Today, with no gays

Attorney Jerry Simoneaux is taking off today. So are the 10 other people who work at his Houston law firm.

Eric Weitzel was already scheduled to be off from his retail job, but he plans to call in anyway.

Simoneaux and Weitzel are among the gay men and women in Houston and across the country taking part in today's "Day Without a Gay" economic boycott. Outraged by the recent passage of California's Proposition 8 to overturn state rules allowing same-sex couples to marry, they and their supporters want everyone to be clear on where they stand.

"We aren't going to lie down and let people treat us as second-class citizens," said Weitzel.

Participants are "calling in gay" or, like Simoneaux, shuttering their businesses and closing their wallets as part of a national protest that aims to illustrate the impact of the gay community on the economy and boost awareness of gay rights.

Several of the people in this article are friends of mine (well, Facebook friends at least). Many more I am acquainted with though progressive political activism. The discrimination that is busily being codified into law in this country -- recall that we did this in Texas a few years ago -- does the memory of the Founding Fathers, and those who came afterward to correct the discrimination they overlooked, a supreme disservice.

Kris Banks, president of the Houston Stonewall Young Democrats, said there has been more outrage and activism over California's ballot initiative than there was in 2005, when Texans approved Proposition 2, which outlawed same-sex marriages.

While the gay community has made progress in mainstream media and culture, Banks said Proposition 8 was clear evidence that politically, there's still a lot of work to do.

"When the right to marriage was taken away in California, it was more of a spit in the face than anything we've seen so far," he said.

Proposition 8 has been challenged legally, and the California Supreme Court is expected to rule next year.

A brief digression: I continue to be astounded at the very existence of the Log Cabin Republicans, just as I would Chickens for Colonel Sanders or Jews for Hitler. "Well he does/they do some good things" just doesn't seem to even the scale. Continuing ...

Today's largely grass-roots protest coincides with International Human Rights Day and is patterned after a similar 2006 economic boycott organized by Latino immigrants. Word of the boycott has been passed along on Internet sites such as Facebook, where more than 8,000 people have joined the group "Day Without A Gay."

In Houston, the Facebook group claims nearly 200 members, with about 80 saying they might participate in today's boycott. Nationally, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people contribute more than $700 billion to the economy, organizers said. They hope to make their absence felt today.

For many participants, "Day Without A Gay" is also about giving back. Those who skip work are encouraged to spend the day volunteering. Weitzel said he plans to hand out coats and blankets to Houston's homeless.

Simoneaux will work at the Houston office of Foundation for Marriage and Family Equality, where he and Christopher Bown launched Texas' annual same sex wedding celebration and demonstration seven years ago.

Local activist Meghan Baker isn't scheduled to work tomorrow, and she plans to spend half of the day volunteering for Houston Area Teen Coalition of Homosexuals.

"The movement will have to start with each individual person taking responsibility to make it better," she said. Last month, Baker founded Impact Houston, an umbrella group to help generate greater communication among local gay rights groups.

"It's too bad that it's usually an adversary, something to fight against, that brings people together," said Baker who went to California in August and married Lindsey Baker, on the first anniversary of their ceremonial wedding in Texas.

Preventing two people from marrying each other -- note that's two PEOPLE, not 'a person and a box turtle' -- simply because some don't approve has never turned out well; just re-read Romeo and Juliet for a clue.

And as Jon Stewart inquired of Mike Huckabee on last night's Daily Show: "At whay age did you choose to not be gay?"

Exactly.

Take the day off, and don't buy anything today. After all, your civil rights may be next.

Tuesday's Bettencourt Follies

This promises to be the holiday gift that keeps on giving. First, the Texas Democratic Party will have a press conference tomorrow morning to announce the next step in their legal action against Paul Quittencourt:

Bettencourt's announcement that he would resign came suspiciously the day after additional legal activity was undertaken by the Texas Democratic Party—action which could shed light on misdeeds that have occurred within Bettencourt's office for years. It appears Paul Bettencourt is hoping that he can sneak off behind a late-night resignation announcement and the problems facing his office will simply go away. But that is not the case.

“The TDP will continue its efforts to bring accountability and transparency to the Harris County voter registration process. And Paul Bettencourt will have to take responsibility for any wrongdoing that has occurred within his office,” said TDP attorney Chad Dunn.

Wednesday December 10, at 10:30 a.m., at 1300 McGowen in Midtown. I'm going to try like hell to be there.

And Liz Peterson has a couple of interesting developments to report:

The Harris County Administration Building is still abuzz with rumors over who'll get picked to replace Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt.

The most intriguing scenario mentioned so far involves the possible nomination of Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, who would give up her seat to position herself to challenge County Judge Ed Emmett in 2010 or to run for a statewide office.

Picking Garcia would give a Democrat control of the voter registration process, something that party has got to want. But Emmett would get to pick her replacement, likely giving the GOP a fourth seat at the table.

Garcia said the rumor is "absolutely not true."

Color me skeptical as well. But this is definitely more intriguing ...

The new Republican supermajority could just move the voter registration duties from the tax office to the County Clerk's office, headed by Republican Beverly Kaufman.

That idea, apart from any Garcia chatter, is already being circulated by Jim Harding, a Republican who chairs the county's bipartisan ballot board.

Last month, he blamed faulty work by Bettencourt's staff for delaying the counting process. Harding's comments triggered a bit of a brouhaha after Bettencourt left an emotional message on his answering machine.

In an e-mail to Commissioner Jerry Eversole, Kaufman and leaders of the Harris County Republican Party, Harding said such a move would "streamline all of the voter activity from initial registration to final certification of an election under County Clerk leadership."

This shift of responsibility seems to me to be distinctly possible, given the controversy of Bettencourt's tenure as voter registrar, the steadier reputation of Kaufman, and more significantly the rumors of her retirement before 2010, when the election of County Clerk is scheduled to appear on the ballot. I doubt Ms. Kaufman is anxious to take on the management of this rather large task at the end of her career. Furthermore, Councilwoman Sue Lovell is strongly rumored to be interested in the job, with Kaufman in the race or not (Kuffner notes Lovell has a few unfriendlies).

More juicy details in tomorrow's Follies, without a doubt.

Gov. Blago needs to go

After being caught on a federal wiretap auctioning the US Senate seat Pres.-elect Obama has vacated, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning:

Blagojevich, a Democrat, called his sole authority to name Obama’s successor “golden,” and he sought to parlay it into a job as an ambassador or secretary of Health and Human Services, or a high-paying position at a nonprofit or an organization connected to labor unions, prosecutors said.

He also suggested, they said, that in exchange for the Senate appointment, his wife could be placed on corporate boards where she might earn as much as $150,000 a year, and he tried to gain promises of money for his campaign fund.

If Mr. Blagojevich could not secure a deal to his liking, prosecutors said, he was willing to appoint himself.

“If I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself,” the governor said in recorded conversation, prosecutors said.

Beyond reprehensible. But guess what? He can still fill the slot from his jail cell.

Several Democratic operatives from Illinois say the state legislature will likely move as quickly as possible to hold impeachment proceedings against Gov. Blagojevich, in attempts to prevent the jailed governor from appointing President-elect Barack Obama’s successor in the Senate.

The Illinois General Assembly would be tasked with holding impeachment hearings, and the state Senate would vote on a conviction.

