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1. A fire destroys all voting machines in Harris County (Houston, Texas). A right wing voter suppression group emerges. Read about it at DogCanyon.Org .
In other details, the suppression campaigns follow a familiar pattern: raise suspicions of widespread voter fraud. Accuse "others" of stealing elections from us (read: white people). Threaten would-be voters with criminal charges. Limit polling locations in poor and minority precincts. Distribute spurious "felon lists" that disenfranchise legal voters who happen to share a name with a felon. Staff phone banks that make election calls to minority and poor voters giving incorrect polling locations and dates. Dress up vigilantes in cop clothes to intimidate would-be voters.
Regular Huffington Post contributor Greg Mitchell wrote one of the best accounts of such a suppression and intimidation campaign in his book about the 1934 California governor's race, The Campaign of the Century. At least since then, voter suppression has been a part of nearly every election cycle.
There are simply no machines available to replace the loss of Houston's machines. That means either a return to paper ballots (there may be very few scanners to count them) or a greatly reduced number of polling locations. The latter would require the emergency suspension of state law and run afoul of the Voting Rights Act. In any case, confusion will reign, and confusion reduces turnout.
2. Sen. Orrin Hatch supports the rights of those wanting to build the Park51 project. Better than that he actually takes the most honorable position here.
HATCH: Let's be honest about it, in the First Amendment, religious freedom, religious expression, that really express matters to the Constitution. So, if the Muslims own that property, that private property, and they want to build a mosque there, they should have the right to do so. The only question is are they being insensitive to those who suffered the loss of loved ones? We know there are Muslims killed on 9/11 too and we know it's a great religion. ... But as far as their right to build that mosque, they have that right.
I just think what's made this country great is we have religious freedom. That's not the only thing, but it's one of the most important things in the Constitution. [...]
There's a question of whether it's too close to the 9/11 area, but it's a few blocks away, it isn't right there. ... And there's a huge, I think, lack of support throughout the country for Islam to build that mosque there, but that should not make a difference if they decide to do it. I'd be the first to stand up for their rights.
We're also big sports fans. Might I add - some of us are college football fanatics.
Here's my preseason Top 5
1. Alabama - Gotta go with my team and the defending BCS National Champions.
Yeah that's the real trophy. I toured the new Athletic Facility at Alabama a couple months ago. We've got a tough October gauntlet and that 2nd game of the season against Casual Wednesday's Nittany Lions will be tough. Always tough to pull off the magical repeat, but Bama has the talent.
2. Ohio State - Favorable schedule and a lot of returning talent after winning the Rose Bowl last year. That second game of the season against Miami at home might be a trap though.
3. Florida - Yeah I know Tebow and his Friar haircut are gone to Denver. But Urban Meyer came back for a reason. Tough game at Bama. But otherwise road schedule is a joke.
4. Texas - Young quarterback. But Texas is solid on Defense. Look for another Red River Shootout against Oklahoma to tell us what to expect the second half of the season in the "Big Twelve".
5. Virginia Tech - a sleeper pick. But I think that Beamer's boys knock off Boise in the first game of the season and set the stage. The toughest games will be in November.
Other teams in the mix - Oregon, Nebraska, Boise State, Iowa, TCU
Who's your pick to win it in 2010? What is your team?
This weekend at Netroots Nation 2010, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with two Democrats running for the Texas State School Board - Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell Metereau . Both are extremely well qualified, smart and passionate about saving public education in Texas.
Background - For about the last 15 years, right-wing Texans have been trying to systematically change the curriculum in public schools. These changes especially in textbooks have been drastic and represent the philosophical madness of the right Wing and the assault on public education. For example in 1995, a lady pictured carrying a briefcase was removed and replaced with a ladying carying a cake because it was deemed to be a "more appropriate" depiction of a role model.
Here's a great video about what has been going in Texas
The Texas School Board positions are unpaid so that is another reason that what they are doing is admirable.
The Southwest Workers Union's living quarters, called "Solidarity House," was sprayed with 15 rounds of semi-automatic rifle fire early Sunday, July 11. A 23-year-old man, James Domingue, was severely injured. His pelvis was shattered by bullets. He remains in critical condition in the hospital.
Six other summer interns fortunately escaped the bullets because they were sitting and eating below the path of gunfire. A member of the group said that if it had been 5 minutes earlier they would have been standing and everyone would have been hit.
