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.