Illinois law allows Blagojevich to make an appointment while in jail. While the decision would be a disaster for Democrats politically, no one is ruling out that prospect. Any candidate appointed by the jailed governor would be immediately tainted, and would face immense hurdles winning on their own in 2010.

This kind of corruption -- in fact the sheer venality of it -- needs to be dealt with swiftly and harshly. This guy needs to be stopped from any further influence of any kind.

You felt "stuck as governor", pal? Well, you're unstuck now.

SD-17 candidate forum online today *updates*

Thanks Alan and the Chron:

Visit this blog at noon Tuesday for a live "chat" between Republican Joan Huffman and Democrat Chris Bell, candidates for the District 17 state Senate seat on the Dec. 16 runoff ballot.

You get to write some of the questions. They'll write their answers. The words will be posted on this blog in real time. Call it a keyboard debate. If you'd like, eat lunch as you follow the remarks.

Early voting in this race runs through Friday. Bone up for the discussion here.

I'll follow along and post a few excerpts in this space, along with my usual snarky commentary.

12:20: In response to how the two candidates perceive that they are not in lockstep with their party's orthodoxy, Huffman replies:

I disagree with some leaders of the Republican party in regard to cutting funding for the CHIP program, ensuring the health of Texas chidren (sic) is criticial (sic) to the future of Texas.

And Bell notes ...

Ethics Reform. There are folks on both sides who don't want to see limits placed on campaign contributions and I wholeheartedly disagree with those in my Party who take that position. Also, property tax relief. Not all Democrats share my belief that we place too great a burden on property owners for funding state government. My record shows I'm willing to take a strong position in favor of property tax relief.

That's two solid swings at each other constituencies. A question on immigration brings these responses:

Bell: Place as much pressure on the federal government as possible to meet its responsibility and to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Any comprehensive plan should include more border patrol agents, greater use of technology to control the border and a pathway to citizenship. Contrary to the lies my opponent has been spreading about me, that has always been my position. While in Congress, I voted for more than 15 BILLION dollars to go toward increased border security.

Huffman: There is a major difference between my opponent and myself on this issue. As a gang prosecutor I saw firsthand the direct impact of a porous border on the safety of our neighborhoods. I believe we must support increased funding to support state law enforcement along the Texas/Mexico border and believe we must outlaw sanctuary cities. I am endorsed by over 30,000 Texas police officers who share my position and I will do everything I can to support them in protecting our families. Last, the federal government has failed us and we can't leave it to the feds alone to solve this issue.

And we are fully engaged.

12:30: A query about small business taxation prompts these answers:

Huffman: Small businesses are the backbone of the Texas economy. I am proud to be endorsed by the National Federatiion of Independent Business. I believe we should reform the new margins tax in order to incentivize new job creation rather than discourage job creation. Everyone should pay their fair share but there is a fine line between paying your fair share and slowing job creation.

Bell: I think we need to be very careful to keep Texas a low tax state to successfully promote business. However, if we're going to relieve the burden on property owners (and we pay some of the highest property taxes in the country for a rather lackluster public education product), then business will have to pay their FAIR share. The whole idea of moving away from the franchise tax was because very few businesses were paying it. It doesn't make sense to have replaced it with the business margins tax and have left an excessive number of loopholes available. Some of those need to be closed.

Huffman's responses begin to lapse into predictable platitudes. On standardized testing for schoolchildren (particularly TAKS) we get this:

Bell: I have advocated for years to move away from our over-reliance on standardized testing. We're not making the grade. We have some of the lowest SAT scores, poor college entrance numbers and an epidemic drop-out rate. If TAKS is supposed to ensure accountability, one must ask what accountability. I'm all for accountability but want us to get back to using standardized tests as diagnostic tools, not the end all and be all that they've become. Give the test at the first of the year to see where students stand but stop basing decisions as to whether a student will move forward and how a school will be ranked all on the outcome of a single standardized test. That's absurd. We need to get serious about preparing kids for the future, not just for another standardized test.

Huffman: Yes I would consider lessening the importance of standardized tests. I believe standardized tests do not serve our children well. I understand this firsthand. I have a brilliant son who is also dyslexic and dysgraphic. A standardized test will never accurately reflect his potential. We must find a way to help our children succeed in education. It doesn't serve children well for them to feel they are a failure, when in fact it just may be they don't fit into the "box" that has been defined by the public education system. I will work to make sure our public education system is a place where our children can really succeed and be a place where they want to stay and help them to become productive members of society.

12:40: "What would either of you do to insure felons are not released from prison before serving their sentence?"

Bell: Do everything we can to stop prison overcrowding. That means we make sure there's room for the serious criminals who show no potential for rehabilitation whatsoever. As for those who are winding up behind bars because of addiction or mental health problems, I think we have to do a better job of providing treatment programs for those individuals and try to give them a chance to lead productive lives. If there's ample room in the prisons, the pressure for "early release" is lessened.

Huffman: I believe violent criminals should stay in prison for the length of their sentence. I would support legislation that ensured violent criminals served their full sentence. As a Judge, I presided over 10,000 plus years of jail time for criminals. If elected to the Senate, I would be the only former prosecutor and Criminal District Court judge in the Texas Senate. I would bring 25 years of experience working directly in the criminal justice system and criminal courtrooms.

Another "I'm toughest on crime" female Republican. Just what we need.

12:45: "What are your ideas to address the growing strain on our state's transportation system such as Gov. Perry's solution of a massive super highway?"

Huffman: I am opposed to the Trans Texas Corridor (Perry's massive super highway). I am opposed to foreign owned toll roads and conversion of existing roads to toll roads. Additionally, any toll routes should have free road alternatives.

Bell: I oppose the Trans Texas Corridor and believe it is now dead. I am tired of toll road projects designed to primarily benefit private contractors. I don't want to see a state full of toll roads that turn transportation into yet another battle between the haves and have nots (with the haves on the nice roads while others are relegated to older ones in worse shape). We need to stop stealing from the gasoline tax fund and using those dollars for projects that won't seriously impact mobility. And we need to take a very close look at the overall efficiency of the Texas Department of Transportation and improve it where possible.

12:50:"What can be done to lower electricity rates?" and "Texas is a rapidly growing state and will need to double its power production within the next 10-20 years. What would you do to ensure that our utility rates do not skyrocket and how would you safeguard against related environmental damage?"

Joan's answers are getting shorter and shorter.

Bell: The PUC is going to have to exercise greater oversight of the wholesale market and if additional legislation is required to make that happen, then I'll support it. Utility companies can not be allowed to withhold power in order to drive up the cost. That's what happened with Luminant and the PUC fined that company $15 million. That kind of oversight will keep the pressure on for utility companies to treat consumers fairly. In this area, we have to stop paying some of the highest rates for some of the worst service. I also believe we need to be doing everything possible in Texas to further incentivise the research and production of alternative energy. We are perfectly positioned to be a leader in the areas of solar, wind and biodiesel and if we want to continue to be the energy capital, we must be helping those industries move forward.

Huffman: I believe we need provide incentives for alternatives forms of energy, like wind and solar. There should not be a disproportionate rate difference between wholesale and retail rates.

Huffman's carefully considered response was posted after Bell's.

"Will you guys support the legalization of gambling?"

Huffman: I am opposed to the expansion of gambling in Texas.

