November 22, 2009
Roundin' Up The TPA
The Texas Progressive Alliance is starting to feel an odd craving for can-shaped servings of cranberry sauce as it brings you this week's highlights from the blogs.
TXsharon continues to follow the abuses of Aruba Petroleum in a Barnett Shale backyard and Wednesday the Wise County Messenger picked up the story. It's all on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is really p*ssed that some South Texas Democrats voted against women's health care.
WhosPlayin posted an interview with Neil Durrance, the Democratic candidate seeking to unseat Michael Burgess in Congressional District 26.
A guest post from the ReEnergize Texas blog is the pick of the week over at Texas Vox, where we were quite disappointed that Georgetown City Council Snubbed Students over Nuclear Power.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on some of the talk this past week about raising the statewide gas tax. All that being said there are only two options to pay for transportation in Texas, which will we choose Taxes or tolls?.
McBlogger takes a look at Sen. Hutchison's decision not to resign from her Senate seat.
Off the Kuff looks at a threatened outbreak of homophobic behavior in the Houston Mayor's race.
The War on Christmas starts early at The Texas Cloverleaf, complete with a beach landing at WalMart.
Sue Schechter announced for Harris County Clerk last week and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs caught the press release.
With Thanksgiving almost here, Neil at Texas Liberal ran a picture of a sultry pilgrim holding a turkey, and included in this post information about the status of women in Colonial New England.
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Hank Gilbert : The Future
Bob Moser wrote this piece in the Texas Observer a few weeks ago, a real change from his earlier opinion that Hank was a nobody with no real business in a race for Governor.
The state’s long-suffering progressives, on the other hand, have been staring at next year’s elections — if they’re not averting their eyes, unable to look — and seeing a big old pile of nothing. What leftie in her right mind is going to do cartwheels over the so-called leading Democratic contenders for governor, Tom “George W.” Schieffer and Kinky “Book Tour” Friedman? Or the Democratic contenders for the imaginary U.S. Senate seat, John “Who the Hell?” Sharp and Mayor Bill “What’s the Opposite of Charismatic” White?But one Democrat running for governor is showing flashes of actual (gasp!) progressive life. Last week Hank Gilbert, the anti-toll road activist and rancher who ran for Agriculture Commissioner in 2006, burst out with a clarion call to combat anti-gay discrimination in Texas. Among other things, Gilbert called for the state to recognize same-sex unions, for universities to recognize domestic partnerships, and for the state to make it easier for transgender folks to change their gender on birth certificates and drivers’ licenses.
“Just because some people see this as controversial or say that Texas isn’t ready for this,” Gilbert said, “is not a reason I can use to justify remaining silent on the issue.”
Dear God, can this be true? A Democrat with guts? This is highly irregular, people. Texans are used to Republicans swinging for the ideological fences and paying no political price for even the wildest swings. But Texas Democrats? Pure-T wusses.
...
More than anything, Gilbert’s moves show that there’s at least one Texas Democrat with the basic good sense to understand that you don’t win elections without giving people something to vote for. The days when mealy-mouthed, money-soaked DINOS (Democrats In Name Only) like Lloyd Bentsen could win statewide elections have long since passed.
Bob seems to be coming to the same conclusion activists, the media and voters are coming to...Hank is the only candidate in the race, from either party, who belongs in a race for Governor. Not only is he willing to take on tough positions, he persuades and holds his ground. With Hank, we don't need to fear the tough issues because, for the first time since Ann Richards, we have a candidate who can persuade.
Ask Tome Schieffer or Farouk Shami, point blank, their position on a woman's right to choose. Or gay marriage. Or any of a thousand things that usually tie Democratic candidates in knots. They can't handle it, not the way Hank can. Now let's help him out and make sure that he's our next Governor!
Posted by mcblogger at 12:18 PM
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November 20, 2009
The inestimably stupid Dick Armey
OMG. I wish it was OK to beat stupid people senseless... if it was, I'd LOVE to introduce that fucktard Dick Armey's face to a hardcover copy of the Community Reinvestment Act since he's decided it (and not poor decision making at the banks) was the reason the banking industry melted down last year.
I guess Dick doesn't understand how easy it is for $600bn in liabilities to crush a mere $20 bn in equity (in the case of Lehman).
And thank you, Dr. Krugman, for nailing his ass. Yet again.
Posted by mcblogger at 11:22 AM
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TX GOV : Two Man Race
Farouk Shami announces and the race shrinks, effectively, to two. Anyone dazzled by Kinky now folds to Shami and Schieffer hasn't a chance to beat him in a money war (not to mention that Schieffer generates the same buzz and excitement as a bowl of cold vegetable soup) so any remaining support he had will fold over to Hank Gilbert who is building support with a fantastic stump and spot on communications and messaging.
