Sunday, September 13, 2020
Saturday, September 12, 2020
Week-ending Lone Star Lefty Wrangle
Texas restaurants Fuddruckers and Luby’s announce plans to liquidate https://t.co/vIyWdS1Dyt
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) September 8, 2020
Luby’s, the beloved Texas cafeteria that had spent years trying to rebuild its niche in a crowded marketplace for fast-casual dining, announced in June that the company was up for sale. Then, today, the 73-year-old company announced that -- as no buyer has yet been found -- Luby’s will be liquidating its assets and dissolving.
Raise a farewell iced-tea toast to fried fish on a LuAnn Platter, with fried okra and mac and cheese on the side, jalapeno cornbread, and a slice of chocolate creme pie.
In election news being battled in the courts:
A federal judge has ruled that when local election officials throw out a mail-in ballot because they think a signature is suspect, voters must have a meaningful chance to contest the decision. https://t.co/bxd8dXjGJG
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 9, 2020
Texas judge has rejected @TXAG's request to block Harris County from sending out applications for mail-in ballots to all 2.4 million registered voters in the county: https://t.co/BrlVqwJvRt #txlege
— Alexa Ura (@alexazura) September 11, 2020
BREAKING: 5th Circuit Court of Appeals REJECTS bid by Texas Democrats to extend mail-in voting to every registered voter under age 65, saying the limit does not violate the 26th Amendment.
— Chuck Lindell (@chucklindell) September 10, 2020
Bradblog helps explain.
The voting news out of Texas this week is only slightly better. First, the good news: A federal judge there has ordered state election officials to notify voters within one day after a "perceived signature mismatch" is determined on absentee ballots, and to allow voters a "meaningful opportunity" to correct the issue. Previously, after officials who are not handwriting experts decided a signature was not a match to the voter's registration application (often years old), the ballot was simply rejected without notifying voters until 10 days after the election. In other voting news from the Lone Star State, a state judge has determined that the Clerk in Harris County is in fact allowed to send out absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the nation's 4th largest city (and surrounding suburbs). The state's Republican attorney general had sued to block the effort. I suspect he'll appeal, but we'll see.
But the war on voting in Texas doesn't stop with those two victories for democracy, unfortunately. The mayor of Houston wants to know why more than a dozen local U.S. post offices have refused to allow volunteers from the non-partisan League of Women Voters to make multilingual voter registration materials available at those facilities.
TXElects has more on the Fifth Circuit's order and state district Judge R.K. Sandill's ruling also. And here's more from The Hill:
Texas was of particular concern to the (Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis), with the state one of the six that has refused to expand mail-in voting to allow coronavirus concerns to count as a reason to vote absentee. The panel noted that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had taken steps to sue counties trying to circumvent this.
In addition, the subcommittee revealed that, according to documents obtained by the panel, previous poll workers in 127 out of 254 Texas counties do not plan to work elections this year, and that election officials have concerns around ensuring the safety of polling places and the ability to prevent long lines.
“In effect, the state is forcing most voters to show up in person if they want to exercise their right to vote, which could lead to longer lines and more crowded polling sites on Election Day,” the subcommittee wrote.
Hey Texas - I wrote a bit about the House Elections Committee. If you're wondering where long lines start... it's in the fine print. #txlege https://t.co/u8iVTnmuBk
— genevieve (@genvc) September 9, 2020
With less litigious election developments ...
PANNEL ANNOUNCEMENT! Join us THIS WEEKEND for a virtual screening of #BirddogNationDocumentary and learn from Texas organizers on what this vital state means for the November election. RSVP today: https://t.co/PYMoLCVsI2 pic.twitter.com/ZK4WBzBaC4
— Birddog Nation Documentary (@BirddogDoc) September 11, 2020
.@TXsecofstate Ruth Hughs announced a statewide tour to educate TX voters about what they need to bring to the polls to safely vote in Nov. The contactless tour will use a 16-ft box truck displaying https://t.co/DugKu3XZbw & messaging in English & Spanish. https://t.co/4xRS8Yip3I
— Reform Austin (@ReformAustin) September 11, 2020
A house divided or a true anarchist? It’s Dallas, so could be either. pic.twitter.com/uT2zBz23Xt
— Vests & Pitchforks (@RestingPaper) September 11, 2020
In the Valley today -- and the two Saturdays after -- Senator Lucio is helping a get-out-the-census drive with free barbecue.
