A beer with Brad

Brad Friedman came to town last week and a group of us progressive, election-integrity-concerned types were privileged to spend a casual evening with him (and his lovely girlfriend/producer). He's in Houston to do his radio gig again:

Beginning on Wednesday, I'll be guest-hosting the Peter B. Collins Show for a week and a half, Monday through Fridays from 3p - 6p PT (6p - 9p ET, or 5p - 8p CT on our Houston clock) and hope you'll tune in to one of Peter's affiliate stations, or via the Internet for whatever trouble-making we end up cooking up.

We'll be broadcasting each day out of the facilities of KPFT, as generously offered by the good folks of Houston's Pacifica Radio affiliate station there. We're very much looking forward to it, as we've not been on the air for such a long stint in quite a while. The last time would also have been out of Texas, during the Summer of 2005 from "Camp Casey," where we took the old BRAD SHOW on the road for our special "Operation Noble Cause" broadcasts from the middle of one damned hot cow pasture.

That's where I first saw Brad, at the Crawford Peace House, doing his show in the sweltering late August heat, the weekend before Katrina hit New Orleans.

If you're not in California you can listen to Brad live here.

Monday July 23rd: Debate and Impeachment events

Club 44 Democratic Debate Watch Party

Monday, July 23, 2007 from 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Gs and Zs, 4412 Almeda, Houston, TX 77004

Please join Honorary Host, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Co- Hosts Carol Alvarado, Sue Lovell, and Annise Parker for the Democratic presidential debate taking place on July 23rd. All across the country, thousands of women and men will be watching at house parties as part of Club 44: Make History with Hillary! We'll hear from a special guest and get a campaign insider's analysis via a conference call from the debate site in South Carolina immediately following the debate.

Houston Area Endorsements:

Houston City Councilwoman and President of the Texas Municipal League Carol Alvarado, Former Houston Mayor Lee Brown, Council Member Sue Lovell, Comptroller Annise Parker, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas Arthur Schechter, State Senator Mario V. Gallegos Jr., State Representative Hubert Vo, State Representative Senfronia Thompson, DNC Member Denise Johnson, State Democratic Executive Committeewoman Rose A. Salas, Former Houston City Councilman Gordon Quan and Sylvia Quan, Texas Young Democrats President Shondra Wygal, State Democratic Executive Committeeman Lloyd Criss, Chairman of the Texas Democratic County Chair Association Sharon Teal of Livingston, TX

RSVP via email to Natakoerber@sbcglobal.net

Also:

July 23, 2007, is the fifth anniversary of the Downing Street Meeting, the assembly at Number 10 Downing Street at which the head of British intelligence reported that Bush and Cheney were intent on invading Iraq and were going to "fix the intelligence and facts around the policy." The meeting was recorded in the Downing Street Minutes which were leaked in May 2005. It was then that we launched AfterDowningStreet.org.

Monday, July 23rd, Cindy Sheehan will lead a march from Arlington National Cemetery at 10 a.m. to Capitol Hill, to the office of Congressman John Conyers to ask him to move forward with impeachment. We will wear orange that day, a color that has come to stand for nonviolent revolution. We encourage as many people as possible to join us, and if you cannot, to phone Congressman Conyers' office that day asking him to move forward on impeachment: (202) 225-5126.

Cindy Sheehan plans to announce her candidacy that day for Congress, challenging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to represent the 8th District of California. Sheehan's candidacy is motivated by Pelosi's actively blocking the impeachment of Cheney and Bush, but Sheehan won't run if Pelosi endorses impeachment. Please phone Pelosi's office right away and as often as you can to encourage her to support impeachment: (202) 225-0100.

The 23rd in DC is part of a march from Texas to New York. Cindy Sheehan, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, and others are leading a march/drive from Crawford, Texas, to New York City. The march will include stops at the district offices of House Judiciary Committee Members Mel Watt and Bobby Scott. You can organize a meeting, protest, honk-a-thon, or sit-in at your Congressmember's office. One way to get organized is with this system. You can find events and create them here. And you can meet people in Facebook. Below is the route and a link for more information and to get involved.