I think we're about to find out if Texas Democrats are ready for a Muslim candidate. For me, I'm sticking with Hank! Of all the candidates, he's the only one bold enough to actually stand up, campaign on issues and win with them. He's the only one with any hope of attracting Independents and moderate R's, something he clearly proved he could do in 2006.
My only fear is that the money from Farouk manages to cloud the reality of Farouk... which reminds me, why was he bringing jobs FROM China to Texas? Why weren't they already here? Farouk was. But back to reality, here's a taste of what's in store for Democrats with Shami at the top of the ticket...
Farouk Shami was an awardee and honoree of the anti-Semitic American Task Force for Palestine (which believes all of Israel is “Palestine”)–the the video below, and he supports illegal alien amnesty. He wants to employ Mexican aliens at his Texas plants and get them “working papers,” he told Houston’s KHOU / 11 News, last week (Watch the Video). He says we Americans have too much, and it’s “not fair” to the Mexicans. Though, I guess he thinks it’s fair and not “too much” to live in his 30,000 square foot mansion. Meet Farouk Al-Hypocrite. Farouk says he’s against building a wall on our border or keeping illegal aliens out. “Why can’t Texas have 30 million or 40 million people?” he asks. Uh, yeah, you wanna pay for it, Farouk?
And this is just a short piece of vitriolic garbage. But this will be everywhere next year. Shami could spend $200 mln and still not best Sanchez's numbers from 2002.
Posted by mcblogger at 09:15 AM
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November 19, 2009
When discounts are anything but...
As part of the health care reform package, the President cut a deal with drug makers for their cooperation. They agreed to voluntarily reduce prices. What wasn't specified was the start date and from what level they discounts would apply. It appears that they've decided to go ahead jack everything up across the board in an effort to maintain their income and profitability.
Wouldn't it be nice if our doe eyed President would stop trusting people who are, inevitably, going to fuck us over?
Posted by mcblogger at 03:42 PM
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Are the Republicans afraid?
Are they afraid of actually allowing the Constitution to work or of the terrorists? Both, maybe?
Posted by mcblogger at 08:39 AM
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November 18, 2009
Live Streaming the TCU Candidates Forum
The debate that's not so much a debate...
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There's stupid and then there's Rahm
“It is foremost on his mind and the mind of the economic team,” Emanuel said of deficit reduction in comments yesterday at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council conference in Washington.Fucktard. IN A RECESSION LIKE THIS, YOU WORRY ABOUT JOBS. YOU WORRY ABOUT DEFLATION AND TRY TO DUMP AS MUCH MONEY INTO THE ECONOMY AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. You don't get overconcerned about idiots bleating on about debt and deficits, especially when they're the same folks who voted for the very tax cuts which doubled outstanding federal debt in less than 8 years.
I wrote this back in June and the only thing I'll add to it is that the majority of the deficit now, outside of the stimulus, is related purely to reduced tax receipts. In other words, once the economy returns, the deficit takes care of itself. What these 'tighten your belt' conservatives don't seem to get is that in a recession that has to be someone who expands. Sometimes, in a normal recession, that's business. In a recession like this, it's got to be the Government, there's just nothing else.
It might also help Rahm to think about that, too. Even better, would someone just tell him to STFU about things he doesn't understand. Even from a PR standpoint of mollifying your critics, this was stupid. And all it did was piss off your friends (like me) who actually know better.
Posted by mcblogger at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2009
It's a sad day when loathesome people don't die
Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn BeckPosted by mcblogger at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2009
REALLY?!
Farouk Shami is putting $10 mln into his run to be the Democratic Gubernatorial candidate. I just wish he'd spend some of it on his website. Specifically, on simple things like spell check (suport?!?) and the legally required campaign disclosure that's usually at the bottom.
Sure, we have typos and misspellings on an ongoing basis. We're a blog. And I certainly don't have $10 mln to spend on this.
Posted by mcblogger at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
On raising the gas tax...
Apparently, Burka and Sen. Carona agree with Hank. Meanwhile, the rest of the Democratic field is no where on the issue. Well, except for Schieffer who got soundly slapped down for saying no to taxes and no to tolls, with the lame statement that he's for eliminating waste.
No shit, Tom. What would be helpful is if you knew what the rest of us already know... there's not enough waste to cut at TXDOT to make up the funding gap. And your solution to that gap is a rhetorical non-answer?
