Monday, October 09, 2017

The Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance cannot deny that it has also called Donald Trump a moron -- among other things -- as it brings you this week's roundup.


Off the Kuff is glad to see that at least for now, your voter registration info is safe from the clutches of the Trump Commission.

Noah Horwitz, in the Houston Chronicle, asks why the flags shouldn't just be left at half-mast perpetually in this hellish new world of ours.  (And don't miss yesterday afternoon's Funny with the perfect toon tie-in.)

Cardinals fan SocraticGadfly salutes the success of the old NL Central rival Houston Astros, while offering a Redbirds post-mortem and to-do list, including wondering if Giancarlo Stanton is available and at what possible price.

Our Revolution swung through Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Tyler with Nina Turner and Jim Hightower headlining, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs cautioned the state's withered Democratic Party that their future lies there (and essentially nowhere else).  Update: The Progressive Wing posted Tweets and photos of the North Texas rally.

jobsanger has some sobering facts about guns in America.

Texas Vox applauds Austin for making solar power more accessible.

The Lewisville Texan Journal thinks that a nearby upscale neighborhood called Castle Hills might be a contender for Amazon's HQ2.

Neil at All People Have Value said the bottom line goal of his political activism is to be able to account for himself as we fight Trump and all these lousy people.  APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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More Lone Star blog posts and news!

In Texas Monthly's regular roundup of state political developments, Ken Paxton is under investigation again -- this time for bribery -- and the TexTrib sees Trump headed our way (Dallas, specifically) for a fundraiser near the end of this month.  (PoliTex says a photo with him will set you back 35 grand.)

Adventus fears that smaller communities damaged by Harvey will miss out on recovery funds.


Offcite looks at the lessons Houston can learn from suburbs that were designed with nature in mind.

Better Texas Blog insists that insurance coverage for contraception should be a health care standard.

Mean Green Cougar Red has had enough of the "search for answers" after every mass gun homicide.

The TSTA Blog compares and contrasts Don Willett and Thurgood Marshall.

In an era when 97% of of criminal cases end in a plea bargain, Grits for Breakfast wonders why an innocent person would accept one.

And the Rivard Report takes a *ahem* gander at how new laws regarding the ownership of chickens might reduce food insecurity in the Alamo City.

Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Our Revolution's Texas Tour this weekend

Attention Texas Democrats: this is your wake-up call.

Fresh on the heels of a big win in the Birmingham mayor's contest yesterday, the Bernie Sanders-backed Our Revolution folks are swinging through the Lone Star State this weekend, with Nina Turner and Jim Hightower headlining.

This is probably a progressive populist's last chance to get the party started here.  I won't be attending the H-Town get-together, so I hope someone who does will send me a report, or post some pics to social media.

Update: The Progressive Wing has dozens of Tweets, pictures, and video from the North Texas rally yesterday (scroll down into the comments).


Austin on Friday, October 6, Houston on Saturday, October 7 -- note this location has been changed from the one listed on the flyer above -- and then San Antonio that same Saturday evening, Dallas on Sunday, October 8, and Tyler on Sunday evening the 8th.  Yeah, hopefully the RGV and El Paso, maybe even the Panhandle, next time around.

Next week is the gubernatorial campaign kickoff for Tom Wakely in Blanco, Texas.  My phrase "Bernie Sanders in a cowboy hat" has been repeated twice now by those in the *ahem* mainstream media, mostly with some intended snark.  (I'm taking it as a compliment.)



I have, as regular clickers here will note, been harsh on Texas Democrats for their generational ineptitude, and Democrats generally for an unhealthy focus on Russian election influence.  More of that just this morning, and the debunking of last week's "bombshells" continues.

There's always time for a fresh start, and that's what Our Revolution and Wakely represent.  Take advantage of this one or keep doing what you've always done, Donks.  Your choice.

Monday, October 02, 2017

The Weekly Wrangle


The Texas Progressive Alliance -- a few members, anyway -- wonders why Democrats can't seem to generate many candidates or much enthusiasm for 2018.  Part of the reason may lie in a recent US House vote, where four of the state's most prominent Democrats -- Joaquin Castro, Lloyd Doggett, Beto O'Rourke, and Mark Veazey -- voted against a few small tax breaks for Hurricane Harvey victims.  Even Republicans were surprised, and explanations seemed unsatisfactory.

Here's the blog post and lefty news roundup from last week.

Off the Kuff laments the Fifth Circuit ruling that will allow some enforcement of the "sanctuary cities" law.

SocraticGadfly sees wingnuts creating red herrings and strawmen over Dallas' removal of the Robert E. Lee statue, and exposes their deliberate fallacies.

The F!^%*&ing Russians made headlines again, and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs cringed.

In Port Aransas, Texas Standard has an account from Cowboy Camp David, which is feeding the masses of Harvey victims and relief workers there.


Better Texas Blog takes note of the extension of the Obamacare enrollment period for those who've been affected by Hurricane Harvey.

jobsanger cites Rasmussen as an authority on the ignorance of the American electorate (and the irony is rich).

Grits for Breakfast sees Bexar County is ending arrests for small quantities of marijuana.

The Lewisville ISD discussed the 'R' word in in its workshop last week, reports the Texan Journal.

Chris Hooks at the Texas Observer sees Greg Abbott's hostility toward the metro areas of the state untempered even by the ravages of Hurricane Harvey.

The Texas Tribune reveals the piles of dark money behind the lack of reporting about the dangers posed by petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast in the wake (no pun intended) of Harvey.

David Collins at DBC Green Blog has a couple of posts about the callousness of Trump to the suffering of the people of Puerto Rico.

Neil at All People Have Value took a picture of electrical wires on a rainy day. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.