What would YOU do if you caught Greg Abbott peeking in your bathroom window?

A) Scream

B) Wonder how he got out of his wheelchair

C) Ask him if he'd like to take a few pictures

D) Shoot him in the face, Dick Cheney-style

Cast your vote in the comments or in any of these locations.

Abbott run amok

These two items regarding the Texas Attorney General once again encapsulate his power to shock and awe:

-- Capitol Annex has details on Abbott's ceding the state's authority to the Talibaptists who have taken over the state Board of Education. This is a sop to his fundamentalist base. Since the decision Texas makes about its school texts has national ramifications, it would behoove those of you reading who don't live in Deep-In-The-Hearta to guard against this kind of initiative where you live. Update: South Texas Chisme points out that the Chronic has an entirely different view. Update II: And Vince consequently raises the question: "Did the SBoE gain or lose ground?"

-- The Lone Star Project catches the OAG peeping on little old ladies in the bathroom. Really. The only way to do this justice is to excerpt:

Earlier this summer, the Lone Star Project reported that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is using $1.5 million in federal grant funds to prosecute Texas citizens who help senior citizens apply for ballot applications and cast their vote by mail. Most of the Texans being prosecuted by Abbott are senior citizens, African American or Hispanic, and ALL are Democrats.

More recently, the San Antonio Express-News wrote about Abbott's controversial activity. Abbott has turned up the heat by sending investigating agents to the homes of elderly citizens to interrogate them in person. There is now evidence that Abbott’s agents have moved beyond aggressive questioning and are employing more intimidating tactics.

According to the sworn statement (pdf file) of Ms. Gloria Meeks, a 69 year-old Fort Worth community activist, two of Abbott’s voter fraud agents came on to her property and looked into her bathroom window while she was unclothed and leaving the shower. Incredibly, the agents justified their privacy violation by explaining, that they thought they were peeping in the “kitchen window.”

Greg Abbott can't do anything about our fraudulent voting machines, but he can have his agents looking in your bathroom window. Doesn't sound like something Jesus would do, does it?

Update: The Chronic has more (via Muse):

Yet, of the 13 individuals indicted on charges of voter fraud by Abbott, 10 are accused of simply possessing another's absentee ballot for delivery to election officials or to a mailbox, Democrats say. Such activities had been legal until the 2003 law turned them into crimes.

Both Democratic and Republican political activists have traditionally assisted elderly or home-bound voters who need help in voting, said attorney J. Gerald Hebert, executive director of the Washington-based Campaign Legal Center, who plans to file the lawsuit on behalf of Democrats.

"Now, merely possessing the mail-in ballot of another person is a misdemeanor. If you do it for several voters, it becomes a felony. It is my view that this is unconstitutional," said Hebert, who headed the U.S. Justice Department's voting section of the civil rights division until 1994.

And lasty, this:

Abbott's PowerPoint primer on voter fraud, "Investigating Election Code Violations," illustrates the discriminatory nature of his enforcement, Hebert argues, because it cues law enforcement to link voter fraud with black voters.

One slide alerts authorities to look for evidence of fraud on documents, especially specialty stamps. It depicts a sickle cell anemia stamp of a black woman holding a black baby, a stamp often used by blacks.

Another slide shows five black people in line for early voting, noting "all laws apply," while no white or Caucasian people are shown voting in the 71-slide presentation.

Abbot spokesman Tom Kelley said the stamp depicted was among evidence gathered in one investigation, but there was "absolutely no reason whatsoever" that the presentation only portrays blacks voting.

Bullshit, Tom. Who's ready for a real Attorney General?

Remembering Richards

The memorial service for Ann Richards today will be broadcast by a handful of local affiliates across the state, and streamed over the Web by many of them as well. Here's a nice remembrance courtesy of Southpaw:



Update: (9/19):Karl-T gets the last post.

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened ...

to this expression...

**Congratulations to the Corpus Christi Hooks, who won the Texas League championship in their second year of existence. They had a much better season than their parent, which despite three misplays from Philadelphia's defense couldn't get a single run across the plate to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth against the Phillies last night. Pinch hitter Humberto Quintero grounded into a double play to end it.

Bases loaded, one out and down by one run in the bottom of the ninth. Who wouldn't want Humberto Quintero up in that situation? Besides, the really important thing is that the triple A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, had a chance to win the PCL championship this year. They lost last night also.