July 10 Crawford Tx Houston Tx
July 11 Houston Tx. New Orleans La.
July 12 New Orleans La. Montgomery Al.
July 13 Montgomery Al. Ft. Benning Ga
July 14 Ft. Benning Ga Atlanta Ga.
July 15 Atlanta Ga. Gainsville Ga.
July 16 Ganisville Ga. Clemson SC
July 17 Clemson SC Charlotte NC
July 18 Charlotte NC Greensboro NC
July 19 Greensboro NC Lynchburg VA
July 20 Lynchburg VA Charlottesville VA (rally at 6 p.m.)
July 21 Charlottesville VA Richmond VA
July 22 Richmond VA Arlington VA
July 23 Arlington Cem White House/ Capitol
July 23 Washington DC Philadelphia PA
July 24 Philadelphia PA Allentown PA
July 25 Allentown PA New York City NY
July 26 United Nations Action
July 27 Begin to Gather at Central Park
July 28 TBA
July 29 Gathering of Hearts Fest Central Park
http://www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org

Round 'em up

Each week the Texas Progressive Alliance compiles the weekly Texas Blog Round Up, modeled after the 50-State Blog Round Up. It's published on member blogs every Monday. Here's this week's installment, brought to you by Vince from Capitol Annex.

John C. at Bay Area Houston Blog looks at the Houston City Council's Own Chickenhawk and explains how he was once again punk'd on his own radio show.

Muse at Musings brings us some photos from State Rep. Rick Noriega's announcement that he'll form an exploratory committee to run against U.S. Senator John Cornyn in 2008.

TxSharon At BlueDaze reveals that the government paid $400,000 for a new marketing plan that will eventually convince us that Endless War in Iraq is a good thing.

WCNew at Eye On Williamson tells about the Texas Department of Transportation's efforts to continue justifying its existence in TxDOT's Sunset Review Kick-Off Party & Media Blitz.

Texas Toad at North Texas Liberal says that the U.S. Senate Majority Leader has finally decided to call out the GOP in Senator Reid's Jujitsu On Iraq.

Hal at Half Empty explores Rick Perry's choice of Don McLeroy to head the State Board of Education in Governor Perry Names 'Academically Unacceptable' To Head Texas School Board.

Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News reminds everyone to see Michael Moore's SiCKO and to call senators and congressmen about the health care crisis, while telling us why he won't be bothering to call John Cornyn.

McBlogger at McBlogger wants to know why Stonewall Democrats' President Shannon Bailey hasn't resigned yet.

Krazypuppy at Texas Kaos is celebrating his own recovery from minor surgery this week by commiserating in his own inimitable way with the President's latest colorectal adventure.

What is the Texas GOP doing to get ready for 2008? Charles Kuffner at Off the Kuff takes a look.

Do you want a red border fence or a green one? Will it make Texas look fat? CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme blogs about how the Republicans are all about PR and imagery. Chertoff opened his mouth and proved it once again.

MexicoBob at Who's Playin'? takes a look at some issues related to some outdated marijuana references in the City of Lewisville's smoking ordinance in Texas Town To Allow Public Smoking Of Weed.

PMBryant at B and B explores journalists downplaying the effects of gender bias during an article on women and their career choice.

And finally, my post quoting Dave McNeely's column regarding the potential 18th Texan to serve in the US Senate.

More Sunday Funnies (because the fun just didn't stop this week)

Presidential polyps identified (not removed)

The five polyps identified during yesterday's presidential colonoscopy have been named Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy, because of their strict constructionist influence upon the president's daily constitutional.

Asked if he saw the need to address the potentially cancerous effects of the conservative tumor now threatening the health of the United States Constitution, Bush said: "I have the same answer to that question I would have if somebody asked me whether my colonoscopy revealed to me the need for a government plan to insure that all Americans have access to health care: 'Get real, the only person's ass I have ever cared about is my own.' "

Sunday Funnies (al-Qaida edition)

Sunday Funnies (early edition)

Story related to above: Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana allegedly asked the prostitutes he procured to swaddle him in diapers.

Rick Noriega for US Senate. Today.

You can hear the man speak in Houston today at the gathering of West Houston Democrats, beginning a little early for some of you at 9:45 a.m. at the Tracy Gee Community Center located at 3599 Westcenter Drive (one block east of Beltway 8 between Richmond & Westpark).