Granted, no one likes taxes but people like paying $3.20 PER DAY in tolls even less. The reality is that we are piling on debt in guarantees to private contractors that will take generations to pay off. And it's doing nothing but providing corporate welfare. That's the Republican solution. Apparently, Tom Schieffer also thinks it's OK as a final option. Hank, on the other hand, is absolutely opposed to it. Because what the Republicans and Schieffer aren't being clear about is that if we don't fix this now, all new roads will be tolls roads. All improvements made to existing roads will be tolls. You will not, under any circumstance, be able to avoid paying a toll.
And Hank's plan costs the average Texan $1.60 PER WEEK. That's it. I know about 100k people in Willco and Travis County who'd gladly pay that rather than the tolls they are paying now.
So, you have two options... Hank's plan which restores fiscal responsibility to TXDOT OR the Republican/ Schieffer plan which will crush the taxpayers of this state by piling on debt and guarantees that will burden our children and grandchildren.
Posted by mcblogger at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
Oh, you really do belong together!
Here is a collection of some of the worst engagement photos ever taken. It IS true, there's someone out there for everyone.
Posted by mcblogger at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2009
This is irony, Alanis
I should start by saying I wasn’t in the best of moods to go out. I like to argue with my body when it tells me that I don’t want to go out, and force it to go out anyway. Makes me feel like I’m fighting depression. The exception is when I feel like I really need a drink, I try to make sure I don’t have one because that would be giving into depression. And when my body tells me that should totally shag the hot boy I just danced with, I don’t argue, cause, hey…hot boy. Or when it tells me that I should sleep in on the weekends because I stayed out drinking... Ok, so I’m inconsistent. Whatever.
So I went out to a charity party that benefitted a battered women & children’s shelter. Never mind the irony of going to The Ranch to party, which can lead to drinking, poor decision making, conceiving children and getting battered. That’s not the point. The point was to be seen at a charity function with other classy people.
I have heard that this bar is an incredible meat market. I have heard that the douchebag factor is through the roof (oh, except the place doesn’t HAVE a roof—it’s too cool for that). I read the reviews, and thought “Hey, I can take it. It’s for charity.” Stupid me.
I wandered upstairs, and while doing so, pondered the panties that the woman in front of me was wearing. I could see them. Her skirt was that short. At least they were clean. It appears that the unwritten dress code for this joint was tight, short, and tottering. The higher the heels, the higher the hemline. Nothing like a bunch of inebriated, war-painted, foundation-spackled, silicone-enhanced stilt-walkers to make me feel inadequate. But at least all my parts are real, I was relatively warm, and I could walk back to the car under my own power while still wearing the shoes I wore in.
I waded through the douche to the bar and ordered a drink. The upstairs bar pours weak. When you want a real drink, go inside. Just be advised that the manly cologne assault is much worse when you’re indoors. Maybe that’s why they have no roof upstairs? They’re venting the fumes. You’d think the synthetic shirts were flammable enough without the accelerant cologne. And these fools were smoking? Pinhole burn to conflagration in seconds...way to die in a fire (h/t Wil Wheaton).
I fought my way back through the throng of thongs to see the catwalk where the Bachelor/Bachelorette auction would take place. This was something of a mistake. When former Mayor, Will Wynn, decided to strip off his shirt and twirl it over his head, I was grateful for the frat fuck that was blocking most of my view. I got a shot of Wynn’s pecs, and somehow managed to keep my drink down.
As I averted my eyes from the horror that is Will Wynn’s chest hair, I noticed a woman spectator to my left. She had finely quaffed hair, and was wearing all black. She was standing awkwardly, and I wanted to get a look at her face to see if she was ok. Turns out, using a deeply plunged neckline to distract men from noticing that your eyes are crossed is marginally effective. Too bad I’m not into boobs. And, sister, if your heels are so high that you are physically incapable of standing upright, they’re too tall. Ballet boots aren’t meant to be worn while standing. You’re already fighting the eyes, don’t add a ridiculously swayed back to the mix, even if it does present your cleavage even more. Yes, it makes your ass look big.
I think I talked to two people the whole night. One of those was because he had just stepped on my foot, the other asked me if I was in line to get in. I guess my long pants and sensible flats made me uninteresting. Or maybe they were distracted by the cross-eyed boobs to my left.
To their credit, the whole event raised upwards of $60,000 for SafePlace. But next time, I’m giving straight to the charity.
Posted by Mojito at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2009
This Week In Lawyerin' : A brief vacation
Writing this week's installment of This Week In Lawyerin' is as serendipitous and effortless as it gets. This week's installment is quite literally "low hanging fruit." A banana to be precise. (Probably a couple of plums in there, too, but that's not really the focus of the story)
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Albert Freed, a man who has sued because his Hanes underwear allegedly injured his schlong. You see folks, it seems that Mr. and Mrs. Freed went on a Hawaiian vacation. To commemorate this most auspicious occasion, Mrs. Freed bought Mr. Freed a new pair of undies. The trouble was, the fly on that sucker apparently opened right up and little Albert was, indeed, Freed. This led to much chafing, to the point that Mr. Freed was in debilitating pain. Or just enough pain, anyway, that he complained about it only after gallavanting in Hawaii for two long weeks. Then sued Hanes for making defective drawers.
