Standing with Texas Women Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance stands with Texas women as we bring you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff explains that while the Supreme Court may have neutered the Voting Rights Act, the legal battles over the redistricting maps are far from over.

Horwitz of Texpatriate rips Houston mayoral candidate Eric Dick a new one.

The GOP's national strategy for Obamacare is erode, impede, repeat. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs thinks that's bound to be more effective than introducing bills to repeal it once a month for the past several years.

Many of the major pro-migrant groups have been pushing the U.S. House to pass the Senate's immigration reform bill, but in case you haven't heard, there are some like DosCentavos who have been railing against the bill's "border surge." DC reports on the Valley member of Congress who resigned from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus because of it. Could it trip up the CHC as the debate continues?

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw gives us a long and passionate look at Texas women pushing back! Check out Texas GOP: Regulate Women's Reproductive Rights. But Don't Mess with Industry.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

From The Desk explains to her (Republican) Congressman why charity cannot adequately replace a government program like SNAP.

Former Texan Marci Glass says she'll be post-feminist when the world is post-patriarchy.

Juanita mocks the anonymous fool that's whining about Sen. Wendy Davis' appearance.

Nonsequiteuse will keep making her voice heard in Austin until someone listens to it.

Texas Leftist warns against underestimating Wendy Davis.

Bay Area Houston had Rick Perry's press release announcing his future plans before anyone else did.

BOR suggests that SB2, the bill dealing with 17-year-old murder suspects, may be unconstitutional.

Eric Dick on Annise Parker's "tyranny"

Somebody get that man a tri-corner hat.

Two City Council candidates facing thousands of dollars in fines for violating the city's sign ordinance during their 2011 campaigns accused Mayor Annise Parker on Friday of targeting them for their conservative beliefs.

Eric Dick, a lawyer who fell short in his bid for an at-large seat two years ago and who is running for mayor this year, drew ample criticism during the 2011 race for blanketing the city with red signs bearing his last name in prominent white letters. He and Clyde Bryan, who challenged westside District G incumbent Oliver Pennington, used the backdrop of the July 4 weekend to, as Dick put it, "declare independence from Annise Parker and her tyranny."

It won't be long before we see Dick backers dressed as in colonial Williamsburg, waving Gadsden flags, and wearing multiple teabags hanging from the brim of their straw hats.

Dick was cited for 90 sign violations, and Bryan for 41. The cases are being tried one at a time. So far, Dick's have ended in a mistrial and a $100 fine; Bryan was found not guilty in one case and had several others dismissed.

Dick and Bryan cited Councilman C.O. Bradford's example as proof of their persecution. Bradford was hit with 22 sign violations in 2011, all of which were dismissed.

"(Parker) selectively chose the people that were going to get violations," Dick said. "(Bradford) received many violations, but he got a free pass. Why? Because he's a Democrat. The Republicans got stuck with it. She's using city money to attack people that oppose her views."

Uh oh, I smell a race card in somebody's hand.

Asked why Parker would dismiss Bradford's cases for political reasons when the two are not allies and Bradford has, in fact, endorsed Ben Hall, Parker's most prominent opponent, Dick said, "He's a Democrat. She's hoping she'll get the support of the black community."

Bradford couldn't help chuckling at that. "The whole idea that this administration gave Bradford preferential treatment?" he said. "Let me just put a big question mark behind that."

Let's simply not conflate Councilman Bradford with the mayor, and not only because he speaks of himself in the third person tense. Even Bradford understands that standing too close to MAP would screw up his chances to be the nominee of the Gene Locke/Ben Hall Caucus in 2015.

I expect this to end badly for Dick, in both the near term and the far one.

Scenic Houston board chair Claudia Williamson said her group understands the use of signs in campaigns, but the group also supports the city's sign ordinance.

"What sort of message does it send that you are asking the voters to support you for a position of leadership in our city, yet you are not adhering to a well-defined city ordinance nor taking the basic responsibility of cleaning up your mess?" she said.

Allow me to provide that answer: it says you're a dumb dick.

Texpate was on the scene and filed a report (somewhat more respectful than mine). And Kuffner piles on.

Update: If Eric Dick actually wanted to understand what tyranny really is, he could check in with poor women in Texas.

The Texas GOP’s jihad against family planning and Planned Parenthood creates unintended pregnancies and leaves poor women with no options. This creates generational poverty and a low-wage workforce with no time to consider how the petrol-funded theocracy of the Lone Star State is designed to make the rich richer and workers less safe and more dependent on the corporations that have indentured them.

That’s how you get 31% of the state with no opinion of Senator John Cornyn, who has been in office for a decade.

And as he reminded us again just this morning, Rick Perry thinks forcing women to have children is something women should be proud of.

This is just too much dickishness for me at the end of a relaxing holiday weekend. The battle is joined again tomorrow in Austin -- and in San Antonio, for that matter. And anywhere in Houston some other Republican Dick might turn up.

Sunday Funnies

Independence Day

With revolutions in Syria, Brazil, and Turkey (perhaps Portugal as well) and a coup d'etat in Egypt, and with a few legal steps forward and a few back in their own country, Americans will celebrate today once more with grilled meat and fireworks. And some music.

Via Greg Mitchell, the "4th of July", covered by Robert Earl Keen and the original by Dave Alvin.





Via AMERICAblog, an a capella rendition of the national anthem, by Lady Gaga at last weekend's Pride Rally in New York.



And last, what would this blog be without a cartoon.

Here's a good list of celebrations in Houston, Galveston, and surrounding towns this weekend.