This is also your reminder that you can change the equation by making a donation of any amount to Noriega's campaign, making a little history as one of the Great 800.

Weekend entertainment and sports postpourri

Bud Selig joined the crowd that came out to see Barry Bonds. All the commissioner saw was a long fly and an 0-for-4.

Bonds went hitless and stayed put at 753 home runs in the San Francisco Giants' 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, moving no closer to the record 755 held by Selig's good friend, Hank Aaron.

Bonds started the series opener in the city where Hammerin' Hank began and ended his career — and on the 31st anniversary of Aaron's final home run, no less. He hit No. 755 on July 20, 1976, at now-demolished County Stadium.

It would have been fitting to see Baroids tie or break the record in the same city as Aaron, on the same night 31 years later, but alas. Maybe today or tomorrow. Soon enough for sure.

Mark me as neither a Bonds fan nor a hater. Big Head Barry cheated, but so did McGuire, Sosa, Canseco, Palmeiro, et. al. My opinion is that if MLB so despised steroid use then they could have taken action in the last century. But baseball needed big hitters breaking records in the '90's as it struggled to recover from the debilitating players' strike and cancellation of the World Series in 1994.

But back then I thought Ken Griffey Jr. was going to be the greater player of the two, so what do I know?

Because his name is Steve Francis, he's the most intriguing of all the moves (new Rockets GM Daryl) Morey has made in his remarkable offseason. Morey probably can't comprehend that part of the story. He simply can't know how invested fans were in believing Francis and Cuttino Mobley would be part of a third championship.

Francis eventually came to symbolize an organization's failures rather than its successes. Yet his failings were those of a spoiled kid. They were never malicious. So he skipped a flight to see a Super Bowl.

Big deal. Check this week's headlines. Skipping a flight seems almost irrelevant.

Good analysis here by RJ, and it applies to Bonds as well. Neither Barry nor Stevie Not-The-Franchise are firing their guns in titty bar parking lots at 3 a.m. or raising and gambling on pit bulls to kill and maim each other. Selfishness -- even narcissim and self-abuse, for that matter -- is one thing, and commission of actual crimes quite another.

Steve Francis might be very good for the Rockets next year, or he might not.

Have you seen SiCKO yet? Get thee to a cinema this weekend. Michael Moore's got a pretty good deal for you if you do:

And, to show my thanks to all of you who'll go see SiCKO this weekend, I'm going to send one of you and a guest on a free weekend to the universal health care country of your choice! That's right. You'll get to pick one of the three industrialized countries featured in the movie where, if you get sick, you get help for free, no matter who you are. All you have to do is send us your ticket stub (make sure it says SiCKO on it and has the name of the theater and this weekend's date on it -- Friday, Saturday or Sunday - July 20th, 21st, 22nd). Attach the stub to a piece of paper with your name, address, phone number and email and send it to: 'Sicko' Night in America, 888c 8th Avenue, Suite 443, New York, NY 10019. (Yes, you have to use that old 18th century device called the U.S. Postal Service, and it has to be postmarked on or by Tuesday, July 24th). First prize is a weekend in the city of your choice: Paris, London or Toronto. This includes airfare, hotel, meals and, most exciting, a representative from their fine universal health care system who will give you a personal tour so you can see how they treat their fellow citizens. You'll meet people who pay nothing for college and citizens who are in the fourth week of their six-week paid vacation. Oh, and you'll have time to see the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben or whatever they have in Toronto that is old and tall. (If you don't have a passport, we'll pay for that, too!)

I have seen the film twice now, and it makes me nauseous and angry at the same time. It just amplifies my pre-existing queasiness that George Bush's America isn't the country that I grew up in, that my Cuban in-laws emigrated to, that is worthy of being called the greatest nation on Earth.

Our leaders are failing us, and if we don't reverse the trend, then this grand experiment of democracy now 231 years old will end shortly (if it hasn't already). The patient is certainly in critical condition, and might already be brain-dead.

But as that pathetic neoconservative Dennis Miller would say at this point: "Fuck it, who wants pie"?

Right?