Twenty-five shell casings were found in the street by members of the organization and police.
A vigil for the victim was held on Monday at SWU headquarters.
More details will be filled in on this when I get them.
We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy," the GOP platform reads. Meaning that even though the U.S. Supreme Court overturned sodomy laws last decade (ironically in a case that stemmed from Texas), Texas Republicans would like the state to have the power to criminalize LGBT folks for having sex.
"We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such," reads the GOP platform.
Sure, the situation is pretty embarassing - our State Board of Education just approved a social studies curriculum that removed Thomas Jefferson and a host of other historically significant people. It's clear that many Texans are pretty ashamed at the national coverage of the debaucle. But here's a few other things to keep in mind, as you're teeing up your Texas-focused snark:
* The State Board of Education is not the Texas School Board. I've seen incorrect references of the State Board of Eduation (SBOE) as the "Texas School Board". Texas has over 1,000 independent school boards (ISDs) - these School Boards have final jurisdiction over what happens on public school campuses. The SBOE sets standards that the ISDs have to implement, such as testing standards and curriculum guidelines. The ISDs, like their name imply, act independently of the SBOE.
* This problem is nearly 40 years old. The most recent takeover of the State Board of Education by Religious Conservatives started nearly 20 years ago, as this report shows. Texas Freedom Network's Education Fund has done a great job at documenting and debunking the Conservative misinformation floating around Texas. We've had a long time to be outraged about this.
* Public commenting (and all the other negative visibility and ridicule available on the Internet) can be cathartic for some, but it only helps makes our work in convincing moderate Republicans more difficult. The two races that are most promising are SBOE District 5 (Rebecca Bell-Metereau) and District 10 (Judy Jennings). Both districts historically have been Republican strongholds, but places where it is possible to win over moderate conservatives. As you might imagine, when the rest of the Progressive Internet and mainstream media is calling Texans members of an extreme terrorist group, it doesn't help the Texan Progressives engaged in persuasion efforts. (Note previous rule on Texan pride.)
* The best was to help is to donate to people like Rebecca Bell-Metereau and Judy Jennings. I asked the opinion of a few tribal elders who are knowledgeable about the SBOE, and their take was that regardless of how aggressive or voluminous public commeting is, there is virutally no chance that the current ruling or votes will change after the comment period. It just potentially hurts our chances in November. Massive displays of histrionics and blame just become more evidence that incumbents Ken Mercer and Cynthia Dunbar can point to that will discredit Bell-Metereau and Jennings.
As I've often said, we've got to pay attention to what's happening at the State level in states other than our own. What happens in Texas can set a trend of rewriting and editing history without consulting historians and educators all over the country. Right now, I'm not sure what the best way to help is other than become aware of what has been going on in Texas.
Looks like Secessionist Rick Perry barely avoiding a runoff with Kay Bailey Hutchinson in Texas Gubernatorial Republican Primary. He leads 52-31 Deborah Medina, the Tea Party preferred candidate, is at 17 %.
Bill White cruising to victory on the Democratic Side.
Ralph Hall (TX-04), who is older than Methuselah, seems like he will squeak by a Tea Party challenge at 57%.
I don't see anything else particularly interesting right now.
Despite repeated campaign promises to always be in the District on weekends, Pete Sessions is working overtime today to kill health care reform.
His latest outburst on the House floor drew "a burst of chatter" in the room, kind of like it does in bi-partisan settings here at home when Sessions gets stuck for an answer and says the first thing that comes to mind, usually a tangent about "socialism" or "Nancy Pelosi."
In his latest gaffe, Pete Sessions defended the insurance industry's practice of charging higher rates to women, comparing the practice to charging higher rates for smokers. Transcript over the jump...
So, besides being batshit crazy, what does Pete Sessions have to do with Michele Bachmann?
Pete Sessions is chair of the NRCC, and he's raised a lot of money for Michele Bachmann. And he's not going to stop there--his goal is to pack Congress with more batshit crazies just like them.
Want to stop him? Support his Democratic Party opponent, Grier Raggio. Read more about Grier over the jump...
Seriously God Bless America. Not Just God Bless Texas anymore. Next week we will have to endure Tom DeLay doing the Foxtrot or Charleston or some other dance they only do on ABC. I promise I will not post any more footage. I'm crossing my fingers though because if Hot Tub Tom slips and falls that might just be too funny for the world to not see.