Attention, Pharr residents!
— senatorlucio (@SenatorLucio) September 11, 2020
You have a great opportunity tomorrow to help your community - and eat some delicious BBQ for FREE!!!
Come fill out your Census and then enjoy a delicious meal from Bar-B-Cutie Smokehouse, Uncle Roy's BBQ, or Rudy's Country Store and BBQ! pic.twitter.com/g0wr2JAZUA
The never-ending skirmish between the state Board of Education's right-wing freaks and the actvists who desire a sane, sensible public education for their children was renewed this week.
The new rules — the first statewide curriculum revision since 1997 — will be voted on this week but still exclude any direct mention of LGBTQ+ issues. https://t.co/zFRMPNFiEE
— San Antonio Current (@SAcurrent) September 8, 2020
Sanity was defeated.
And the final straw: @TXSBOE Republicans vote down proposal to teach high school students that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Five Dems and one Republican vote yes.
— Texas Freedom Network (@TFN) September 11, 2020
Sanity -- and sensibility -- are primed for another defeat in next year's legislative session.
Texas proposes to cut millions from safety net programs as officials brace for COVID-19 budget impact https://t.co/gXUDZlcJDq via @lmcgaughy and @MorrisReports
— Mede Nix (@medenix) September 9, 2020
Our two Senators tried to outdo each other this week. Both lost.
Ted Cruz Tweeted "Many liberal males never grow balls..." and now #TedCruzHasNoBalls is trending.
— JackWBower (@Trumpet1984) September 11, 2020
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones especially when you have shown time and time again that you have no stones of your own. None. pic.twitter.com/ZljbDQJSwp
Like a Warhol painting, @JohnCornyn’s Twitter account eventually provokes—with or without the author’s intent—a philosophical question: Must not a powerful man, at some point, be culpable for the misunderstandings he provokes in others? https://t.co/LTXhPUDs9E
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) September 8, 2020
Why Mayor Turner tried to out-jackass Cruz and Cornyn is ... inexplicable.
Turner pulls out of housing task force that recommended eviction grace period ordinance https://t.co/ysKkMZ9wpn #hounews
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) September 11, 2020
A task force appointee tells me members learned of Turner's decision to disband the group through the mayor's press release. It was sent out at 9:59 AM, one minute before the group's regularly scheduled biweekly meeting was set to begin. #hounews https://t.co/2emppdRdux
— Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) September 11, 2020
He's not this stupid, so he must be a jerk. Maybe he's been conferencing with Dallas mayor Eric Johnson, with whom he served in the Lege.
That, I suppose, brings me to "Cops Behaving Less Badly Than Usual".
HPD Chief Acevedo releases video of fatal police shooting of #NicolasChavez, fires 4 officers https://t.co/TY10FRB2A7 #HouNews #HTX
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) September 11, 2020
Breaking: San Antonio Police Chief William McManus says use of chokeholds (LVNR) are banned within SAPD under all circumstances; even when deadly force is authorized.
— Joey Palacios ð· (@Joeycules) September 11, 2020
There is also full ban on no-knock warrants by SAPD. @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/M6shbvwJLu
"Less badly than usual" is relative, especially if you have been reading Grits for Breakfast regularly.
Rubber bullets? Tear gas? In #Texas, most Republicans are OK putting down #protests by force. Most Dems don’t support such tactics, per new @dallasnews/@UTTyler pollhttps://t.co/zWcHSsFo5c
— Todd J. Gillman (@toddgillman) September 7, 2020
Here's a variety of unrelated social justice Tweets.
Congress is launching an investigation into a series of deaths at Fort Hood in Texas.
— NPR (@NPR) September 8, 2020
Nearly 30 soldiers have died at the base this year — at least nine of them under unusual or suspicious circumstances.https://t.co/m5bmPnNAzG
also, i followed up on this story for @TexasMonthly with a deeper dive into the root issues of inter generational trauma and racism within the vietnamese-american community: https://t.co/8apJc8y89A
— dan q. dao (@danqdao) September 8, 2020
As protests against police brutality transformed into a larger reckoning with the nation’s history of racial violence, Demetria McFarland looked for ways to bring the movement home to Deep East Texas, a region long plagued by white supremacist violence.https://t.co/FXH2KuRG41
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) September 8, 2020
What Do You Do When Your Opposition Refuses to Understand Words? #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/0LMUPlcvV4
— Shell_Seas (@LivingBlueTX) September 8, 2020
Only three federally recognized Native American tribes remain in Texas. @dallasnews reports on why: https://t.co/2bSuXYHcxF
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 9, 2020
'The 24th' revisits the Houston riot of 1917, a long-overlooked moment in Texas history, in which an all-Black Army unit mutinied after enduring months of harassment.
