, say this never happened. Miller hilariously claims that she went by other names — including "Pinky" — and that may be the source of the confusion. But she won't tell reporters what those other names were, because they were either really embarrassing or she's just making shit up.
She claims she used to attend Western Kentucky University. She didn't do this at all.
She says her brother died in Vietnam. Her father says that her brother never served in the military or died, what with him STILL BEING ALIVE. Miller — no joke — says her father has Alzheimer's and doesn't know what he's talking about, because she has a secret other brother who did die.

Miller is up against challenger Ron Branson in the election, and she is accusing him of dirty politics for trying to expose these alleged lies, half-truths, Bosnia snipers, etc. But her friends and family are not even on her side? Do they want her to lose? Are they also related to Rev. Wright?

Trust me, we'll be keeping a close eye on this feisty North Texas election.

true blue

2008-05-05T17:16:00.006-05:00

Can you imagine waking up this November to a map of Texas that looked like this?

Well, neither can we, but we're certainly making progress in that direction.

With Sen. John Cornyn polling under 50% now, polling site Rasmussen Reports has added our junior senator to their "potentially vulnerable" category.

Any incumbent who polls below 50% is considered potentially vulnerable. That is especially true when a little known challenger is so competitive in an early general election match-up. The race for President in Texas is also fairly competitive early in Election 2008.

Noreiga leads among voters earning less than $40,000 a year. Cornyn leads among those with higher incomes. Cornyn leads among Evangelical Christian voters and other Protestants. Noreiga leads among those with a different faith background. Both candidates do well within their own party and are fairly evenly matched among unaffiliated voters.

According to Rasmussen, President Bush is polling with mere 45% approval ratings in Texas. And as reported earlier, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are both very competitive in general election polls against Sen. John McCain.

Some have predicted that Texas was cycling blue... but could 2008 be our year?

Texas Blog Roundup: May 5, 2008

2008-05-05T12:22:00.001-05:00

It's Monday and time for the Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Blog Round-Up.

CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme notes Republican-run government favors crony money over Texans' health. Asarco, a proven polluter, is given a permit to start polluting again and Abbott says lead poisoning landlords have a right to privacy.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston, thinks Bob Perry should go to Hell.

Doing My Part For The Left's Refinish69 joins Austin high school students in Breaking the Silence.

WhosPlayin writes about the disturbing trend for hospitals to require payment up front for expensive services like chemotherapy. Even "non-profit" hospitals like U.T.'s M.D. Anderson are doing this, even while reducing free care and racking up huge surpluses.

Off the Kuff looks at the race for Harris County Sheriff and foresees immigration issues playing a big role.

The Texas Cloverleaf wonders why Governor 39% appointed a policy nerd to chair the Transportation Commission, rather than someone who knows anything about roads. Cronyism perhaps?

In the wake of the SCOTUS decision approving voter ID legislation last week, PDiddie of Brains and Eggs fact-checks the need for it.

North Texas Liberal's Texas Toad takes a look at the new Republican culture war over something just as useless: allowing guns in national parks. Thank you, John Cornyn.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson has this post on the Reaction To Perry's TxDOT Appointments.

McBlogger take a moment to talk about the state of the TTC and Guv. 39%'s appointments to the Transportation Commission.

Lightseeker shares his opinion On Trusting Free Market to Regulate Government over at Texas Kaos.

Vince at Capitol Annex shows another example of Voter ID Idiocy, this time highlighting an editorial from the Texarkana Gazette's pseudo-ivory-tower-intellectual editorial board and explains why such thinking is typical of suburban newspaper editors.

donna brazile weighs in on the presidential race

2008-05-03T00:22:00.005-05:00

"Look, I'm a woman, so I like Hillary. I'm black; I like Obama. But I'm also grumpy, so I like John McCain."

- Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and superdelegate while discussing the presidential race with comedian Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report. Brazile said she wouldn't reveal who she'll cast her pivotal convention vote for until all of the voters have their say.

Republican Faux Wars

2008-05-01T22:42:00.008-05:00

Dick Cheney once told us that "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction." We all know how that turned out. Cheney's obsession with Iraq's non-existent nuclear and biological weapons was only the most stellar example of how the Republicans are passing laws, rewriting regulations and even starting wars to protect us from improbable threats.