Here was some of my tweeting tonight concerning Mr. DeLay. Oh and one Miley Cyrus tweet just for good measure
i just saw DeLay eerily caressing Cheryl Burke's back - i really am glad I don't have TiVo
okay grab the barf bag - Tom DeLay back next week - who honestly wants to watch that again?
@mommanissel @baxterblogs @sherriwilson - i need more Tom DeLay jokes for next week - he will be back unless behind Bars
why couldn't Miley Cyrus just sing a rendition of achy breaky heart with her dad and be done?
Go Simba Go Mame Mr. DeLay #DWTS
I cannot accept the things I cannot change when it involves Tom DeLay on Dancing With the Stars again
Tom DeLay appears on Dancing with the Stars tonight. I'm hoping he will take a little stumble. The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) produced a video to commemorate the occasion: Dancing with Tom DeLay and Mrs. Gerry Mandering
If Texas does secede and form its own less than perfect union, based on this story I hate to see what would be in store.
Right out of Sarah Palin's, "Rightwing Nutjob I love that Dick Cheney Loves Rush Limbaugh Playbook" here comes a tale of where a Houston Rape victim gets billed for evidence that the state has money available to pay.
The Houston Police Department made one payment toward the single mother's hospital bill, but when she submitted the $1,847 worth of remaining bills to the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund, she received a denial letter, telling her that law enforcement should have paid.
"She's getting the run-around," said Young at the rape crisis center, which was not involved in her case.
"There may be lots of survivors who have this happen and we don't know because they don't know that they shouldn't be getting the bills," she said.
Okay but we are in a recession so maybe no money is available. Wrong according to what was also discovered.
Texas State Comptroller's office figures show the fund has tens of millions of dollars left over at the end of each year.
In September 2006, the balance was $67,058,646 and one year later, the balance was $57,669,432.
In 2008, that figure was up again to $66,572,261 that was left unspent in the fund.
Attorney General's spokesman Jerry Strickland said the crime victim fund is enforcing strict guidelines imposed by the legislature as to which bills are paid and which victims are sent a denial notice.
Otherwise, he said that fund could become "insolvent."
He said state law is clear that crime victims must exhaust all other potential funding sources, such as local police or their own health insurance.
"The legislature set it up that way," said Strickland.
But the fund has more money than it did in 2006. A government official being worried about being insolvent, now that's a first. I could understand if you had maybe a couple hundred thousand in the account. Seriously, even if you spent a million of that money for rape victims you would still have a lot of money left. And I doubt that the bills for all the rape victims in the State in a year would even come close to a million. Probably at the most a couple hundred thousand.
I'm sure that the AG's office really doesn't want their expenditures audited though so maybe this will get them to start paying these evidence bills. Not to mention that it's just wrong for a rape victim to get a bill and psychologically reopen wounds months and perhaps years later.
We are nearing the end of our wrap ups. While we are having fun, we are glad we won't have to do this for each state until 2010. So we think anyways.
Texas
I don't think anyone had any illusions that Obama would win Texas. If you really thought that then I have some oceanfront property in Arizona that I would like to sell you.
Obama got a lot more votes than Kerry - What about 800k more?
The Senate race - Noriega lost by almost a million votes and 12 points. At times during the race, Noriega looked like he was running a great race. At other times the campaign look disheveled. From the outside looking it, it looked like Noriega had trouble raising money.
Cornyn was going to be real tough to beat regardless of the competition. As goofy as Cornyn looked during the campaign (The Big Bad John Video), none of that made a difference.
The Noriega and Obama maps look pretty similar.
House Races - There are 32 House Seats in Texas and only two were in single digits. The wrangling of the State Legislature is a big issue in Texas and I'm not quite sure how it turned out.
Most pundits and polls knew that Nick Lampson was in trouble. Polls showed him as losing by double digits. Well he lost by seven points and the Dems lost an incumbent.
The only other race within single digits was TX-17 where Chet Edwards disposed of Rob Curnock.
Texas took center stage tonight. And it had nothing to do with politics. Three days away from the election and college football rules the roost tonight.
My team Alabama should be #1 after drubbing Arkansas State and seeing Texas Tech hold on for a thrilling victory over current #1 Texas.
I'm sure some will call for Penn State or Texas Tech to move to the top spot, but for a week it should be Alabama.
Alabama faces a tough test in LSU next week at Baton Rouge. But by then the election will be over and we can all really focus on college football.
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