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) September 7, 2020
Our review: https://t.co/WV96vTCzy2
Religion ððĪŠðð
— Canada 2021 (@JaeParks_14) September 10, 2020
Fox News: Texas bishop backs up priest who said Catholic Democrats should 'repent' or 'face the fires of hell'.https://t.co/5mtfKRwLWq
via @GoogleNews
Because it’s @IATSE205, this protest is well-staged. The first to lose their jobs know what to do better than anyone when they become the last to get them back. Can’t wait for the shows and concerts to resume in person. #TxAFLCIO #1u pic.twitter.com/7YynGnpKKR
— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) September 8, 2020
One of my San Antonio friends has been using his graphic design skillz to re-label grocery store cans with facts about local/national police issues and I’m so impressed: pic.twitter.com/lBajvXukXs
— Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) September 11, 2020
Most people who have seen Pepe the Frog probably wouldn’t describe him as a "happy little frog." @Feelsgoodmandoc, a new film about cartoonist Matt Furie's quest to get Pepe removed from the @ADL's hate symbol list, seeks to correct the record.https://t.co/bmJfVqWrZE
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) September 11, 2020
And I'll finish with the human interest stories.
The Rio Grande Guardian marks Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) with a well-deserved salute to the early Tejas history. The San Antonio Report has Episode 22 of 'Cabeza de Vaca: Crossing the Divide'. And Jesse Sendejas Jr. of the Houston Press wrote a fitting tribute to the legendary Heights music venue, Rockefeller's.
Cast of "The Alamo," including (from left of soldier) John Wayne, Linda Cristal, Frankie Avalon, Richard Boone & Pat Wayne, pay tribute to the fallen defenders of the Alamo during a rain-soaked ceremony on the Alamo Plaza on Oct. 24, 1960, the date of the movie's world premiere. pic.twitter.com/GnnfcDsHaX
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) July 29, 2020
Friday, September 11, 2020
White House Update: Widespread Non-Panic
In (a tape-recorded) interview with (author Bob) Woodward on March 19, the president conceded that he was downplaying the threat of the virus in public.
"I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic," Trump told Woodward.
"Do you think there is systematic or institutional racism in this country?" Woodward is heard on tape asking the president.
"Well, I think there is everywhere," Mr. Trump responded, "I think probably less here than most places, or less here than many places."
"Okay, but is it here, in a way that it has an impact on people's lives?" Woodward asked.
"I think it is and it's unfortunate," Mr. Trump said. "But I think it is."
Woodward then asked Mr. Trump if a privileged life left him out of touch.
"...And do you have any sense that that privilege has isolated and put you in a cave, to a certain extent, as it put me – and I think lots of White, privileged people – in a cave and that we have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain, particularly, Black people feel in this country? Do you see?" Woodward asked.
"No," the president said. "You, you really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you, wow. No, I don't feel that at all."
(Investigative journalist David) Sirota charged (as we long have) that Trump's actions constitute "a horrific crime against humanity," but he adds, "it was aided and abetted by the popular face of investigative journalism: Mr. All The President's Men himself."
"The President of the United States said something to the nation's most famous reporter, and the most famous reporter sat on that information for seven months while tens of thousands of people died," Sirota says today. "Donald Trump committed a crime against humanity and Bob Woodward drove the getaway car."
So why did Woodward sit on these lies of Trump's for seven months? Al Tompkins at the Poynter Institute explains that Woodward has done this before.
Woodward’s long practice of mixing his association with The Washington Post while writing books has arisen as a point of friction before. In 2005, Woodward apologized to Post editors for withholding for two years information that a senior official with the George W. Bush administration told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame.
[...]
“There is no ethical or moral defense of Woodward’s decision to not publish these tapes as soon as they were made,” tweeted John Stanton, the former Washington bureau chief for BuzzFeed. “If there was any chance it could save a single life, he was obligated to do so. Bob Woodward put making money over his moral and professional duty. Even if you don’t believe in service journalism or that we have an ethical duty to speak truth to power and expose wrongdoing, even if all you care about is scoops, this is an abject failure. It’s just gross profiteering off death and misery on the part of Woodward.”
