Monday, February 01, 2021

The Far Left Texas Weekly Wrangle



By gaveling in and out within minutes last week, the clown car that is our Texas Legislature is making obvious its plans to take the long way home this session.

To be fair, this is as much about the coronavirus ravaging us all as it is the wait for the redistricting gerrymandering numbers.

Block-level data needed for redistricting may not be available until after July 31 -- at least two months after the regular legislative session ends -- according to the latest timeline released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have been exacerbated by the need to correct “irregularities” in the data.

More (granular, for you data nerds) from TXElects.  This early snail's pace is imposing another hardship on Lege staff.


There were five public hearings last week of the state Senate Subcommittee on Redistricting, all of them socially distanced and all covered by Reform Austin.  Here's their report from last Friday.  You have two opportunities this week, via ACLU Texas, to get a Zoom briefing that previews the session (if you need to catch up).  Here's that schedule.

Tuesday, February 2nd 2021, 6p-7:30p CST

Thursday, February 4th 2021, 6p-7:30p CST

Among the many items you can keep an eye out for:


Equality Texas warns of the forthcoming attack on trans kids.

The survey mentioned above (in ACLUTx's tweet) opened a few eyes.


Despite those approval ratings on legal weed (we already knew he was a pessimist on casino gambling), Speaker Dade Phelan is dour about its chances.


Perhaps one day Texas will elect representatives who will follow the will of the people.  That day appears to be a long way off.  Behold the stupidity as it relates to fossil fuels (refer back to the polling about fracking and coal mining above).

Four Texas Democrats in the U.S. House have come out against President Joe Biden’s executive order directing the secretary of the interior to halt new oil and gas leases on federal public lands and waters “to the extent possible.”

In a letter, Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen, Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher of Houston and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth called Biden’s order “far-reaching” and demanded he rescind it, arguing that banning “responsible energy leasing” would eliminate jobs, decrease the country’s gross domestic product, increase crude imports from foreign countries and chip away at federal revenue, among other concerns.

In this piece, titled "Gov. Greg Abbott Vows To Fight Joe Biden’s Energy And Climate Agenda", even he is smart enough to acknowledge what these four damned Blue Dogs cannot.

Abbott acknowledged that in Texas, there is “either zero or close to zero” federal lands where drilling is done, so Biden’s order does not impact the state as much as it does New Mexico, for example.

Abbott is, naturally, overly suspicious that Biden “will be trying to take actions that will make it harder, more difficult and more costly” for oil and gas businesses in Texas.  Jeebus, I would hope so.  Loren Steffy for Texas Monthly timely observed that the oil industry didn't do so well under Trump.

While I'm here, let me drop in these links to more news on environmental topics.


As Earthworks blogger Sharon Wilson has written: flaring is (still) flamingly stupid, but unlit flaring is worse.  All yell: "How stupid is it"?


I won't have anything to say today about a possible Beto for governor run.  I already have my candidate. I also won't have any Trumpists 'Behaving Badly'.  Had enough of those for a lifetime.  (Still might be forced to update later in the week.)  Here's a couple of things regarding the pandemic.


Dos Centavos however had a successful Harris County vax portal registration.


There's my segue to the social justice -- and injustice -- updates.


Grits for Breakfast expresses cautious optimism about new Travis County DA Jose Garza.


With the lighter side items to wrap this Wrangle ...

Shari Biediger for the San Antonio Report writes about the death of the publisher of Castroville's newspaper, which has almost unraveled the entire community.  Jason Guerrasio for Insider spoke with Lizzie Gottlieb, whose father, Robert, and LBJ biographer Robert Caro are the focus of her documentary, 'Turn Every Page'.

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Sunday, January 31, 2021

Sunday "Party of Trump" Funnies

Please read this essay by Jack Reilly about the slow demise of political cartooning.  And support the craft if you can.
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Monday, January 25, 2021

The Weekly Wrangle from Far Left Texas



Anyone else worn out from these "Hold my beer" challenges between our Lone Star Coupks?


Paxton is leaving state government in less than two years.  One way or another.