Let's take an example here in Texas. We know that Jerry Patterson of the General Land Office has stalled the transfer of Christmas Mountains to the National Parks system because they don't allow hunting. Now it appears he may get his wish. After pressure from Texas senators, the Interior Department is proposing new regulations that would allow conceal carry guns in national parks "to ensure visitor safety and resource protection."

To quote Booboo, "Mr. Ranger isn't going to like this, Yogi."

Park rangers, retirees and conservation groups protested the plan, saying it will lead to confusion for visitors, rangers and other law enforcement agencies.

"This is purely and simply a politically driven effort to solve a problem that doesn't exist," said Bill Wade, chairman of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.

Wade and other critics cited statistics showing that national parks are among the safest places in the country. The probability of becoming a victim of a violent crime in a national park is 1 in more than 708,000 -- less likely than being struck by lightning, the groups said.

The rules change would defer to state and local law, which makes it very confusing and likely unenforceable. So why is it so critical to push an unneeded regulation against a non-existent threat which would produce a policy so incoherent it couldn't necessarily be enforced consistently within the same park?

Well, its an election year and the GOP doesn't have too much to crow about these days. Inflation is the highest in 17 years, housing prices are down double digits, the national debt is approaching $10 trillion, gas prices are approaching $4 per gallon, and then there is a little matter of that war that isn't playing so well in Peoria anymore. If you can't run on the issues, you need to invent one.

So instead of addressing any of our nation's problems with the economy, transportion, health care, fiscal policy; instead of drafting a plan to get us out a disastrous occupation of a foreign land; instead of addressing any of the real and present dangers facing middle America in the 21st century, we get yet another version of the culture wars. Thank you John Cornyn, Jerry Patterson, the Interior Department and the rest of the GOP for keeping issues like these on the front burner. We'd sleep much better in our tent knowing we're safe from Yogi Bear, except with the price of gas who can get to Yellowstone these days?

duke it out

2008-04-29T15:52:00.004-05:00

Are you sick and tired of the never-ending battle for the Democratic nomination?

Ever wanted to see a real battle to the finish? Now you can duke it out old school.

The New York Post has created an online video game in which you can choose your favorite candidate, and then knock the living daylights out of the opponent. Have fun!

Texas Blog Roundup: April 28, 2008

2008-04-28T01:01:00.002-05:00

It's time to round up the week's best in the Texas progressive blogosphere!

North Texas Liberal analyzed the arguments from Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound, and Newt Gingrich in favor of the flat tax. See our conclusions here.

The Commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas is a monumental ass. PDiddie of Brains and Eggs has the dirty details in "Discussted".

Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News informed his readers about the local elections and other events taking place in a Local Early Voting Edition.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson has This Week's Transportation Wrap-Up.

WhosPlayin resumes his watch on GOP Congressman Michael Burgess, and joins North Texas Liberal in rejecting his "flat tax" proposal as a tax increase on the middle class.

Hal at Half Empty wonders why Texas' junior senator, John Cornyn, doesn't support our troops.

Over at McBlogger, Captain Kroc has a real problem with some of the concessions the City made to a certain developer looking to build condos on Lake Lady Bird.

The Texas Cloverleaf promotes a story about more shenanigans in the Texas Youth Commission, this time forcing a Denton County superintendent to quit before she is fired.

Last week, KUHT (PBS Channel 8) in Houston ran a special on immigration and public attitudes towards it called Houston Have Your Say, which included public officials, activists, ordinary citizens, and a couple of bloggers. Off the Kuff was one of those bloggers, and he wrote about his impressions here.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the Texas Association of Business is calling for education reform and wonders if anyone else sees the hypocrisy in that situation.

BossKitty at BlueBloggin looks at yet another VA screw up and continues to ignore the welfare of our troops in the VA Caught In Suicide Coverup.

larry king supports day of silence

2008-04-24T17:48:00.002-05:00

More info at dayofsilence.org

the tide is turning

2008-04-23T12:28:00.002-05:00

Hillary has now pulled ahead in the popular vote.

double digits

2008-04-23T00:46:00.006-05:00

Hillary won Pennsylvania by ten points.

Here's a message to the media and the other nay-sayers: don't ever count out Hillary Clinton!

Make a contribution to her historic campaign today!