The 18th

A few of the names I can remember without Googling: Sam Houston. "Pappy" O'Daniel. Lyndon Johnson. Price Daniel. Ralph Yarborough. Lloyd Bentsen.

John Tower. Phil Gramm. The current occupants, Senator Perjury Technicality and Senator Box Turtle.

Dave McNeely, whose columns appear syndicated throughout the state, has more. Excerpted in full; emphasis mine:

If you sit around wondering how many Texans have sat in the United States Senate in the 91 years since senators began being selected by popular elections in 1916, the answer is 17. State Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston, in the 2008 election would like to be chosen as the 18th.

Jabbing at the Republican incumbent, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, as a "cheerleader" for the administration of President George W. Bush "for a variety of failed policies," Noriega said a change in representation is necessary to bring a change in direction.

"A lot of the problem we see today is (that) stubbornness is not a foreign policy," Noriega said.

Noriega, a sturdy 49-year-old legislator who has worked in educational administration, on Monday announced formation of an exploratory committee at a press conference on the state capitol's front lawn.

Noriega, with buzz-cut hair and an erect military bearing, chose a backdrop of the memorial to those who died at the Alamo, to underline his 26 years in the armed services, including a stint in Afghanistan with the Texas Army National Guard.

"Growing up in Houston, my family taught me the importance of serving my community," Noriega said in a prepared statement. "I've been privileged to serve this country as a soldier, my state as an elected representative, and Houston as a community leader focused on education. The call to service has been a big part of my life, and I am taking the next step in answering that call."

"Standing in the shadows of this monument, I'm reminded of our state's great tradition and our duty to speak out when things have gone off the rails," Noriega said. "Today, our nation is headed in the wrong direction, led by those whose choice is to divide Americans to maintain power.

"They ignore the will of the people about the war in Iraq. They ignore the needs of the people for health care, college education, and a better standard of living. They ignore the lessons of our history: that America's strength lies in our unity and diversity.

"John Cornyn represents the worst of these trends," Noriega said. "And it's time for him to go."

Noriega rose to lieutenant colonel while training Afghan troops. Asked what he would do about the war in Iraq, Noriega said he would follow the withdrawal timetable laid out by the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by former President Bush's Secretary of State, James Baker.

Noriega's wife Melissa, who sat in for him in the Texas House of Representatives while he was in Afghanistan, was elected June 16 to the Houston City Council. After he returned, Noriega was tapped to run a National Guard border security operation, and then by Houston Mayor Bill White to coordinate relief for refugees from Hurricane Katrina who fled to Houston.

Though Noriega took aim in his press conference at Cornyn, his first major hurdle is Democrat Mikal Watts, a wealthy plaintiff's attorney from Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Watts, 39, has already donated and loaned millions of dollars to his campaign. By keeping his campaign war chest abreast of the Republican's, Watts hopes to demonstrate that he can go toe to toe on television advertising.

Noriega, who is not personally wealthy, obviously hopes his Hispanic surname will help offset Watts' dollars. Hispanics lean Democratic, and can account for between a third and half the vote in a Democratic primary.

The Alamo memorial also was undoubtedly chosen to help soften any negatives Noriega's surname may have for non-Hispanics. During times of battles over immigration, and talk of a fence along the Texas-Mexico border, the memorial serves as a reminder that during Texas's war with Mexico, Hispanic Texans as well as Anglos fought and died at the Alamo.

Asked what impact his surname might have on the contest, Noriega said "I'll let the voters decide that. I'm an American."

Cornyn told reporters he'll wait to see who Democrats select as their nominee before responding to attacks.

Noriega's exploratory committee is chaired by Paul Hobby of Houston, who was the Democratic Party's near-miss candidate in 1998 for state comptroller, and son of Bill Hobby, the former longtime Democratic lieutenant governor.

Noriega "is a rare mix of passion, competence and integrity," said Paul Hobby, who said he'd known Noriega for years. "Rick can and should win. I want to turn on CNN and see him representing Texas in the United States Senate. Rick is competent and practical; he is not slick or partisan. That is what we need right now -- credible leadership."

Happy Blogosphere Day

(courtesy my friend Boadecia:)

What's that, you say? What the hell is "Blogosphere Day"?