Maybe Texas Republicans will police themselves, but I won't hold my breath.  I'd rather see the GOP, here and everywhere, cleave itself in two.


On the lower rungs of Lone Star deplorables:


Garret Miller of Richardson posted along with his selfies that he "just wanted to incriminate himself a little LOL".  Mission accomplished.

The yeoman's work of identifying the Texas insurrectionists came not from police but from local progressive activists, who've been dealing with these knobs in their communities for a long time.


Update:


"What is it about the pandemic that’s made people toss common sense in exchange for legalism?"


Bud Kennedy at the StartleGram reports on the Oathkeepers' ties to Fort Worth-area LEO.  Jenna Ryan, the Frisco realtor who demanded a pardon from Trump after her insurrection antics were well-documented on social media, said she rode on that private plane to DC "because of a cute guy".  Who got with another girl.  Sami Sparber for the San Antone Current wrote about the Texas-based anti-vax org that collected over $100,000 in PPP money last year.

Informed Consent Action Network was among five anti-vaccine groups that collectively received more than $850,000 in federal loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, the Washington Post reported ... The organization received $166,000 in May, according to founder Del Bigtree. [...] The Austin-based nonprofit has more than 43,000 followers on Facebook and regularly posts information questioning the safety of the coronavirus vaccines. Facebook and YouTube penalized Bigtree’s online anti-vaccine talk show last year for violating misinformation policies and downplaying the severity of the pandemic.

Lauren Drewes Daniels for the Observer blogged that Dallas County had sought an equitable vaccine distribution plan, and the state said 'nope'.  Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and BLM activists continue negotiations on a civilian police accountability board (why these discussions are moving so slowly I leave to your imagination.)

“My thought process is that we’re stagnated,” said Ashton P. Woods of Black Lives Matter Houston.

Woods, along with other community activists, have said they’ve worked for years to see some of the reform policies come into fruition and argues change can begin now.

“Many of the recommendations from this advisory council, much like others, looks like it’s collecting dust on the shelf,” Woods said.

There are positive developments.


Tricia Cortez at LareDOS took note of Trump's border wall ... hitting the wall.

There was an election over the weekend, and as expected two Republicans go to a runoff for the vacancy in the statehouse.  One is a wealthy business owner and one meets the governor's seal of approval.  TXElects:

Jacksboro attorney and Jacksboro ISD trustee David Spiller will face Nocona boot manufacturer Craig Carter in a runoff election to fill the unexpired House term of Sen. Drew Springer (R-Muenster).

The Texas Signal talks about a preliminary effort to create a pipeline of candidates for US attorneys and federal court judges.  Better late than never, I suppose.  This is a microcosm of the Donkey Party's ineptitude in one glance: a total failure to understand or wield power.  Why did DC Senate Democrats go into hibernation when Obama was president, failing to force a single judicial confirmation until Harry Reid finally sucked it up and eliminated the filibuster for those?  Why couldn't they figure out a way to stop Moscow Mitch from confirming a third of the Supreme Court and a fourth of the entire federal judiciary -- nominated by an impeached president -- over the past four years?  And for the past week, McConnell has again taught a master class in obstructionism even as Majority Leader Schumer extends his hand of cooperation and draws back a bloody stump?

To bring this point back home: how does the Texas Democratic Party have a Latino chairman for the past 8 years and lose counties in the RGV to Trump?!?

Something is deeply wrong, and it can't all be the fault of the worst Republicans in the country.  Maybe TexDems can just wait until, you know, demographics turn the tide for them.


See, by the time this saves their hides, the Gulf will be lapping at the state Capitol's south steps.

Here's a business news update.


As alternative fuels rise, carbon-based energy sources fall.


That doesn't stop Mr. Tesla from fighting for the right to drill for natgas near his launching pads in Boca Chica.


More snark, in keeping with this blog's motto (at the top, in case you forgot):


I'll call this next segment "end of an era".


Jeff Balke for the Houston Press sadly (at least for this blogger) detailed four things we will miss with the departure of George Springer to the Toronto Blue Jays.  And former Rockets owner and automobile titan Charlie Thomas passed away from COVID.

