The Weekly Wrangle

Time once again for the Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Blog Round Up. This week's round-up is compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.

TXsharon says, "YOU SUCK AT&T" and she can only say that because she doesn't use AT&T. Over at Bluedaze she tells why, if you use AT&T for your Internets, you can't say they suck.

Stace at Dos Centavos reports on racism and bigotry committed by a corporation and a UT fraternity.

What's really going on in Irving? Xanthippas at Three Wise Men notes there's more going on in the immigration crackdown than possible profiling and arrests.

CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme notes that NOW wants to know why U.S. District Judge Judge Samuel Kent was 'punished' with a 4-month vacation after the investigation into sexual harassment charges.

Criticism of Hillary Clinton's laugh is no laughing matter, so says PDiddie at Brains and Eggs in HRC:LOL.

Might be time for a bit of horsetrading on the floor of the Senate, and one of Texas Kaos' regular diarists, Fake Consultant, has a bit of advice on the subject for Majority Leader Harry Reid in On Larry Craig and Filibusters, or Wanna Make a Trade?

Truth, it has been said, is the first casualty of war. The Republican-Media coalition must have declared war on Social Security, and Blue 19th exposes their lies.

Human rights advocates cheered the Williamson County commissioners' vote to sever ties with the operator of the T. Don Hutto holding facility for undocumented immigrants, but Eye On Williamson's wcnews wonders if a battle within the Republican party over the county's share of the profits may have driven their decision.

McBlogger at McBlogger speculates as to the reasons Sharon Keller (chief justice of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals) needed to get out of work at 5 on Sept. 25th.

Vince at Capitol Annex tells us about the Texas Conservative Coalition's new Election Integrity Task Force, its new Chairwoman and its likely recommendations.

Peter at B and B writes about the quixotic attempts by a group of environmentally conscious Republicans to get their chosen political party to care about conservation and stewardship: Republicans for Environmental Protection, all 70 of them, meet in San Antonio.

Off the Kuff looks at the ongoing dispute between the Harris County Appraisal District and the state comptroller over how commercial properties are taxed.

In a Texas Kaos dairy, Dallas and Denton drinking water at risk by TxDOT's route selection choice for FM299, Faith Chatham's shares a letter from Highland Village parents group activist/homeowner Susie Venable to mayor Tom Leppert of Dallas regarding the city water department's failure to monitor possible MTBE contamination issues. Despite cries of running out of money, TxDOT selected the only route (of 8) which would double project costs by requiring bridges to be built across three tributaries to Lake Lewisville (the drinking water source for Denton and Dallas Counties) in the area of the lake already contaminated by MTBE.

Gary at Easter Lemming updates the Pasadena mayor Manlove resignation and his running for Lampson's seat. There are a lot of happy faces at city hall. Easter Lemming broke the story back on September 22nd.

Trinity Trickey strikes again at The Texas Cloverleaf. This time pro-toll road literature features the war on trees and the fight against Angela Hunt by the powers that be. Only in Dallas.

This week's installment of GLBTube at the Houston GLBT Political Caucus Blog is a double feature: first, a sampling of clips related to ENDA; secondly, gay Republicans are running ads in order to sabotage hypocritical presidential candidates!

WhosPlayin hammers away on GOP Congressman Michael Burgess for dissing Muslims and being one of 30 boneheads to vote for giving mercenary firms like Blackwater a license to kill.

The Texas Blue looks at how the evangelical social movement isn't playing nice-nice with the Republican Party any longer, and why that is good for America.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson -- author, syndicated columnist, political analyst and commentator -- is making a virtual book tour stop at Para Justicia y Libertad on Oct 11 to discuss his new book The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation Between African-Americans and Hispanics.

Hal at Half Empty counts a Lucky Seven of candidates that want to run against Nick Lampson in CD-22. He ROFLs and LMAOs.

Sunday Funnies (Really Late Edition)

RNC logo's "wide stance"

So much snark, so little time.

A prison-striped, starry-eyed pachyderm, on his hind legs (they only go two-legged when they're engaging in coitus), gathering behind next year.

Or perhaps ...

(I)t really does look like an elephant that just got ran over by a truck and is now splattered and dazed on the ground, covered in skid marks.

All the good ones have already been taken. But there's plenty of bad ones left, and they're all pretty funny.

TexBlogs on SCHIP

President Bush yesterday vetoed an important and widely supported bi-partisan expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) (H.R. 976). WhosPlayin takes a look at what the blogs of the Texas Progressive Alliance are saying about this terrible move:

Adam at Three Wise Men writes: Bush uses veto pen to strike health care for kids



Blue 19th takes Randy Neugebauer to task for being willing to send billions to Iraq, but not to help children at home.



Blue 19th also uncovered a transcript of a secret press conference featuring the President, the Governor, and Rep. Randy Neugebauer. Put your sensibilities on hold and enjoy.




In examining Bush's veto of the SCHIP reauthorization and expansion, Vince at Capitol Annex notes that this is one of the President's worst actions in office and also points to statements on the veto from a pair of Texas legislators, Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio) and Ellen Cohen (D-Houston).



Muse interrupts her outrage at the veto to send Bush a Bible verse, and remind him that his approval numbers are half of the percentage of Americans who approve of the legislation. She wonder if what's next is clubbing baby seals and drowning kittens.



Eye On Williamson calls Bush and Rep. John Carter on their votes against children, for private insurance corporations and urges the people to get involved: Bush Vetoes Childrens Health Care & John Carter Is Right By His Side.



Matt Glazer of Burnt Orange Report notes that the non-partisan Center for Public Policy Priorities urges Texans to encourage Senator Cornyn and the 18 Texas Congressmen who voted against it to change their votes to override the veto. Matt also suggests that Bush, Perry, Cornyn, and McCaul hate children and encourages us to show our outrage at a rally for kids health.



Charles Kuffner of Off the Kuff notes that Bush is acting ashamed of this veto and explores the numbers needed for an override.

Arkansas Traveling

As previously referenced, I'll be driving through beautiful East Texas on Thursday with an overnight in Little Rock, spending Friday morning touring the Clinton Library and Friday evening watching the University of Arkansas Razorbacks (or Ladybacks) take on the Georgia Bulldogs (or Lady Bulldogs) in a SEC women's volleyball matchup. #4 is the oldest child of my youngest brother and the team's MVP.

On the weekend our options include attending the Arkansas -- Tennessee-Chattanooga football tilt or the Bikes, Blues, and BBQ rally on Saturday, then watching the Ladybacks on Sunday afternoon versus the Auburn Tigers (or Tigerettes) and returning to Texas Monday.

Once again please don't let any hurricanes come through Houston while we're away. (Y'all didn't do a very good job last month when we learned Humberto was coming while we were at the airport.)

I won't be taking any coats and ties to wear. I will be test-driving the Laptop Connect card I recently acquired for on-the-go-surfing in places that time forgot. So expect to see sporadic but not spasmodic blogging.

(I hate that word "spasmodic". It always makes me envision someone having an epileptic seizure. Or some poor woman who can't stop menstruating.)