The only conclusion I keep reaching -- whether it is Big Pharma and the hospitals bankrupting people to death while paying Democrats to stand with Republicans in opposing Medicare for All ...
#IKnowJoeWill watch 68,000 Americans die each year without healthcare and not do a goddamn thing about it. https://t.co/vOC6pWbe5o
— Plain Ol' Johnny Graz says #NeverBumpNeverTriden (@jvgraz) September 9, 2020
... to Nancy Pelosi, representing San Francisco, CA, cracking wise about the "new green whatever" as the skies over her city turn blood red from wildfires promulgated by climate change ...
— Steven Avocado (@StevenAvocado) September 10, 2020
...to the once-upon-a-time-noble journalist Woodward, who made his bones forcing a corrupt president out of office for a "third-rate burglary" and some money-laundering, now holding back a reveal that might have saved peoples' lives so he could sell another book just before an election -- democracy in this country has been irreparably shattered by capitalism.
-- It's crine ass shame that all this still isn't enough to get me to vote for Joe Biden. I'm sick of this performative bullshit.
California is on fire. Millions are protesting police violence. There's a Pandemic that we can't begin to deal with because our healthcare is for profit not for health or care. And these our dear leaders are talking about ice cream and spaghetti. Could they be any more vacuous? https://t.co/Q1d3w5X8OB
— Melting Mermaid (@charlamanesbane) September 10, 2020
-- So the Donks want to bray some more about Russia, Russia, Russia.
-- They're also spending more time, money, and effort trying to kick Howie Hawkins off the ballot than they are trying to help their feeble candidate get elected.
When you visit Biden’s “Organizing Tool Kit” - https://t.co/zNnmDpOEgp - and click on “Direct Voter Contact Virtual Phonebank Guide,” you’re taken to an old doc about how to persuade primary voters and caucus goers. (2/6) pic.twitter.com/RQN9qptJMF
— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) September 9, 2020
(Shortly after this Tweet by Sarandon, the Biden camp updated the page.)
https://t.co/SBaE0e2XGz pic.twitter.com/IxEoAbyZug
— Tom Joad the Wet Sprocket (@Adequate_Scott) September 9, 2020
-- I'm also undecided; I cannot choose between Howie and Mark Charles.
Green Party Nominee @HowieHawkins "Trump calls Climate Change a hoax, Biden and the Democrats act as if it’s a hoax". Full interview airs this weekend @KXLNews https://t.co/3E3oqjq3Rx
— BlakeAllenTV (@BlakeAllenKTVZ) September 10, 2020
It has become apparent that the quickest way to get additional #COVID19 relief/stimulus from Congress for anyone besides the one percent, is to vote @senatemajldr out of the Senate and @SpeakerPelosi out of the House.
— Mark Charles 2020 (@wirelesshogan) September 9, 2020
Not certain I could vote for Amy McGrath if I lived in Kentucky. I already can't vote for MJ Hegar, and they're basically the same thing. It's Charles' thought that counts here, and not mine.
Will have a week-ending Lone Star Roundup before the Funnies on Sunday.
Tuesday, September 08, 2020
The Weekly TexProgBlog Wrangle
With the best blog posts, Tweets, and leftist news from around the Great State, the Texas Progressive Alliance is really hoping that cool front makes it all the way down here.
The biggest political fight at the moment isn't Trump versus Biden or Cornyn versus Hegar ...
News @dallasnews/@UTTyler poll finds @JoeBiden & @realDonaldTrump in statistical tie in TX; @JohnCornyn has double-digit lead over @mjhegar in US Senate race
— ChickenFriedPolitics (@ChkFriPolitics) September 6, 2020
--The Place for Southern Politics is ChickenFriedPolitics.com--https://t.co/BuQmypfLb0
... it's whether Texans will be able to cast their November ballots in a manner of their choosing, and not Ken Paxton's.
What was once a lightly used and largely uncontroversial voting option in Texas, one even Republicans relied on, is now the crux of the latest fight over who gets to vote and, equally as crucial in a pandemic, who has access to safe voting. https://t.co/i3rvlIfvNU
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 7, 2020
INBOX: @texasdemocrats get a "gotcha." Says the Trump campaign is sending out unsolicited applications for #VoteByMail to Texans even as Republican AG @KenPaxtonTX is suing Harris County for same thing. The photo is from the Dem's email to reporters. pic.twitter.com/122rvpCcsg
— John C. Moritz (@JohnnieMo) September 2, 2020
Kuff is trying to follow the back and forth of the Republican attempts to prevent Harris County from sending vote by mail applications to all its voters.
