The Weekly Wrangle

Time once again for the Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up, compiled as it always is by Vince from Capitol Annex.

It appears that Texas state Sen. Craig Estes is considering an investigation into the egregious negligence and malpractice of the Texas Railroad Commission. However, as TXsharon at Bluedaze reminds us: It's no time to rest! Keep the pressure on with your letters, emails, faxes and calls.

Now that Williamson County's secret complaint has been dismissed, the Texas Fair Defense Project's class-action lawsuit on behalf of indigent defendants is back on track. Eye on Williamson's wcnews provides an update on the slowly progressing case in The Upside-Down World of Williamson County.

The Associated Republicans of Texas met, ate, belched and applauded the venom spewed from the mouth of Karl Rove at an appearance in Austin last week. Grab your can of disinfectant and click over to Brains and Eggs, where PDiddie has the (pooper) scoop.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme enjoyed this headline: "Where was Hutchison, Valley veterans ask". Why aren't all US veterans asking where all 'support the troop' Republicans have been?

John Coby at Bay Area Houston has his take on a Christmas poem -- T'was the Night Before Impeachment: T'was the night before impeachment it was cold, wet, and rainy, Not a creature was testifying, not even Dick Cheney. Impeachment resolutions were hung in the House for appearing, waiting for Conyers and Waxman, and a long-awaited hearing.

BossKitty at Bluebloggin is frustrated with Congress dropping the hate crime bill H.R. 1585 Hate Crime Bill Married To Iraqi War Funding - No Joke.

Vince at Capitol Annex takes a look at the lies and errors in Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the groundbreaking voter ID case.

The Texas Cloverleaf calls out TxDOT for delaying DFW area construction projects even after receiving $3.197 billion from NTTA.

The Sunset Commission is taking a hard look at TXDOT and McBlogger thinks it's about time. Feel to send in your suggestions on how to fix the ailing agency.

One week into filing season, Off the Kuff reviews the filings he's waiting for.

The Texas Education Agency made national news after the forced resignation of Chris Comer, its science curriculum director, in the ever-swirling "intelligent design" controversy, reports North Texas Liberal's Texas Toad.

More Sunday Funnies

And another from the great Nick Anderson:

Sunday Funnies

Romney, Huckabee, McCain, Giuliani and more bloggerhea

-- Give Huckabee and McCain the up arrows and Romney and Giuliani the downs. Huckabee is finally catching some flak (over things like his phone call to God) after coasting all the way into December. Count Rudy out; he hasn't bottomed out yet from Sex on the City. Romney's JFK moment this week wasn't even that (a moment). Nobody else -- including Dr. No and Lazy Fred -- is going to be a factor.

If I had to hold my nose and pick one of these ultimate November losers today, it would be John McCain.

-- The latest Bush adminstration scandal involves the destruction of tapes. How Nixonian.

-- Blackwater's brother, the State Dept.'s inspector general, went on and resigned yesterday.

-- My neighborhood was voted one of America's top urban enclaves. Of course I knew this already.

-- The Republicans in Wharton county have decided to go back to paper ballots:

On whether computerized electronic voting machines are reliable and secure, the Republican leadership in Wharton County votes "no."

Precinct chairmen in the county southwest of Houston decided this week to return to using paper ballots in the March GOP primary for president, congressional seats and local races. ...

In the statewide election, businessman Jim Welch tried to vote at a fire station in Boling. Some of his votes on state constitutional amendments changed before his eyes, he said, and when election officials acknowledged the problem and offered to let him start over, he concluded the equipment was unreliable and declined. Welch later complained to county and party officials.

-- Auto loans are the next credit crisis.

-- Progressive blog readers are Satan worshippers, according to Bill O'Reilly. NBC's David Gregory blames blogs for the polarization in politics. These two fools simply don't understand that if they had simply performed as journalists, then there would have never been a need for a political blog in the first place.

"O'Reilly" and "journalist" in the same sentence. My mistake.

-- Lastly, Harvey Kronberg has noticed the power of the Texroots:

In perhaps another signal of the maturation of the netroots, QR notes that 24 Democratic candidates for the Texas House have already reported raising money through ActBlue, a national Web-based clearinghouse for Democratic campaign donations.

The fundraising leader so far is Brian Thompson, the all-but-declared challenger for Rep. Dawnna Dukes’ (D-Austin) seat in the House. He reports $4,800 in donations. While that’s not exactly a Bob Perryesque figure, it’s almost as much as the incumbent has in cash on hand on her last Ethics Commission report.

Dukes will obviously have the resources to vigorously defend her seat, but Thompson’s popularity fits an initial trend of challengers getting support from the netroots. After Thompson, the next three most successful online fundraisers are Sandra Rodriguez ($2,000), Dan Barrett ($1,674) and Sherrie Matula ($1,575).

Thompson and Rodriguez are primary challengers to Craddickrats Dawnna Dukes and Kino Flores. Barrett is in the runoff for Fort Worth's HD-97 (election day is December 10) and Matula will take on the ethically challenged John Davis in HD-129, in Pasadena.