I have a handful of Texas music links.


Socratic Gadfly has Janis Joplin singing a Mercedes-based river for Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.  The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in Lubbock is now prepares to open in February (though with less fanfare than they had hoped).

(Rave On, the restaurant inside the Buddy Holly Hall, as it gets ready for its debut. 
Photo courtesy Justin Rex, Lubbock A-J)

And I'll wrap it today with these.

Lauren Hough tears apart an essay from a Californian who moved to "Austin" with absolutely no sense of geography, reality, or self-awareness.

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Sunday, January 24, 2021

Sunday "Biden Signs" Funnies



Please read this essay by Jack Reilly about the slow demise of political cartooning.  And support the craft if you can.
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Thursday, January 21, 2021

Lone Star Leftist Round-up *updated

A big week -- a historic week -- tends to overshadow the Great State's highlights and lowlifes since Monday.  I will forge ahead anyway, no mittens required.


(Like me, David Collins is hopeful but not optimistic about the next four years.  Pages of Victory seems to feel the same -- perhaps somewhat less so -- as well.)

Ken Paxton failed to secure a pardon and John Cornyn is tweeting in a subdued manner.   Both were far outdone by Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz, each of whom eyes future election prospects.  Update: Johnny felt left out; tried to make up lost ground.


It's clear neither Abbott nor Cruz is going to let an opportunity to disgrace himself get past him.


If we can't force him out, then we can at least cut off his money supply.


The same does not hold true for Govnuh Helen Wheels.  He's a multi-millionaire and an adroit fundraiser.  We'll need to be more creative.


"The most offensive thing he's ever heard" happened this week.


Abbott may or may not be smarter about pandering to the Trumpist base than Cruz, but he's certainly no less obvious about it.


There are more "Texans Behaving Badly" downpost; we'll pause from that to consider the Texas Lege, which doesn't reconvene until next week ... but their bad behavior from last week is still reverberating around the state.


Shaefer Edwards at the Houston Press takes note that the statehouse and Senate disagree on COVID testing -- and media access to legislators in their respective chambers -- as the session gets under way.  In spite of the initial difficulties, Texas Democrats resolutely soldier on.


Once more: shame will not force the seditionists out, so some good old-fashioned effort to sweep them out in 2022 is required.


The early line is prohibitively against that.  And not only because Gilberto Hinojosa is making others take the fall for him.


A smattering of mostly unrelated bad news and good news:


The Root quotes NBCDFW 5 about the story of a Denton County woman, faced with racial harrassment from a neighbor, who called law enforcement about the threats and was told to "stay away from (your) house until this blows over".  The Appeal writes about Austin's dysfunctional crime lab and how it may lead to another wrongful execution.

Closing out this week with the softer side news items.

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Monday, January 18, 2021

The Sedition Edition of the Far Left Texas Wrangle


And at the end of the first week, they adjourned until January 26.


At least one member caught COVID.


Before moving on, let's note for the occasion of MLK Day that while casino gambling and relaxed cannabis legislation may be on life support, hopes for passing a symbolic bill striking a blow for social justice remain high.


The state Capitol was locked down through the Inauguration on Wednesday in order to limit the opportunities for mischief and misadventure. Some Fa protestors showed up anyway.


Those who chose to mark their disapproval with the Pro-Fas in our federal government also rallied.


And some action items for those who didn't want to leave the house, too.


The NRA wants to come to Texas to escape some of their many problems.


Maybe they could stop buying so much avocado toast ...?

COVID remains the state's worst problem despite all the others.


Jacob Vaughn at the Dallas Observer documents the communication breakdowns at all levels of government for the vaccine chaos. Socratic Gadfly, in his weekly roundup of coronavirus news, led off with COVIDIOTS in a Love Field baggage carousel and went on to note the airport's and Southwest Airlines' lack of responsiveness.


Criminal and social justice headlines:


And some climate updates.


Obstacles? What obstacles?


And wrapping today's Wrangle, a tip of the Stetson to Willie Lusk, Jr.

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