The tradition we now know as Blogosphere Day began in 2004 when, in a surprise statement, incumbent Rep. Jim Greenwood (PA-08) announced his retirement. Democratic challenger Ginny Schrader, with $7000 in the bank, came to the attention of the nationwide blogosphere via the front page of DailyKos, and over $30,000 poured into her campaign that day. Three weeks earlier, a brand new fundraising platform for Democrats -- ActBlue -- was launched, and quickly adopted by those who were raising funds for Ginny Schrader.

We say this time it's Rick Noriega's turn.

A word from the founder about that storied day:

Virginia "Ginny" Schrader was not getting much "help" at all from the DCCC in July 2004. She was running an uphill battle against Republican Congressman Jim Greenwood, who had won his previous race with 62%. Schrader herself had won a primary with only 60% against a frequent Republican candidate who had switched parties. As of the June 30th filing report, she had $7,000 on hand. Her chances, to put it mildly, were slim to none. Despite Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional district having voted for Gore in 2000, Greenwood's moderate social views (he was pro-choice, for example) enabled him to win reelection easily, over and over again. This race would be no different.

Except, suddenly the incumbent announced his retirement, and one enterprising blogger thought it ought to be different. VERY different. So he set out to raise money for a candidate he'd not yet met.

410PM: I used Politics1.com to find Schrader's website, and quickly noted her main positions on the issues, her biography and the district demographics (it voted for Gore, for example). I then set to work typing up an article on the front page of DailyKos. As I did, I checked PoliticsPA.com to confirm the news, and found out that Schrader had just $7,000 in the bank.

440PM: I finished the article, and published it on the front page. This is what it said:

Breaking News: GOP Congressman Greenwood (PA-08) Leaving Congress This Year

I just read this at PoliticsPA.com and in a breaking news e-mail from RollCall.com. Congressman Jim Greenwood, a moderate Republican in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional district, just announced he will not seek reelection this year, instead removing his name from the ballot. The Democrat, Virginia "Ginny" Schrader, is an attorney who has just $7,000 in the bank as of June 30th. Greenwood's district voted for Gore in 2000 by a decent amount, and the GOP is now scrambling for a replacement.

Schraeder's website is [ Note: Link is now inactive]. A good place to contribute to would be at ACTBLUE at [Note: Link is now inactive], as it will track the donations recieved for the campaign.

I would suggest that we get involved ASAP. This seat is a Democratic-leaning one, and is too good to miss. Schrader is a liberal-to-moderate, pro-choice Democrat. In addition, she supports civil unions and is against Bush's positions on Iraq and the Patriot Act. She is an attorney who ran for State Rep. in 2002 and lost by a respectable margin.

This is completely out of left field, folks, and it gives us another opportunity for a pickup. Ginny Schrader is the luckiest candidate in the nation today, but can her luck hold?

In my rush to post the article, I mispelled Schrader's name at one point. I also forgot to include her ActBlue account, which I added later on at one poster's urging. In addition, I as of then had not figured out HTML, so there was no bolding or italics in the post. Reading it today when compared to my "modern" work is like comparing Sumerian clay tablets to a Medieval manuscript in its aesthetic beauty.

And yet my appeal worked. I didn't know Ginny Schrader from Adam; in fact, nearly all of the bloggers who responded that day didn't know her either. But people gave, people wrote kind words and let others know the news: that a Congressional seat could be won that had been not been looked at before.

By the end of July 20th, Ginny Schrader had raised $30,000 from the Internet.

Let's make July 19th, 2007 Rick Noriega Blogosphere Day in Texas !


On July 19th, 2005, the blogosphere catapulted Paul Hackett (D-Blogosphere) into contention in one of the reddest districts of red Ohio, OH-02. An excerpt from the Mother Jones timeline of the now recurring phenomenon:

July 18 - Dembloggers posts video of a Hackett ad that Republicans claim creates a false impression of support from George W. Bush. On the same day, Baker posts an email he has received from the Democratic Party that helpfully informs him: on "August 2 there will be a special election to fill a vacant seat in Congress representing the 2nd Congressional district in Southern Ohio."

