The Weekly Wrangle

Time for another edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly blog round-up, compiled based on submissions made by member blogs, by Vince from Capitol Annex.

CoulldBeTrue hears Rick Perry's rally call against Mexican drug cartels hooking up with local gangs and fears coded words meaning 'Lets profile Latinos' yee haw.

Off the Kuff spent his time in Austin interviewing candidates for office. The first group of interviewees published are State Rep. Dan Barrett, HD97; Wendy Davis, SD10; Robert Miklos, HD101; and Chris Turner, HD96.

refinish69 of Doing My Part For The Left gives a review of his experience herding cats at the Texas Democratic Convemtion and a podcast version as well.

The Texas Cloverleaf wonders why we are getting yet another TX Secretary of State, as Phil Wilson is resigning after only one year on the job.

PDiddie had some scenes from the Texas GOP convention posted at Brains and Eggs.

With four electric companies folding up shop over the last several weeks, it is going to be a difficult summer for Texas consumers. The failures underscore just how screwed up the retail utility business is in Texas. One commentator has called it a game of Russian roulette, and so it is....

In a much-anticipated mega-post on transportation issues, McBlogger tells us that lawmakers are "doing it wrong" when it comes to transportation funding.

Vince at Capitol Annex tears apart the Republican argument for getting rid of property taxes and replacing them with a sales tax for funding public schools, which this week was promoted by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.

LSU alumni crawfish boil in Beaumont

The two years we have attended -- my mother is the alum; she got her master's there in 1949 -- the football team has captured the national championship, so we did our part yesterday and attended the annual affair at the beautiful ranch of Phil and Carla Meaux, on the north side of town.

LSU defensive coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto -- his dad was a football coach at my high school when I was growing up -- spoke to the assembled hundred or so about the Bengal Tigers' 2008 prospects, but I can't tell you a word that he said. I'm sworn to secrecy. Really. It's like one those insider information things that Coach Fran got fired over, except I only paid twenty bucks for my crawfish and I don't wanna get Coach Peveto in trouble. In any way.

In attendance were a handful of my Lamar professors (though retired nearly twenty years Mom still has a few friends among active faculty), Pat Harrigan and Cindy Barnes. And also SH-19 Democratic challenger Larry Hunter, who has a fundraiser in Houston next week.

A good time had by all (and a good team to be fielded by the Tigers of Red Stick this fall. Trust me).

Sunday Funnies

Astros v. Yankees

I had tickets to tomorrow's contest -- Moose v. Wandito -- but sold them to my friend Neil, because my mother wants to attend the annual LSU alumni crawfish boil in Beaumont (and every year we have attended they've won the national championship, so...)

The fellow on the right, Richard Stonely, was interviewed on the telecast of this evening's game. He grew up in New York as a Yankee fan, and when the Astros and Mets entered the National League in 1962 he also was became a 'Stros fan because he couldn't root for the Mets. And he named a couple of early Colt .45ers like Bobby Shantz and John Bateman, and when he moved to Houston in 1976 became an even bigger fan.

Asked he was feeling conflicted tonight by reporter Bart Enis, Stonely replied without missing a beat: "I'm conflicted every night."

The score is tied 1-1 in the top of the 7th.

Tim Russert

passes suddenly this afternoon, while preparing his Sunday telecast:

"He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks," Brokaw said, adding: "This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice."

Brokaw said Russert had just returned from a family trip to Italy with his wife, writer Maureen Orth. They were celebrating the graduation of their son, Luke, from Boston College this spring, Brokaw said.

I wasn't much of a fan of Russert's any more. Though he began his political career as an aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, he long ago became a conservative in the interests of "objectivity", and the praise for his interviewing skills has been similarly lost on me. I often saw a mollycoddler for the Bush administration's flacks and lickspittles, after the years of watching him focus on Bill Clinton's private parts.

The accolades roll in today but I see the all-channel tributes as something over the top for a TV reporter.

Condolences to his family (and I hope they give the Press the Meat gig to David Gregory ONLY so that Rachel Maddow gets the 5 p.m. slot on MSNBC).