Bell: We already have legalized gambling in Texas. We have horse and dog racing and a state lottery. What has been proposed is allowing existing race tracks to install video lottery terminals that could be heavily regulated and could produce millions of dollars for our state. I support letting people vote on such a proposal. Gambling may be unseemly to some but it's here already and when it comes to the video lottery terminals, I'm tired of seeing millions of dollars leave our state for places like Louisiana where they're already legal. Let's keep those dollars here and use them to improve our state.

12:55: Both candidates are in favor of eminent domain reform. And each candidate picks a reader question to answer. Bell's is: "Joan Huffman talks a lot about illegal immigration, but I haven't seen a plan from her. Also, she's running for the state senate, and last I checked, our border with Mexico was a federal border. Isn't her stance on illegal immigration just posturing?"

Bell: It's clearly posturing and misleading. I'd invite everyone to take a close look at our records. As I said earlier, I voted for more than $15 billion for increased border security while in congress - I continue to believe it's a federal responsibility. I also met privately with the Mexican Ambassador while in congress to discuss what they might be willing to do to work with the U.S. toward a comprehensive plan. Meanwhile, while she talks a good game now on immigration, when Mrs. Huffman was Judge Huffman, it was a different story. I would invite you to check out Case No. 855808, Francisco Gilberto Flores Hercules. He was an admitted illegal alien when he came before Judge Huffman charged with indecency with a child. What did she do? She gave him probation. What did he do? He disappeared. Doesn't sound like she was terribly concerned about illegal immigration when it counted.

That's going to leave a mark. Huffman selects a question that veers away from the records, but IS in keeping with her style of personal attacks throughout the season: "This question is for Chris Bell. Mr. Bell, you have ran and failed in a number of political campaigns, how can you assure to the voters that you are not just running for a position just to have the title, but will work and bring about change in the Texas Senate?"

Huffman: Voters are crying out for public service, not politicians seeking titles. I an running for the Texas Senate because I truly care about the future of Texas. I have a young child and I care about the future for him and for all the children of Texas. I started out as a secretary at the D.A.'s Office in Houston and worked my way through law school, becoming a prosecutor and a judge. While Mr. Bell was running for various political offices, I was busy holding criminals accountable for their crimes. I will be a public servant, not a politician.

1:05: And each candidate got the opportunity to respond to the above. The answers:

Bell: Actually, while I was running for office, Mrs. Huffman was running for office... just a different office. What she also always fails to point out is my record of public service, a record the Houston Chronicle has called "effective" when endorsing me. I was proud to have the opportunity to serve on the Houston City Council and as a member of Congress. I was working like crazy in Congress and was already part of the Whip leadership team when Tom DeLay decided to engage in his unprecedented redistricting. I decided that I would not allow Mr. DeLay to dictate the terms of my exit from public service. I don't give up or run away. I stand and fight and that's just what I'm doing now. I truly enjoy serving the public and have never run for anything that I didn't think I was qualified for or that I didn't think I could do a great job at and I've backed that up once in office. My experience will be a great benefit for the people of Senate District 17 and I look forward to having the opportunity to serve. Thanks for the question.

1:12: Still waiting for Joan to respond.

1:14: Joan's back ...

Huffman: The federal government has failed us. It is too easy to blame the feds and then rely on them to get the job done when they have failed to do what they need to do. As a State we must take direct action to begin to solve this problem. As a gang prosecutor and later as a judge I saw firsthand the direct impact of illegal immigration on our state. It is a public safety issue. There continues to be a problem in the criminal justice system with the identification and deporatation (sic) of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. There has been great difficulty in their identification and later deportation. This is an ongoing problem and a perfect example of how the State can work to update data bases and take an active and aggressive role in public safety. I will address this problem and issue HEAD ON in the Texas Senate. It is imperative that it is addressed. The case mentioned by Mr. Bell is a classic example of what can happen in a system with inaccurate and incomplete data, even by those with the best of intentions and diligence.

These answers offer a clear enough distinction between the two candidates. Vote this week, and let's have real reform in the Texas Senate.

A couple dozen people want to replace Quittencourt

Jockeying began in earnest Monday for the post being vacated by Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt, who announced late last week he was resigning to take a private-sector job.

At least two dozen names were being floated, including potential Houston mayoral candidate Bill King, ousted District Clerk Theresa Chang and Republican political consultant Court Koenning, who was the chief of staff for state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston.

Diane Trautman, a Democrat who lost to Bettencourt in the Nov. 4 election, nominated herself as well, saying Bettencourt's decision "deprived the voters of an opportunity to decide who will lead the tax office at this critical time in our county's future."

The choice now falls to the five members of Commissioners Court, where the Republican Party's three-seat majority makes the selection of a Democrat unlikely.

The court is not expected to discuss the vacancy at today's meeting. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Dec. 23, though the panel could call a special meeting before then. Bettencourt said he is willing to stay on the job until Christmas.

What a swell guy. Let's continue breaking down Liz Peterson's article:

Chang, whom the court picked to replace District Clerk Charles Bacarisse when he resigned to challenge County Judge Ed Emmett in the Republican primary, is the most prominent person openly campaigning for the position. Mary Jane Smith, Chang's campaign consultant, said Chang already has expressed interest to some members of court. ...

Bacarisse also has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but he laughed when asked about his interest in the job. He said he is committed to his role as vice president for advancement at Houston Baptist University.

Confirms my (revised) suspicions from Sunday.

King, a former Kemah mayor and councilman who previously was managing partner of the law firm that collects delinquent taxes for Harris County and other local governmental entities, shrugged off speculation that he would seek the position. He said he had not given the idea much thought because he is focused on a possible run for Houston mayor or council.

"I guess if the Commissioners Court was interested in me doing it, I would at least talk to them about it," he said.

Overwhelming enthusiasm on your part, Mr. King. You're right; it's probably a lot more work than you really want to do.

Koenning, a former executive director of the Harris County Republican Party, did not return a call.

Among the other possible contenders are four current or former state representatives, four former Houston council members, a Republican judge who recently lost his seat last month, and three others who recently lost bids for various offices.

Mark Ellis, one of the former Houston councilmen named as a possible candidate, said he is happy with his job at an investment bank and wants to continue helping oversee the development of freight and commuter rail in Harris and Fort Bend counties as head of the Gulf Coast Freight Rail District Board.

"I'm interested. I'm intrigued. I'm flattered, but at the end of the day, I think they need to pick somebody who would really want to be a serious candidate for that position, and right now, that doesn't really fit with my life," said Ellis, who has a 4-year-old daughter.

Some current and former members of Bettencourt's staff also have been mentioned as possible successors, including Tom Moon, who spent five years in the tax office's voter registration department before joining the County Clerk's Office.

Moon said he has thrown his hat in the ring, but "it's a very small hat, and it'll probably get stomped on."

I mentioned that Vince mentioned Ed Johnson. Moon and I have exchanged eye contact on Election Night a time or two at Clerk Kaufman's ballot cave. He's as dry and low-key as this quote indicates.

Dwayne Bohac is one of the state representatives interested. I'm guessing Crazy Bob Talton, formerly of HD-144 and HCRP chair Jared WoodenHead's law partner -- also one of the defeated in the scrum last March for the right to replace Nick Lampson in CD-22 -- is a name in the hat as well. Recent GOP councilpersons include Michael Berry and Pam Holm. There's more than 20 Republican judges who lost their jobs last month. Oh yeah, Tommy Thomas and Mike Stafford. I'm pretty sure neither one of those two is in the running.