Sure, J.R. House, Eric Munson and even Brooks Conrad would have been nice to have on the bench last night, but after all the Express had a much better chance of winning a title than the Astros.

**South Texas Chisme reports on an entirely new immigration problem in the Valley, and this account from Georgia will likely be repeated in many other towns across the US as the racists reap what they have sown. Some local reaction:

"This reminds me of what I read about Nazi Germany, the Gestapo coming in and yanking people up," (Stillmore, GA mayor Marilyn) Slater said.

"These people come over here to make a better way of life, not to blow us up," complained Keith Slater, who keeps a portrait of Ronald Reagan on the wall. "I'm a die-hard Republican, but I think we missed the boat with this one."

**There have been a few seconds of video of Ann Richards' memorial service at the Capitol this morning on the Texas Cable News network. There's a Statesman flash of some of the Big Dog's remarks, and Glenn Smith wrote a touching op-ed in the Chronic. A few members of the Texas Progressive Alliance are in attendance, and I'll link to whatever they post.

Update (9/17): The Austin American-Statesman has the best collection of photos, and extended video of the procession into the rotunda and Bill Clinton's remarks. Unfortunately, it is preceded by a campaign ad from Rick MoFo'n Perry. How utterly classless by both the newspaper and the governor.

Pope Benedict insults Islam

News a few days old, but the headlines are just reaching us now:

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

This appears to be bad news for all of us non-Muslims, unless the Pope can apologize for being ignorant with some sincerity.

After all, the most recent insult to Mohammed (by a Dutch cartoonist) resulted in people being killed. As we didn't have enough of that going on already.

Update (9/17): The pope says he's sorry, bu there are plenty of Christianists ready to light the torches and start fighting a new Crusade.

As long as someone else signs up to do the bleeding and dying. Goons like these will wage "war" only from behind their computer monitors.

Bloggerrhea

I am not suffering from this (more like blogstipation), but I have collected a few readable bits...

From Stephanie Miller's interview at The Progressive:

Q: Bush’s numbers are real low right now. What do you make of the people who are still with him at this late date?

Miller: That is the question: Who are these people? What do they think he’s done a good job at? I’m trying to be fair, but what is he good at? You look at Iraq, you look at Katrina. His appointments, Michael Brown. I don’t know where to start. I have Bush Administration Attention Outrage Deficit Disorder.

My personal favorite poll number is the President’s 2 percent approval rating among blacks. Which is within the margin of error. Which leads to all sorts of mind-boggling possibilities, scientifically: Is it possible that more black people hate the President than are actually alive today?

Do you think black ghosts are coming back to hate him?

Do you think they can read black sonograms at this point?

Are doctors saying, “We don’t know if this is a boy or a girl, but we know this baby hates George W. Bush”?

Houston Chronicle cartoonist Nick Anderson's blog is one of the most entertaining places lately. Don't scroll the comments or you'll miss the best laughs.

And once more from Greg Palast:

OK, class, answer this question — and let’s not see the same hands:

President George W. Bush says, “Syria has been a primary sponsor of Hezbollah and it has helped provide Hezbollah with shipments of Iranian made weapons…[which] threaten the entire Middle East.”

This month marks the twenty-first anniversary of a shipment of 508 anti-tank missiles to Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini in support of Hezbollah. Who approved that shipment?

Need a hint? The shipments were approved by a group which calls itself, “The Party of God.”

That’s right, Republican President Ronald Reagan sent the Ayatollah the weapons (and a birthday cake — no kidding) in return for loot to fund the illegal war against the elected government of Nicaragua. As part of the deal, Iran’s operatives in Hezbollah would release the two dozen hostages they’d taken, including a Presbyterian minister, a Catholic priest, a librarian and US reporter Terry Anderson. After the arms shipment, Hezbollah released three of the hostages and over time, executed several others. With Iran’s funding, the US supplied its own terrorist group, the “contras,” with weapons used in the killing of 30,000 Nicaraguans.

Bonus essay question: If President Bush wants to give Israel another week to “finish the job” of wiping out Hezbollah and its backers, shouldn’t he add an extra day to finish off Ollie North?

"I did not want my tombstone to read..."

"...'She kept a really clean house.'


I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone'."


As you wish, Madam Governor.


Go with God.