Burgess Argues for Flat Tax

2008-04-21T23:31:00.018-05:00

The News Connection ran an article in this week's paper that has been circulating by Newt Gingrich and Rep. Michael Burgess in favor of the flat tax.

The complexity of today's tax code is a consequence of countless deductions and exemptions aimed at promoting a variety of congressionally determined policy agendas. The result is federal law loaded with opportunities for avoiding taxes and exploiting loopholes at the expense of fellow Americans. Behind every loophole there is a lobbyist.

Very well said, but we'll come back to this.

No argument for GOP policy is complete, of course, unless it invokes the memory of the mythical one.

When President Reagan cut taxes in 1981, several good things happened. The economy grew, revenues increased, and jobs were created. It's hard to think of better medicine for our ailing economy than replicating successful reform of the tax code on an even greater scale. How do we do it? Flatten tax rates; simplify the code; and, shift the burden away from our families and small businesses.

This argument is a little hard to follow. Is the congressman implying that a tax cut is tax reform? If so, we have just experienced the most sweeping tax "reforms" in recent history. President Bush's tax cuts for the rich, which Burgess wholeheartedly supported, have been roundly condemned, adding trillions to our staggering national debt. We simply can't afford any more reforms like this.

The optional flat tax that Gingrich and Burgess propose would establish a deduction somewhere above the poverty level to exempt poor families, and eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax. So far, so good. Remember that first paragraph? Now consider this statement.

And if a person had twice as much income as another, he or she would be taxed twice as much. Furthermore, a single rate tax structure would eliminate taxes on savings, capital gains and dividends.

The flat tax targets income, but the rich don't make their money through salaries, they make it through investments. There's the loophole. The crisis in the subprime mortgage sector left thousands on the brink of foreclosure, but one hedge fund manager made over three billion dollars shorting the housing market. Under Burgess' flat tax proposal, he would not pay one cent of taxes on that money. According to Robert Reich, Clinton's former Secretary of Labor:

The 25 highest-paid hedge-fund managers are earning more than the CEOs of the largest 500 companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 combined. While CEO pay is outrageous, hedge-fund and private-equity pay is way beyond outrageous. Several of these fund managers are taking home more than a billion dollars a year.

Under the current tax code these fund managers pay a reduced tax rate of 15 percent. Burgess and Gingrich think that's too much. Burgess' entire tenure on capitol hill has been one huge valentine to the ruling class, but at least he is consistent. Gingrich is hoping no one will remember that when he was running for president he criticized fellow candidate Steve Forbes, who made the flat tax the central theme of his campaign. Consider the following quote from 1996.

Gingrich was particularly dismissive of the part of the Forbes plan that exempts interest and other unearned income from taxation while taxing wages and salaries at 17 percent. "That's nonsense," Gingrich said. "That's not going to happen."

Gingrich suffered from a failure of imagination. He couldn't conceive that a policy so flagrantly biased toward the wealthy would ever be seriously considered in the public discourse. What a difference a decade makes.

Bill Clinton once said of the 80's:

“The Reagan-Bush years,” he declared, “have exalted private gain over public obligation, special interests over the common good, wealth and fame over work and family. The 1980s ushered in a Gilded Age of greed and selfishness, of irresponsibility and excess, and of neglect.”

That was just a test drive. The current occupier of the oval office no longer even tries to hide the GOP's agenda. With loyal servants like Burgess to do his bidding, why bother?

The last sop in the Gingrich-Burgess proposal is for the business world. Their proposal "dramatically" reduces the corporate income tax rate. Now ask yourselves, if the poorest people, the richest people and corporations are all paying less taxes, who makes up the difference? Logically, the flat tax may mean a larger tax bill for the middle class, or additional debt due to reduced revenues. The authors were hoping you'd be so dazzled by that reference to the Gipper that you wouldn't notice.

Update: Whosplayin insists this proposal is a tax hike for the middle class. Click here for more.

Texas Blog Roundup: April 21, 2008

2008-04-21T16:14:00.001-05:00

It's Monday, and once again time for another Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up. This week's round-up is compiled by The Texas Cloverleaf.

In honor of Income Tax day, Lightseeker at TexasKaos examines the Republican's tax cut claim here in Texas and discover that what it really amounts to is "tax shifting" and we are the ones getting shafted. Tax Shifting With Bohac's Assessment Cap as Our Example.