Another guess: nobody currently serving in the Lege is going to get it. At least not until Tom Craddick's fate is known, and unless a meteor falls from the sky and takes him out, that won't be before January 13, when the Texas Legislature convenes for its 81st session. We'll have somebody by December 23, as Peterson indicates.

Commissioner Sylvia Garcia said she is backing Trautman, but knows there is little chance the education professor would prevail. She said she also has asked lawyers to investigate whether there is a way for the court to call an election before 2010. Barring either of those options, she said the court should appoint a "caretaker" who will promise not to run for re-election in two years.

"I think it is an affront to the voters, and I think the voters should speak loudly," she said. "We should really hear a public outcry about this and why we're being put in this position."

Sylvia is trying to muster some outrage, but nobody whose vote matters is paying her any attention.

Bettencourt has said serious discussions about his new job did not occur until after the election. He said the January filing deadline for re-election is so early, incumbents have no way of knowing where they will be in life nearly a year later.

"People can express whatever opinion they would like, God bless 'em," he said.

God bless you too Paul, you sorry son of a bitch.

"Vote for Chris Bell" Week Wrangle

Today is the opening of early voting in the SD-17 Texas Senate contest. If you live in Harris County (or in Fort Bend or Galveston or Brazoria or Jefferson counties, for that matter) find your early voting location here. Early voting will end this Friday -- no weekend EV -- so take care of business and get one more Democrat elected to the state legislature. Texas needs Chris Bell in the Senate.

And here's this week's edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly round-up, compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.

The long-held assumption that Texas was safely red seems to be taking a few hits, notes Lightseeker at Texas Kaos, in Trouble in Red Paradise?

DosCentavos expands on comments from Latina Lista on the one tool that Latinos have failed to use to get ahead in politics, business, etc.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme warns us that Republican agitators are on the loose making stuff up for their wedge 'em and hate 'em crusades. Are there enough Hispanics in top roles? What will happen for Rick Noriega and Juan Garcia?

According to jobsanger, the War on Christmas is alive and well. Another volley in the "War On Christmas has been fired, this time from the heartland of America, as an Iowa publisher is selling Christmas cards for atheists.

Off the Kuff takes a look at the Hill Research Consultants poll that says the Republican brand is eroding in Texas.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston says Speaker Tom Craddick can't have his cake and health care too, concerning how Craddick fought for health care for his adult well-to-do daughter while fighting to deny health insurance to poor kids.

McBlogger's latest rant on the state of traffic in Texas prompted this little bit of comeuppance from Mayor McSleaze.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Houston Mayor Bill White is expected to announce his plans in regard to 2010 this week.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is angry that the Texas Republican Party has favored BIG Business, including medical corporations who see ill people as dollar signs. Texas looks like it leads the pack in putting money above quality of life. Texas needs to reinstate the Hippocratic Oath and throw out the hypocritical oath it has been following. Read all about it in US Health Care Plunges, Texas Drops 9 Points.

Dembones at Eye On Williamson analyzes the recent poll that's causing a stir Texas GOP In Panic Over Recent Poll.

The kinder, gentler Kay Bailey Hutchison -- with a little help from her pal Karl Rove -- is trotting out for display. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the revoltin' development.

The Bettencourt Bailout Follies

Republicans BJ from LST (in the comments here) and the blogger formerly known as Sedosi pooh-pooh my speculation of Charles Bacarisse to replace Paul "Cut-and Run" Bettencourt as Harris County's tax assessor/collector/voter registrar -- which actually serves as a great relief to me. Another source reports that Bacarisse is very happy in his current job with Second Baptist Church. Thank God for small favors.

The Diane Trautman Appointment Campaign is in high gear. I wish I could be enthusiastic about its prospects. Really I do. Dr. Trautman's loss November 4 probably hurt worse than any. But I cannot see Emmett (and Radack and Eversole) going along with her selection. Nor do I see a new spirit of bipartisanship on commissioners' court.

Vince reports that Golden Parachute Paul has suggested his top henchman, Ed Johnson, for the slot. That would be a big FU to everybody except the most rabid of Voter ID acolytes. The speculation from the right seems to frequently mention defeated district clerk appointee Theresa Chang (she replaced Bacarisse and then lost to Loren Jackson). And perhaps Emmett has another lickspittle in mind whose name is currently under the radar. If there is some Latino Republican that could fit the bill, Emmett could do himself and the Harris County GOP a huge favor by making that person his choice.

Chang offers a sorely-needed minority face for the locals; she's at least familiar with county bureaucracy, and she may or may not be an extremist. That's probably enough for her to get the job.

Sunday Funnies

Goodbye Bettencourt

Imagine my surprise:

Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt announced late Friday that he was resigning to pursue a private business venture.

The sudden announcement comes just a month after Bettencourt was reelected to his third term.

A simply remarkable demonstration of disrespect to the people of Harris County. Re-elected in a bitter contest over Diane Trautman a mere 30 days ago, Bettencourt cuts and runs now so that a majority of the Republicans on commissioner's court can pick the placeholder.

"I have spoken with Judge Emmett and told him of my intention to tender my resignation before Christmas. I want to give the Court time to address the vacancy and ensure an orderly transition," Bettencourt wrote.

He said he would issue a fuller statement next week. ...

His replacement will be appointed by Harris County Commissioners Court.

Bettencourt was the most partisan, the most rancorous, the most obstinate conservative left around these parts after we exorcised Tom DeLay. I am incensed at his timing, but couldn't be more happy about his departure whatever the reasons. As Gerry Birnberg notes, however, we haven't seen the last of him politically:

Bettencourt also drew criticism for his role of the voter registrar for Harris County.

He had been accused several times in recent years of overzealously purging the voter rolls and blocking new registrations. The Harris County Democratic Party sued Bettencourt last month, complaining of his handling of about 7,000 provisional ballots cast in the Nov. 4 election and accusing him of illegally rejecting voter registration applications. He denied any wrongdoing.

Friday night, Harris County Democratic Party Chairman Gerald Birnberg said he expected Bettencourt to resign at some point, believing he had an interest in statewide office.

"So, I had expected him to resign to run for another office or to be more involved in the radio business," Birnberg said. "It occurs to me that Paul is too deliberate for this to have occurred 'day before yesterday.' It has got to be something he was thinking about more than 30 days ago, before the election, and I am disappointed he did not share his plans with the voters." ...

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Update: My top-of-the-morning prognostication is that the replacement will be former district clerk and vanquished Emmett opponent Charles Bacarisse, which could hardly be considered an improvement.

Update II: Even the stridently bipartisan and typically reserved Quorum Report seems a little taken aback:

Campaign contributors and supporters are no doubt stunned that Bettencourt used them to seek an office that he will not take. In his statement he says he received a private sector offer that he will accept despite having offered himself up for re-election. Ultimately the question will boil down to whether or not he knew when he filed that he did not intend to serve. Was his intention to simply leverage his name ID into a Republican win an an otherwise Democratic year while never intending to take the oath of office?

His statement does not clear up the mystery.

The kinder, gentler Kay Bailey (with Karl Rove's help)

With the announcement of the forming of her gubernatorial exploratory committee this week, Kay Bailey Hutchison throws down the gauntlet at the feet of incumbent Republican Rick Perry, and the Clash of the Cheerleaders is engaged.