July 19 - Blog for America, the blog of Democracy for America, announces DFA's endorsement of Hackett. The timing coincides with National Blogosphere Day, which blogs across the internet celebrate by urging donations to Hackett's campaign. In eight hours, Paul Hackett's ActBlue page pulls in $55,000.

July 20 - Grow Ohio reports that the blogs brought in $80,000 in a single day. Swing State Project reports Hackett currently tops Schmidt in Cash on Hand. Hackett's money comes from a network of individuals from around the country, each averaging around $50 a donation. According to the FEC reports analyzed by the blogs, Schmidt's money has come from PACs in average donations of $1,785. Grow Ohio, Swing State Project and OH-02 offer daily information on get-out-the-vote campaigns around the district.

While we're sure the Noriega campaign wouldn't turn down a one day influx of $80,000, this would be a great day to get more small donors on board the Noriega Express.

On July 19th, 2006, the blogosphere catapulted Ned Lamont (D-Blogosphere) into contention in CT-Sen. Howie at Down With Tyranny filed this after-action report:

Ned Lamont was the biggest single recipient and he matched, dollar for dollar, all the money that came in-- something he will continue to do through the end of the primary. Nevertheless, a story in today's NY TIMES by Mike McIntire and Jennifer Medina illustrates what a tough, tough task Ned has taken on himself. Forget for a moment that Joe Lieberman has become a millionaire many times over since he was elected to public office. (Unlike Ned, he is not a man who built a business, got audited, paid taxes and wages; Lieberman just won elections and, like most corrupt politicians... wound up very, very rich.) The headline of the TIMES story says a lot: "Lieberman's Donors Include Many Who Favor Republicans."

Lamont's prospect of unseating Kissin' Joe Lieberman in a primary seemed as distant a prospect as Box Turtle John Cornyn wants to pretend replacing him with Lt. Colonel Rick Noriega is. But 800 of my new best friends know different.

Are you ready for a ticket to ride on the Noriega Express through the cities, small towns, and wild flower fields of Texas?

Won't it be nice to have one United States Senator from Texas who doesn't embarrass the state every time he opens his mouth? Get on the Noriega Express, and help make it happen.

Donate here. Help Texas have a United States Senator who honors the spirit of our beloved Lady Bird instead of stiffing her friends and family at her memorial service.

Future United States Senator Rick Noriega. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

The old drugs work better

As many of you know, I am a type 2 diabetic, now nearly three years running. This news in the Chron today is good for me:

Older, cheaper diabetes drugs are as safe and effective as newer ones, concludes an analysis that is good news for diabetics and may further hurt sales of Avandia, a blockbuster pill recently tied to heart problems.

The clear winner: metformin, sold as Glucophage and generically for about $100 a year. It works as well as other diabetes pills but does not cause weight gain or too-low blood sugar, the analysis found. It also lowers LDL or bad cholesterol.

"It looks to be the safest," said Dr. Shari Bolen, a Johns Hopkins University researcher who led the review, which was published online Monday by the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Consumer Reports also published a consumer guide of the results. Besides metformin, it rates glipizide and glimepiride, sold as Amaryl and Glucotrol, as best bets.

Metformin and glipizide are the two I have been taking from the outset, and the only two I have ever used to control my blood sugar. (I also take Tricor for elevated triglycerides, Lipitor to elevate my good cholesterol -- I have never had an issue with high LDL -- as well as a mild diuretic called Triamterene to control symptoms of Meneire's, and Lyrica for diabetic neuropathy in my feet.) In addition to the prescriptions, I take some over-the-counter yet doctor-recommended remedies, including low-dose aspirin therapy and a fish oil capsule (omega 3's also help lift HDL) with each meal. I do not inject insulin; all of my meds are oral.

The good doctors of Baylor Family Medicine have helped me effectively manage my diabetes, particularly Dr. Grace Kuo. My A1C score, 12 at the time I was diagnosed, is now under 7, about as good as a person with a functioning pancreas can do.

And yes, I exercise regularly and watch what I eat, as every diabetic should.

I'm fortunate that my insurance plan is good. The co-pays on all these range from $10 to $20, which means I still spend nearly a hundred bucks a month for them. God forbid my insurance went away.

Have you seen SiCKO yet?