WhosPlayin notes that John McCain has proposed suspending the federal gasoline tax, and points out that McCain would do just as well to try to suspend the law of gravity.

The Texas Cloverleaf is helping to save the earth on Earth Day weekend with helpful tips for saving energy and your wallet, as well as picking up trash with Stonewall Democrats. Don't mess with Texas!

CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme wonders if all Republicans are Tom Craddicks in training. Listen to Nueces County Republican chair Mike Bertuzzi ignore all the 'Point of Order' calls at the county convention. Sound familiar?

John Coby of Bay Area Houston has the real press release from Rick Perry about his run for Governor in 2010.

Here are local activist Jose Orta's Impressions Of T. Don Hutto, Williamson County's immigrant detention facility, that were posted at Eye On Williamson after his recent visit.

At McBlogger, barfly analyses what's really important to the American voter in this hour of cultural brouhaha.

Off the Kuff takes an early look at the race for District Attorney in Harris County, which is sure to be one of the hottest local races this year.

Today is San Jacinto Day and PDiddie of Brains and Eggs will be at the commemorative ceremonies taking place at the battlefield near Houston.

BossKitty at BlueBloggin points out that Your $300 - $1,200 Economic Stimulus Payment Cost $767 Million

Hal at Half Empty questions whether one person running for President is actually temperamentally fit to be in that office.

Vince at Capitol Annex thinks it is terrible that Texas teacher salaries are so low that that more than a quarter of all teachers must work a second job to make ends meet.

North Texas Liberal reports on a homophobic journalist's question to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, and the smackdown she gave in response.

George Nassar at The Texas Blue takes some time out of Friday's morning news roundup to point out that were the Bush administration to use a logical metric, it would be clear to them that the surge has failed.

perino shoots down homophobic aids question

2008-04-15T13:48:00.004-05:00

At this afternoon's daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino shot down a homophobic question about gays in the military and the AIDS crisis.

Perino, who spoke primarily about this week's papal visit, began to answer a question about AIDS from the infamous reporter Lester Kinsolving, referring him to the National Institute of Health's information on vaccinations.

Kinsolving followed up with a question about demands that gays be allowed to serve in the military. The reporter never explicitly mentioned homosexuals or homosexuality, but implicitly referred to gays as "the largest spreaders of AIDS," and asked for assurance that President Bush opposed gays serving in the military.

Perino quickly rebuked Kinsolving. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer," she said.

Here's the transcript:

Q Thank you, Dana. Two questions. The New York Times reports that in 1984, federal health officials predicted that there would be an effective AIDS vaccine "within three years, but no one yet knows whether a vaccine to prevent the disease will ever be possible." And my first question: Does the White House disagree with the Times on this statement and believe that AIDS is anywhere near to be conquered?
MS. PERINO: I'll refer you to the officials at NIH for their assessment as to when a vaccine may or may not be available. What the President is focused on is making sure that we lessen the suffering, especially by people around the world, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. And that's going fairly well, and we are on track to double our commitment by 2010.*
Q There have been demands that our Armed Forces be forced to accept what the Centers for Disease Control still report is the largest spreaders of AIDS. And my question: The President not only opposes this for our Armed Forces, but hopes his successor will, as well, doesn't he?
MS. PERINO: I'm not going to dignify that with an answer.
Q You won't dignify it with an answer?

Perino then moved on to another question.

After the briefing, Kinsolving approached Perino to press the issue. He could be heard saying that he was just doing his job and that it was his right to ask the question.

"And it's my right not to answer," Perino said as she walked away.

woman arrested for dancing on jefferson memorial

2008-04-14T16:01:00.006-05:00

A D.C. woman was arrested Saturday for dancing on the Jefferson Memorial.

Brooke Oberwetter was participating in a peaceful gathering to celebrate the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. Participants danced quietly while listening to their iPods.

The Agitator points to the supreme irony of the situation:

Of course, the real irony here is that all of this happened at the Jefferson Memorial, in observance of Jefferson’s birthday. Go out to celebrate the birth of the most hardcore, anti-authoritarian of the Founding Fathers, get hauled off in handcuffs. The photo’s almost poetry, isn’t it? One of history’s most articulate critics of abuse of state authority looks on as a park police cop uses his elbow to push a female arrestee into one of said critic’s memorial pillars.