The governor's office promptly responded with a new nickname for the senator: "Kay Bailout".

And in her press release was revealed the positioning that the senator is going to be using against her Aggie rival:

"There's too much bitterness, too much anger, too little trust, too little consensus and too much infighting. And the tone comes from the top. Texans are looking for leadership and results."

And with the news that Karl Rove is quietly advising the Hutchison campaign, we can expect to see a lot of matronly outreach to the moderate middling factions of the Texas electorate.

Rove -- a man who wants to rehabilitate both the Republican brand as well as his own hard-earned reputation as a miserable scumbag -- believes that the GOP is losing, among the many other reasons, because of the "bitterness" and "anger" demonstrated by its base toward Hispanics. He knows that Republicans need to recapture women's votes and those of the squishy center and is likely prepared to sacrifice some of the frothing base to do so. That means, if she takes his advice, that Kay is going to have to straddle a fine line; she'll have to throw a little red meat with her right hand while she extends the other kidgloved one to the left. She has to attack Perry on matters of competence and temperance without abandoning the rabid Texas conservative wedge issues of illegal immigration, voter ID and lower property taxes.

(Yes, those are all wedge issues, Matt. The majority of the Texas electorate isn't as riled up about Ill Eagles and the rest as those who vote in the GOP primary.)

Anyway, while they talk amongst themselves about which way they will go, the drama is going to play out in the fight between Perry and Hutchison for the GOP nomination for governor. Winner take all -- including a future chance at the presidency in 2016, without a doubt.

If Perry can summon enough outrage at Washington and "liberals" -- a direction that has never failed the Republican Party of Texas for the last generation -- then he might be able to pull off the upset in the primary. Yes, the incumbent governor is most certainly the underdog against Hutchison. The senator, for her part, is going to try a little Barack Obama Lite to defeat him. Naturally that's a strategy contingent on the continuing popularity of the president-elect over the next two years.

But assuming Hutchison wins and faces off against Bill White for the newly-rebuilt governor's mansion in 2010, it will be hard to find any differences between the two parties' standard-bearers. Which to me would suggest a third or even fourth option on the ballot, as in 2006.

"If 'ifs and 'buts' were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas." It seems possible that we could have Christmas every day for the next year. Frankly, that diet makes me a little nauseous.

Dickens returns to a recovering Galveston

This weekend's Dickens on The Strand is Galveston's first major event since Hurricane Ike struck in September, and could indicate how quickly this island city can revive its vital tourism industry.

The 35th year of the festival, which recreates the 19th century with period costumes, also is an attempt by Galveston businesses to let the outside world know that most of its restaurants and hotels and many of its attractions are up and running.

We're going down for the day. I've posted about our prior trips here. There's a Chris Bell event in Galveston County at lunchtime on Saturday, and then we'll spend a few hours at one of the best street festivals in Texas before returning to Houston.

Despite the strain, all 130 vendors and booths will return along with 50 entertainment groups, said Dwayne Jones, foundation executive director.

The storm cost the foundation about $6 million in damage to its historic properties and lost revenues, Jones said, forcing it to cut in half its usual budget of $150,000 to $200,000 for Dickens on The Strand.

The foundation also had to lay off 40 of its 70-member staff and lost much of its Dickens equipment to the storm surge, he said. ...

Storm water fouled the 500 lamps that are normally scattered throughout the festival area at night, forcing the event to close three hours earlier than normal Saturday, Jones said.

Dickens on The Strand will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, he said.

The event is usually within a 10-block area between 20th Street and 25th Street on The Strand and Mechanic Street, but this year it will be limited to The Strand, Jones said.

The Galveston Historic District was inundated by more than 10 feet of sea water that left floors caked with slimy mud and store interiors in shambles.

The Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens is up and running, though also smaller:

Hurricane damage forced Moody Gardens to alter and slightly shorten the path of lights and reduce the number of exhibits from 100 to about 75, said Moody Gardens spokeswoman Jerri Hamachek.

The Festival of Lights is open Thursday through Saturday through Dec. 17 and nightly Dec. 18-31. Tickets have been reduced $2 to $3.95, she said.

Jones is expecting about half as many visitors to Dickens on The Strand this year because of the ailing national economy and the perception that nothing is open in Galveston because of the storm. Online ticket sales are less than half of last year's tally, but most of the proceeds are from gate sales anyway, he said. About 32,000 tickets were sold last year.

Gaskins said Galveston hotels were nearly full and only about 50 rooms were left on the entire island as of Thursday because of bookings for Dickens on The Strand and company Christmas parties.

Hamachek said the Festival of Lights drew about 5,000 visitors Thanksgiving weekend, about half as many as last year, but described it as a good showing considering the storm and the economy.

Several companies donated services, such as portable bathrooms, and 15 of the 17 entertainers have agreed to forgo their usual fee, Jones said.

There would be no better way to give Galveston a hand up than to pay them a visit this weekend (and drop a little coin).

The Boogie Man Rag

Dunbar's latest

"Even if you question the accuracy of my constitutional interpretation as proof of the inappropriateness of a state-created, tax-payer supported school system, still the Scriptures bear witness to such an institution’s lack of proper authority in the life of the Christian family."

That's State Board of Education member Cynthia Dunbar, from page 102 of her book One Nation Under God. Want more from this Jesus freak?

Dunbar (on p. 100) calls public education a “subtly deceptive tool of perversion.” She charges that the establishment of public schools is unconstitutional and even “tyrannical” because it threatens the authority of families, granted by God through Scripture, to direct the instruction of their children (p. 103). Dunbar, who has home-schooled her children and sent them to private schools, bases that charge on her belief that “the underlying authority for our constitutional form of government stems directly from biblical precedents.” (p. xv)

I know. You gotta have more...

“This battle for our nation’s children and who will control their education and training is crucial to our success for reclaiming our nation,” Dunbar writes (p. 100), after earlier condemning what she calls a secular society that resembles Nazi Germany just before the Holocaust. Those at risk today are “the devout, Bible-believing Christians,” she writes (p. 2).

Dunbar argues that the Founders created “an emphatically Christian government” (p. 18) and believed government should be guided by a “biblical litmus test.” (p. 47) She also endorses a “belief system” that would “require that any person desiring to govern have a sincere knowledge and appreciation for the Word of God in order to rightly govern.” (p. 17)

Dunbar sees public schools as a threat to that belief system: “Our children are, after all, our best and greatest assets, and we are throwing them into the enemy’s flames even as the children of Israel threw their children to Moloch.” (p. 101)

How is that a person can help govern a public education system she loathes? Because she intends -- sort of like Grover Norquist drowning government in a bathtub -- to destroy it.

Dunbar sits on the state board’s Committee on Instruction, which guides the SBOE’s policies on curriculum and textbook adoptions. Earlier this year Dunbar used her position on that committee to win approval for vague guidelines that some public schools have used to offer deeply flawed and blatantly sectarian Bible classes. Even worse, she then joined three other board members in endorsing a constitutionally suspect Bible course curriculum that Odessa public schools had been forced to remove from classrooms after being sued by local parents.

The SBOE is currently debating a revision of science curriculum standards for the state’s public schools. Dunbar is part of a bloc of creationists who want public schools to teach students that evolution is not established, mainstream science.