Voting isn't the only thing Texas Republicans are suppressing.
UGLY MESS in Texas. 850,000 #COVID19 backlogged! How ugly? “folks at every level pretending they have everything handled while behind closed doors they’re so overwhelmed and behind that data is meaningless… it’s toxic & dishonest,” state Rep. Erin Zwienerhttps://t.co/d4iYe9Ea7M
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 5, 2020
To many Texans who are still essentially locked out of the unemployment system, the Texas labor agency seems to be just as overwhelmed and inept at handling claims as it was at the beginning of the pandemic. https://t.co/DRYl38T1fZ
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) September 4, 2020
“I actually am stunned by the noncompliance of the state,” federal Judge Janis Jack said of Texas health officials' failure to meet foster care reforms, “but I keep being stunned every time we have one of these hearings.” https://t.co/BhUgr5oOBy
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 5, 2020
With so much demonstrable incompetence you would think that prominent Republicans funding the campaigns of Republican elected officials might be complaining. And you would be right. Just not in the way you think.
Letter to Gov. Abbott suggests influential Texans may be losing patience with leadership https://t.co/vstg7B8xt8
— SE Texas Record (@SETexasRecord) September 2, 2020
“Furthermore, as we learn more about COVID-19, we now know that elementary and middle school-aged children are practically impervious to it; even high schoolers, who bear a slightly higher risk than younger students, are relatively safe when compared to adult cohorts,” the letter states. “The scores of daycares and summer camps that have been operating in Texas are further evidence of this fact.
“We will harm children far worse, therefore, by keeping schools closed than by reopening.”
Although the tone throughout the letter remains respectful, the names listed at the bottom may be sending a louder message.
In all, more than 100 Texans are named, a list that includes a wide-range of influential individuals, such as mega donor Farris Wilks to iconic ballplayer Lance Berkman.
[...]
A name that really stands out, however, is Ray Washburne, a member of President Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
To curb the spread of COVID-19, Abbott shutdown bars and cut restaurant occupancy -- a decision that has drastically impacted thousands of Texas business owners, including Washburne.
Washburne, a restaurant owner in Dallas, recently appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
“Running a restaurant at 50 percent is absolutely ridiculous,” Washburne said during the show. “If you go to a restaurant and every other table is seated and you need to go to the bathroom, you’re walking by every table in the restaurant. It makes zero sense.”
Washburne adamantly stated that: “We have to open up the economy.”
When Carlson asked Washburne what message he would give his governor, Washburne said: “Open up.”
“People need jobs,” he said. “They need to support their families.”
Carlson went on to say Republicans are intimidated, “maybe even your governor,” to which Washburne replied: “They are very intimidated, and they need to understand that they don’t need to cower to the liberal left.”
And the Texas Signal reported on state Republicans putting a quiet end to public redistricting hearings.
So apparently there were more important things for the TXGOP to be doing, such as rallying the base with bus tours and boat parades.
I did not realize the Village People were holding auditions in Texas. pic.twitter.com/Vnoxblqn2L
— genevieve (@genvc) September 4, 2020
"Not in the way that you mean it." - Anton Chigurh. https://t.co/6digvEMx72
— ððŦðĻððŽðĪðē ðĻð ððĄð ðððŽð ððð§ððŪðŦðē (@LTrotsky21) September 6, 2020
Therese Odell, daughter of a military family, cannot hold back her fury at Donald Trump's words about people who serve in the armed forces.
Not to be outdone by Trump in the "Republicans Behaving Badly" category ...
Sen. Ted Cruz came under fire after saying Wednesday on social media that pregnancy is not "life-threatening" when the U.S. has the highest maternal death rate out of the world's developed nations.https://t.co/SviVlAbieg
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 3, 2020
Meanwhile John Coby at Bay Area Houston was glad to see a racist assistant Attorney General get fired for his bigotry.
Nick Moutos lost his job as a Texas assistant attorney general Thursday after Media Matters reported that he sent tweets threatening Black Lives Matter protesters and called Islam a “virus” and trans people an “abomination." https://t.co/Vqnstlsudp
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 6, 2020
That's just a small sample of the Pachys' woes from the past week or two. Like the Donks, their younger voters are trying to tell their older voters something, but the senior set isn't listening.