The woman was released a few hours following her arrest.

DCist has more on the incident.

Texas Blog Roundup: April 14, 2008

2008-04-14T09:57:00.001-05:00

It's Monday, and that means it is time once again for the Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up.

It would seem that the Republican Party of Texas (Republicans first, Texans last!) is looking for a few sweet young thangs! McBlogger at McBlogger has the story on the RPT's efforts to secure a few good young people.

Bradley at North Texas Liberal takes a look into the possible political aspirations of Condoleezza Rice... and tells us why she may be the Democrats' worst nightmare.

The Texas Cloverleaf asks if you're ready to strike over gas prices? Some truck drivers are. They aren't defenders of the Alamo, and are few and far between, but will their message resonate with the rest of America? Some of them say no.

With the resounding defeat of Shelley Sekula Gibbs last Tuesday in the GOP CD 22 runoff, this spells the end of her short-lived political career. Hal at Half Empty has created a video to commemorate the Shelster's last hurrah.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme suspects U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez will be looking for a new job. Soon. Seems that Carlos spoke the truth about that d*mn fence!

Lightseeker over at Texas Kaos marks the upcoming annual income tax deadline by bringing up a sadly evergreen topic Tax Lies That Republicans Tell. After all, if the didn't find someone to put money in to the treasury, where would the money to pay for their crony politics come from?

Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal Newsis not catching up on sleep this time but reveals the predictions for four years his brother made the day after Bush was reelected. His brother gets the Cassandra Award and the media pundits don't have to worry about their jobs.

Doing My Part For The Left warns that voter suppression is not just a Texas problem.

Off the Kuff makes the case for investing in transit in Houston.

IVR polled the Skelly-Culberson CD-07 race, as well as Noriega-Cornyn, and came up with some interesting results. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs blogged it.

nytexan at BlueBloggin points out that most Americans are scrapping to get by, however, some federal employees are having tons of fun with government credit cards. Your Tax Dollars Purchased iPods, Internet Dating, Women’s Lingerie…

flight schedules back to normal, says american

2008-04-13T16:25:00.006-05:00

After a week of cancellations, Dallas-based air carrier American Airlines has announced that their flight schedules will return to normal.

The airline was forced to comply with FAA inspections of its MD-80 fleet, leaving over 3,000 flights grounded.

The airline's chief executive has taken full responsibility for the groundings and will hire a consultant to help it comply with Federal Aviation Authority safety rules in future.
He said that the groundings will cost the airline tens of millions of dollars.

Hundreds of thousands of would-be passengers were affected by the canceled flights. We're glad to see that things are finally resolved.

why condi could be the dems' worst nightmare

2008-04-10T17:29:00.005-05:00

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has suggested that she doesn't have political aspirations after the Bush administration comes to a close. Rice has said that she will "happily go back to Stanford" University where she is a tenured professor and former provost.

"It's not in my genes," Rice says of elected politics, adding that she didn't even run for high school president.

That's fair, but Republican strategist Dan Senor has said that Rice is running a behind-the-scenes campaign to be tapped as John McCain's vice presidential nominee.

And now, a Marist College poll says that a McCain-Rice ticket would win in November.

No matter who was at top, if Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama shared the Democratic ticket, they would still lose to McCain and Rice in... wait for it... New York.

Rice and State Department spokespeople have attempted to put the rumors to rest, insisting that Rice is not engaging in this behind-the-scenes business. But even if she isn't seeking the number two spot, perhaps after these polls... she will be sought.

So, let's discuss... will she or won't she?

guess who's coming to town?

2008-04-10T17:07:00.006-05:00

Well, it's official. Laura announced today that they're definitely coming back to Dallas after George finishes his second term.

"I guess I can announce this in front of the press,” Mrs. Bush said at a National Parks Foundation event at Williams Preparatory school in Dallas.

“President Bush and I will be moving back to Dallas, which is where we lived," she said. "After 14 years away, we’re excited about having the chance to live here.”

I guess we'll be seeing them around soon enough. Any thoughts as to what they'll do with their days?

farewell, pinkdome

2008-04-09T11:46:00.002-05:00

A longtime favorite among Texas bloggers, PinkDome's Charlie Ray, is retiring from the blogosphere.

Thanks for what you've done for all of us... you'll be missed.

NorthTexasLiberal