Texas Freedom Network today called for Dunbar to be removed from the Committee on Instruction. It can't happen fast enough.

The jockeying for political position in 2010 (and 09)

Texas Governor: The GOP primary between Incumbent Governor Mofo and Senator Perjury-is-a-Technicality is officially under way:

From the Wall Street bailout bill to helping the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Ike, it seems the federal government can do nothing right in the eyes of Gov. Rick Perry.

The latest shot came Tuesday, when Perry accused federal environmental protection officials of "actively working to do more economic harm" to the state through potential regulation of carbon emissions linked to climate change.

"Washington has Texas in its sights," he said.

Many political observers believe Perry's harsh rhetoric is designed to position the governor in his bid for an unprecedented, third four-year term in 2010. The target is his likely challenger in the Republican primary, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is more popular than Perry in some polls.

Hutchison in late September told her Senate colleagues that she wouldn't seek re-election to a leadership post and is planning to form an exploratory committee for the governor's race.

"I guess it's a pretty good shot to take on the federal government if you're running against someone who is an agent of the federal government," said Greg Thielemann, director of the Center for the Study of Texas Politics at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Let's not overlook Mayor Republican Lite.

Whatever plans (Bill White) declares, a perhaps more burning question still looms large over his intentions: Can he actually win statewide office?

Among the chattering classes in Austin and Houston, and even some White lieutenants at City Hall, no one is quite sure. But they do agree on at least one thing: Whether he runs to replace Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison next year if she resigns to run for governor, or whether he seeks the state's top job himself in 2010, White may have an uphill battle ahead.

The chances for a Democratic governor in the next election "are more bleak than any Democrat honestly wants to admit," said Mark Sanders, a Republican consultant who ran Democrat Tony Sanchez's 2004 campaign against Gov. Rick Perry. "It's not going to happen in 2010. There are just too many factors working against that."

Chief among the challenges, according to Sanders and more than a dozen strategists from both parties, is a significant GOP advantage laid bare by the Nov. 4 election results, even in a contest that saw historic statewide turnout for Democrats. Political handicappers all over the state are still parsing reams of data, but many are putting the divide at between 8 and 10 percentage points, a daunting deficit in the near term. Some have even wondered whether 2014 would be a more optimal year.

"In a positive Democratic climate with a good candidate like White, you might bring that down to the mid-single digits," said Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University. "Whether you could bring it down to zero in 2010 — or in other words, win — is a tall order."

All of the above make me nauseous. SOS (as in "save our ship"). Won't a real Democrat consider running? I am NOT looking at you, Kinky Friedman.

Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Land Commisioner: SOS (as in same old shit). With the clash of the titans at the top, the Republican incumbents Dewhurst, Abbott, Combs, and Patterson are cockblocked. Nobody on the Democratic side seems willing to take on another uphill fight for the moment. Lots of rumors, though; Barbara Radnofsky for AG is a persistent one.

Agriculture Commissioner: Expect a rematch between Todd Staples and Hank Gilbert, the shining Democratic star for 2010.

Houston Mayor, 2009: Eugene Locke has apparently bumped Bill King out of the contest; Annise Parker will make the race, likely to do so as well is Peter Brown. Somebody mentioned the name of Roy Morales, the great GOP hope in a non-partisan affair. It is to laugh.

Political fortunes still to be determined: Rick Noriega, Nick Lampson, and a number of other Democrats who narrowly lost last month. Noriega and Lampson could lift their profiles with a stint in the Obama administration.

Whose names are you hearing bandied about?

Whither Speaker Craddick again

Charlie Kuffner has the numbers and Paul Burka has the gossip regarding Tom Craddick's tide seemingly going out again. Let's sample a bit from each; first Kuff:

I point all this out, apparently just as the arm-twisting efforts on Craddick's behalf are being ramped up, so that the next time you hear a Craddick acolyte, like Rep. Will Hartnett or Burnet County Republican Linda Rogers, president of Texas Republican county chairmen, claim that opposition to Craddick is all about "liberals", you ask them to explain those good, solid Republicans in Midland and the rest of HD82 who voted to oust him from the House. Maybe, just maybe, it's possible to be a Republican and to think Tom Craddick is bad for Texas, too.

And then Burka:

The problem for Craddick is that things have gotten to the point where every time he acts like, well, Craddick, he reminds GOP members why they wish he would just go away. Many members are still fuming about Craddick’s iron-fisted control of members’ races. Candidates had to come to Austin and appear before Christi Craddick, the speaker’s daughter; operative John Colyandro; and consultant Dave Carney. They were told what they had to do in their campaigns in order to get money that the speaker controlled. They had to bring their campaign plans and subject them to Christi Craddick’s scrutiny. She could overrule the members and insist on their using speaker-approved campaign materials that had already been prepared by consultants. Many members were furious; they felt that they knew their districts better than Carney, who is from New Hampshire, or Ms. Craddick. These hard feelings have not subsided. ...

I think Republicans in the House are finally beginning to realize the damage that Craddick has done to the GOP majority. Does it mean that the GOP rank and file will turn against him? The discontent with Craddick is far greater than I thought it was. But at the moment, it appears that fear still outweighs outrage.

I've seen this little melodrama before, and I suspect it's going to end the same way it did two years ago: with that weasel Aaron Pena escorting Craddick to the dais and introducing him as the Speaker of the Texas House. Phillip Martin has a compelling set of reasons for enthusiasm, but I'm going to remain "skeptimistic". Some of the members of the choir may change, but the song remains the same.

Show me otherwise, House Republicans. Prove yourselves capable of carrying a different tune.

I dare you.

Bush defends wiretapping Americans in federal court today

The Bush administration on Tuesday will try to convince a federal judge to let stand a law granting retroactive legal immunity to the nation's telecoms, which are accused of transmitting Americans' private communications to the National Security Agency without warrants.

At issue in the high-stakes showdown — set to begin at 10:00 a.m. PST — are the nearly four dozen lawsuits filed by civil liberties groups and class action attorneys against AT&T, Verizon, MCI, Sprint and other carriers who allegedly cooperated with the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program in the years following the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The lawsuits claim the cooperation violated federal wiretapping laws and the Constitution.

In July, as part of a wider domestic spying bill, Congress voted to kill the lawsuits and grant retroactive amnesty to any phone companies that helped with the surveillance; President-elect Barack Obama was among those who voted for the law in the Senate. On Tuesday, lawyers with the Electronic Frontier Foundation are set to urge the federal judge overseeing those lawsuits to reject immunity as unconstitutional. At stake, they say, is the very principle of the rule of law in America.

"I think it does set a very frightening precedent that it's okay for people to break the law because they can just have Congress bail them out later," says EFF legal director Cindy Cohn. "It's very troubling."

Since Bush will likely evade prosecution for his Iraq war crimes, it would certainly be an acceptable consolation prize to see this particular piece of legislation unwound. Let the courts do what the Congress didn't have the stones to.

The judge presiding over the case, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco, announced late Monday he wanted to discuss 11 questions (.pdf) at Tuesday's hearing, one of which goes directly to the heart of the immunity legislation.

Is there any precedent for this type of enactment that is analogous in all of these respects: retroactivity; immunity for constitutional violations; and delegation of broad discretion to the executive branch to determine whether to invoke the provision?

Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, says the immunity legislation, if upheld, "makes it possible to extend immunity to other areas of the law." ...

The EFF is now challenging the immunity legislation on the grounds that it seeks to circumvent the Constitution's separation of powers clause, as well as Americans' Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.

"The legislation is an attempt to give the president the authority to terminate claims that the president has violated the people's Fourth Amendment rights," the EFF's Cohn says. "You can't do that."

God damn right. I'll bet the judge agrees. The SCOTUS, however ...

30 miles of Ike debris in Chambers County

Two and a half months after Hurricane Ike blasted the shoreline, alligators and snakes crawl over vast piles of shattered building materials, lawn furniture, trees, boats, tanks of butane and other hazardous substances, thousands of animal carcasses, perhaps even the corpses of people killed by the storm.

State and local officials complain that the removal of the filth has gone almost nowhere because FEMA red tape has held up both the cleanup work and the release of the millions of dollars that Chambers County says it needs to pay for the project.

Elsewhere along the coast, similar complaints are heard: the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been slow to reimburse local governments for what they have already spent, putting the rural counties on the brink of financial collapse.

"I don't know all the internal workings of FEMA. But if they've had a lot of experience in hurricanes and disaster, it looks like they could come up with some kind of process that would work," said Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia, the county's chief administrator.

I met Judge Sylvia in 2006, in Anahuac with David Van Os on the Texas county courthouse tour he made as part of his run for state attorney general. And of course it's not just Chambers County; everybody knows Galveston is still wrecked but in Bridge City -- where they had to rescue people off the roofs of their houses when the 12-ft. storm surge came up -- many of the Orange County residents are still living in tents, waiting for FEMA trailers to arrive.

Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough tells the story of receiving word on Sept. 12, as Ike closed in on Galveston, that FEMA was sending him $1.8 million of his $3 million request for storm cleanup — from Hurricane Rita, three years ago.

"Good Lord! The red tape and rules you have to go through to get anything done," Yarbrough said. "On Hurricane Ike, when we're putting out tens of millions, we can't afford a three-year reimbursement program. It would bankrupt most entities in this area if it takes that long.

It's not just Ike that Texans are still suffering from, either:

Near the Mexican border, thousands of families remain in homes damaged by Dolly, the storm that blew ashore on South Padre Island on July 23. FEMA was helpful at first, but bureaucracy and the distraction of the other hurricanes have slowed the recovery, local officials said.

A farmworker rights organization and 14 poor South Texas residents sued FEMA last month, accusing the agency of refusing to help thousands of poor families repair their homes.

"I understand they have Hurricane Ike, but we had a Category 2 come through the Valley, too," Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas said.

Whoever gets to be the next FEMA director inherits this clusterfuck.

Spectacular sky scene tonight

Be sure and look up at the moon this evening:

Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1.

A slender crescent moon, just 15-percent illuminated, will appear in very close proximity to the two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter.

People who are unaware or have no advance notice will almost certainly wonder, as they cast a casual glance toward the moon on that night, what those two "large silvery stars" happen to be? Sometimes, such an occasion brings with it a sudden spike of phone calls to local planetariums, weather offices and even police precincts. Not a few of these calls excitedly inquire about "the UFOs" that are hovering in the vicinity of our natural satellite.

More.

Monday Funnies: The Clintons are back

I think Hillary as SoS is an inspired selection, but that won't keep me from having some fun with her (and her husband) ...

Weekly Wrangle: Tryptophan the light fantastic

Turkey has been eaten, holiday decorations are up -- or at least out of the garage -- and it's time for the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly round-up.

The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the large donors from DFW who supported Prop 8. Over $335,000 went to California from 59 individuals. Time to consider the DFW Black List!

John Coby at Bay Area Houston is giving thanks to the GOP .

jobsanger looks at the $7.5 million of sales tax money that Wal-Mart gets to keep every year here in Texas, and says it is time to cap the amount of tax money a business may keep to cover the cost of collecting the tax in I Learned Something New & I Don't Like It.

CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme wonders how hard can it be to elect someone other than Tom Craddick Speaker of the House? Geeez!

Stace Medellin at DosCentavos reminds us why guest worker programs will fail with a story on Braceros still trying to collect monies owed themby Mexico after decades.

Toni at WhosPlayin took some time off from political work to take in a bilingual performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Fort Worth by Teatro De La Rosa and offers her review.

North Texas Liberal wonders why Democrats are so anxious to throw former President Bill Clinton under the bus.

The Burnt Orange Report takes a look at Austin activism and the Austin Prop 8 Blacklist.

If sometimes you feel like a nut, McBlogger reports you'll be right at home on the State Board of Education.

BossKitty at TruthHugger reflects how Bush tried and failed to show the world a morally superior nation, instead, he showed the world what hypocritical horse's asses we really are, and Why America Is No Longer THE Role Model - Op Ed

Off the Kuff continues his analysis of Harris County precinct data with a look at HD-133, the microcosm of the county.

Neil at Texas Liberal is a big time player who drinks expensive scotch and gambles at first-class casinos.

Dembones at Eye On Williamson takes Rick Perry to task for defending Texas polluters.

PDiddie gave thanks for illegal immigrants, the inanity of Jared Woodfill, and the life and memory of Jim Mattox at Brains and Eggs.

Over at TexasKaos, Txsharon explains how Cheney Helped Halliburton Hide Secrets About Dangerous Chemicals in YOUR Drinking Water. As she reports:

The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject KNOWN hazardous material-unchecked-directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.

EARTHWORKS-Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil and Gas Wells

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that a state district judge has ruled that he does not have jurisdiction to rule on a case related to the House District 105 recount.

Chris Bell for Senate update

While I was out working my precinct this afternoon for Chris Bell, a nice young man from the Bell campaign knocked on my door (spoke with Mrs. Diddie). We're leaving no stone unturned in this runoff, believe me.

One of my concerns is the lack of a nearby polling place for early voting; the nearest one to this most Democratic portion of the district is Bayland Park Community Center at 6400 Bissonnet near Hillcroft). Our usual EV location -- the Fiesta Mart on Main near OST -- is not being provided. The CCO isn't appropriate for anyone except district residents who also work on the north side of downtown. Here's a Google map of polls throughout the district:


View Larger Map

I take that as a intention to suppress Democratic turnout by geographic location, particularly since other Harris County EV polls are even farther west into the Republican territory.

No matter; we will overcome.

Update:

Bell out-polled Huffman 3-2 on election day, but a December runoff election is a daunting proposition. The Republicans have done everything in their power to suppress support for Chris Bell. They recruited, got on the ballot at the very last minute, and even funded a stalking horse, carpetbagging, pretend-to-be Democrat candidate in the November 4 general election in order to siphon off enough Democratic votes to require a runoff. The governor purposely scheduled the runoff on a Tuesday in mid-December, when it will be hardest for many Democrats to vote AND to eliminate any weekend early voting, which typically provides the greatest opportunity for Democratic, working-class voters to cast their ballots.

So it is crucial that all Democrats participate actively in this runoff election. If every single Democrat who voted in the November 4 election will return to the polls on December 16, Chris Bell will win and become the State Senator from Senate District 17. If Democrats can just turn out our core, base voters in the district, we will have one more Democrat –- and a great one at that –- representing us in the Texas Senate.

Please urge every Democrat you know in Senate District 17 to vote in this runoff election -- and be sure to do so yourself if you live in the district.