Is 'clean energy' a winning issue for GOP candidates in #Tx2020? Via @asherprice https://t.co/jspEsxfKOS
— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) September 8, 2020
From January: Glacial shift in GOP attitudes toward climate change masks significant differences between younger & older GOP voters. But... https://t.co/d4puLoRmIH #txlege pic.twitter.com/lA4zlotXt1
No place is this generational dynamic better illustrated than the (mostly unspoken, certainly under-reported) tension between Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Judge Lina Hidalgo, the 29-year-old Colombian immigrant who narrowly defeated incumbent Ed Emmett in 2018's blue wave, has frequently pushed for bolder pandemic policy than Houston's mayor. Critics say Texans aren't ready for her new style of politics. https://t.co/BDfjukAt7E
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) September 2, 2020
Hidalgo is collecting huzzahs as the D's rising star.
Somebody made a mistake y'all... I'm on the same list as @Beyonce .... Either way, proud to represent H-town ðĪðž in @FortuneMagazine #40Under40 https://t.co/9WagQ5hWcA
— Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) September 2, 2020
No error, Judge.
The latest COVID numbers in the state:
At least 13,492 Texans have died as of Monday — 20 more deaths reported than the day before and 956 more than a week ago.https://t.co/EoAg6uyWYS
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 7, 2020
Dr. Peter Hotez gives a dozen reasons why he's worried about releasing a COVID-19 vaccine through an emergency use authorization (EUA).
Here's the latest environmental updates:
What Tesla's Texas takeover means for oil-dependent Houston https://t.co/dexniD7utC #hounews
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) September 8, 2020
The oil & gas and automobile industries must be thrilled. $2 billion to reinforce our local reliance on fossil-fuel dependent, individual transportation. As if there's no #ClimateCrisis or #EvictionMoratorium requiring new ways of thinking and doing https://t.co/QX5qZ1dfPl
— Sierra Club San Antonio (@SierraClubAlamo) September 3, 2020
"If you are here at the fence line during COVID, you're inhaling all of the gloves that everyone in the country needs."@ElenaDebre reports on the effects of pollution from the petrochemical facilities crucial to making PPE: https://t.co/gsbXCYxF7X
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) September 6, 2020
I’m in the Permian. Nothing has improved in case you had some Pollyanna notion that #oilandgas might do better. #methane will stop spiking in our atmosphere when we stop permitting new drilling.
— TXsharon (@TXsharon) September 8, 2020
One of 3 unlit, venting flares (I only stopped at 4 sites)@ChrystaForTexas pic.twitter.com/eIOZT8aIdE
Investment giants urge Texas to end most natural gas flaring https://t.co/C7uDNdi58a
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) September 4, 2020
And the recent developments in police reform and criminal justice.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he is considering a legislative proposal that would put the control of the Austin Police Department under state authority. https://t.co/byynM4rEfV
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 6, 2020
Grits for Breakfast gives the backstory on how Austin's budget cuts for police came about. Dallas Mayor Erik Johnson is resisting his police department's overtime hours reductions but presses ahead with reducing the bureaucracy at City Hall.
In noteworthy requiems:
D Magazine eulogizes its founder, Wick Allison.
One editor remembers his former boss as unreasonably demanding—and unafraid of investing in great journalism. https://t.co/nBtCY5K8KL
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) September 4, 2020
Socratic Gadfly had three "critical" RIPs of people in political, cultural and social news recently, most recently with Green Party activist Kevin Zeese, then before that with heterodox anthropologist and economics critic David Graeber and first with secular humanist leader Ed Brayton.
And let's close out with some human interest stories.
The @NatButterflies posted new photos of the South Texas Fisher fence after some more rain. Here’s our last story on the topic: https://t.co/ZrZB0TF3yk https://t.co/KTlNfuJenx
— Perla Trevizo (@Perla_Trevizo) September 7, 2020
From its origins airing the banter of bored firefighters to its robust classical programming today, Dallas’s WRR-FM has filled an unusual niche on the airwaves for nearly a century.
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) September 7, 2020
From @TexasMonthly:https://t.co/gH9FOYdc1l
The main terminal at Love Field in Dallas, 1959. pic.twitter.com/0QzFqAMbmY
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) September 7, 2020