There was plenty about the plaintiff's case that one might find flummoxing. By Day 2 of the trip, Albert Freed says he was hurting something awful but didn't say anything because he didn't want to ruin the wifey's vacation and because he was excited about the vacation himself. (Excited about something, the evidence would show!)
There are a few different options available to somebody in such a predicament, including [a] putting on different underwear; [b] self-inspection to assess the problem; [c] inspection by another party to assess the problem; [d] adjusting oneself from time to time; [e] going commando in a grass skirt - remember, this is Hawaii.
Mr. Freed chose none of these options. It seems he and Mrs. Freed are rather shy around one another so he couldn't very well enlist her help (could lead to nudity...that, and they were both afraid the other might have cooties). It also seems Mr. Freed has an official medical diagnosis of Dickey-Do. That is, his gut sticks out farther than his dickey do, so he couldn't even look down to ascertain his own protrusion. Another option would have been looking in the mirror, which Freed said he declined to do "just 'cuz." That's a polite, coy way of explaining that if you deliberately look at yourself naked, then it would make you a gay.
Well, long story short, the court wasn't buyin' what Mr. Freed was sellin' and poured him out - which is legalese for telling a plaintiff he might want some cheese with that whine.Download decision here.
Pretty entertaining, huh? I really kinda feel like stopping here and not offering any legal commentary. Seems like it would just screw up the beauty of the story. Then again, I've got a word quota to meet. So here's your insightful expert legal analysis, rapid-fire style:
[1] This case is a real head-scratcher.
[2] Who was the expert witness, Inspector 12?
[3] Imagine showing up for jury duty and having to answer those kinds of questions in voir dire!
[4] Under common law principles of negligence, Hanes only owes a legal duty if the injury was reasonably foreskin- er, foreseeable.
[5] How awesome is it that the plaintiff is named Albert Freed and the case is about his johnson freeing itself ? Come on!
[6] If this case is appealed, there will be briefs about briefs (kinda phoned that one in, right?)
[7] The court's entire written opinion might be dismissed as mere dicta.
[8] How can the court rule on this case and not once cite the Penal Code ?!?
OK, that's enough on one case. Tune in next week. Or whenever there's more lawyerin' to write about.Posted by hbalczak at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2009
Kay Bailey concedes to 39%
Senator Support Hose decided today NOT to resign prior to the primary. Instead, she's decided to continue her project in the Senate which consists, primarily, of fucking things up for her constituents. And wasting her contributors money in a vain attempt to beat 39% who will, because of this, beat her like she owes him money.
I find it interesting that this comes not long after Hank Gilbert's campaign rolled Kay's Magic 8 Ball. I also loved Hank's comment...
Anyone who says they are shocked by her announcement hasn't followed the lengthy trail of broken promises she's left in her wake, starting with her promise to serve only two terms. She is an unreliable and undependable public servant who dodges and weaves as it suits her political ambitions. Senator Hutchison has left her supporters and contributors holding the bag.Cause and effect? Certainly didn't hurt. I do think it's funny that, once again, Gilbert's campaign is the only one with a pulse, hitting Republicans hard. And Hank even had time today to go live in the comments on a post at Kos regarding his LGBT policy.
B team member Tom Schieffer was busy telling that retarded little story about his tux while Kinky was trying to con someone into buying one of his books by promising that it was really written by someone with talent. Farouk Shami was busy scribbling out checks to every Democratic club in the state of Texas in a sad attempt to make up for years of neglect. Just like my mother. Which reminds me, if you have a Democratic club (especially one that endorses) you need to hop on the gravy train soon. I just set up three new clubs last week and am looking forward to making enough to have a very merry Christmas (Thanks Farouk! I can even say it like Ms. Texas, it's really something in real life).
39%, meanwhile, celebrated his rapidly approaching victory in the R primary with a 'close friend' at Charlies.
Posted by mcblogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (1)
Reforming the financial system
A little something worth a read... about the slow start in the investigation of the credit collapse and ensuing recession. Food for thought for those who want a faster timeline. Granted, this isn't the 30's so it will go faster. But we need someone with teeth leading it who can actually get Congress to act. That, no doubt, is where we'll step in.
Posted by mcblogger at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)
Channeling Glen Beck
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c The 11/3 Project
Daily Show
Full EpisodesPolitical Humor Health Care Crisis Posted by mcblogger at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)