Sunday Funnies (leftover turkeys edition)

And don't miss the ten best Bush photos ...

No Turkey Day

We'll be having la comida Mexicana -- enchilada casserole, guacamole, sopa de frijole negro -- to honor the illegal immigrants of Texas.

Giving thanks for illegal aliens, Jared Woodfill, and Jim Mattox

-- Rick Casey with the wish-I'd-said-that:

This year, as we gather for the feast, I am giving thanks for illegal immigrants.

I have a particular group of illegals in mind, but I confess that my gratitude to them does color my view of most other illegals.

I refer to the liars, debtors, opportunists and criminals who flooded into Texas in the first half of the 19th century, and then wrested the land from Mexico.

Their story is told in A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States.

...

These immigrants not only entered illegally or violated the terms of their legal entry, but rather than keep their heads down and try to fit in, they lived in active defiance of the law.

So much so that the Mexican government in 1830 passed a law barring all new American immigrants from entering Texas.

Among the illegals violating that particular law were David Crockett, William B. Travis and Sam Houston.

For the fact that tomorrow we celebrate the particularly American holiday of Thanksgiving in Texas, we owe them and the thousands of other illegals whom they joined our enthusiastic gratitude.

I also give thanks for those illegals who have worked hard to clean up the Galveston area in the past weeks, and have shown no interest in importing slaves or overthrowing our government.

Our history shows that immigrants — even illegal ones, especially when laws are out of whack — often make things better.

-- Via blogHouston, this little slice of hilarity from Mark Bennett regarding the latest Harris County Republican e-mail scandal, this one involving Judge Larry Standley and the county chair, Jared "Butthead" Woodfill (a brouhaha two years old, but coming back into the light; go here if you need the backstory):

Woodfill, unless he’s even more clueless about Harris County politics than I am, knew about these emails, including their specific content, in October 2006. If that content justifies calling for his resignation now, it has called for it every day for the last two years.

Woodfill pitches this as the party acting, but it turns out that party leadership met recently in executive session and did not decide to act against Standley. What Woodfill is doing is trying to give the idea of ousting Standley some legs before the party has to make a decision on it.

It’s a hatchet job. Not only is it a hatchet job, but it’s a hatchet job undertaken for personal revenge. Not only is it a hatchet job undertaken for personal revenge, but it’s a hatchet job undertaken for personal revenge against one of the fairest, most just misdemeanor judges in the courthouse.

And that’s what makes Jared Woodfill today’s Asshat Lawyer of the Day.

Do go read the piece in its entirety. Without an ability to pass judgment on Standley's jurisprudence -- his regular prudence being another matter entirely -- it's just entertaining to continue observing Republicans cannibalize themselves.

-- Lastly, Elise Hu has some photos from Jim Mattox's memorial service yesterday, and this recollection from a eulogist:

(Mattox) checked out a lot available at the (Texas State) cemetery a few months ago. He joked, "Let me try it out first" -- before lying down on the grass. He decided it felt right, and that spot is where he will be buried.

And don't miss Dave McNeely's historical retrospective of Mattox's time in the political limelight.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Obama and Noriega

Great news if he aced the interview and gets the job, whatever it happens to be:

State Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston, the unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate who served in Afghanistan and on the Mexican border as a Texas Army National Guard officer, met with President-elect Barack Obama today as Obama worked on filling leadership positions in his administration, according to confidential sources.

Democrat Noriega, who lost the Nov. 4 election to Republican incumbent John Cornyn, declined to discuss the meeting in Chicago. Obama's transition team spokesmen also declined to comment.

The meeting appeared to be a potential first step toward consideration of Noriega, 50, for appointment to an administration position, and no specific job was mentioned, according to people close to the process who spoke on the condition of not being identified.

I'd like to see Rick Noriega in Washington in January, though I'd still wish he were replacing a Box Turtle. And who knows? Perhaps we could still see him serving us in the Senate a couple of years from now.

Give Thanks: Coulter's jaw broken, mouth wired shut

She was probably getting a drink of water when someone slammed the toilet seat down. Since the news comes from deep inside the New York Post, we're forced to take it with a few grains of salt:

WE HEAR...THAT although we didn't think it would be possible to silence Ann Coulter, the leggy reactionary broke her jaw and the mouth that roared has been wired shut...

It's a Christmas Miracle!

Why we're bailing out Chitigroup and not the Big 3

No unions to bust.

It's also important, of course, to prop up the make-believe economy (the one that pushes paper around and talks on the phone) as opposed to the real one. You remember that economy, right? The one that actually manufactures things.

That''s what we all went to college for, right? So we could wear white-collar shirts and not blue ones, like our dads? Not get our hands dirty?

And just to put another miserable conservative talking point to bed: the reason the auto manufacturers are in trouble IS NOT because their employees get too generous a benefits package. It's because their overpaid management (GM $20 million, Honda $1 million) keeps turning out a product that no one wants to buy. There's also that little-known fact that cars built in the US have built-in health insurance costs, while cars built in countries like Japan or Germany provide health insurance to all citizens, or they're built in places like Mexico or Brazil where the workforces are non-union and don't receive any health care at all.

Which model will we move toward?

Turkey Week Wrangle

Here's the pre-Turkey Day edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly blog round-up, to be consumed while you bake your pumpkin pies, stuff your turkey, pack your bags, or perform whatever holiday traditions occupy your time.

jobsanger notes that some racists seem to think this election gives them permission to once again publicly display their sick beliefs, in "Racist reaction to the election".

The Texas Cloverleaf discusses the upcoming study that may result in a mileage based user fee rather than a gas tax for drivers in the US.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston reports the Texas Ethics Commission fines state representative Carl Isett $25,000.

BossKitty at TruthHugger watches, with the rest of the world, America: A Spectator Sport or Soap Opera.

Off the Kuff analyzes the precinct data for Harris County and declares the coordinated effort to get out the Democratic vote there a success, and that the Democratic base was everywhere you looked.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme claims the religious right exposes its dark underbelly with opposition to Prop 8.

McBlogger takes a moment to talk about the deficit, the economy and bailing us out. Because it's, you know, important.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the issues the Texas GOP is grappling with in the aftermath of thier massive defeats in The GOP brand is tarnished in Texas.

Barnett Shale radioactive waste is a bone-seeking carcinogen when airborne and has a 1622 year half-life, writes TXsharon at Bluedaze.

Environment and education have been greatly on the mind of the Texas Kaos community this week. Front pager TxSharon gave us a heads-up on Brett Shipp's expose of the Texas Railroad Commission on Bill Moyers Journal Friday, and diarist liberaltexan kept an eye on a Faith Based Initiative: Fundamentalist Religious Attack on Science in Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal says that Galveston was a disaster before as well as after Hurricane Ike.

Vince at Capitol Annex poses a couple of questions about Tom Craddick's Secret Police and asks exactly why former state rep. and ex-deputy parliamentarian Ron Wilson is running around the Capitol with parliamentarian Terry Keel and serving as a media escort/hatchet man for the speaker.

The Texas Blue looks at how Tom DeLay's gerrymandering of the state has actually made Texas weaker on the national level than a fair apportionment would have.

The passing of Jim Mattox prompted some reminiscences from Texas bloggers and corporate media. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs assembled a few, ahead of Monday's memorial service.