Republican Thugs Throw Brick Through Democratic Headquarters Window

I’ve been pretty quiet about this because I have been stewing about it for a couple of days now (and Pete Olson keeps giving me side splitting guffaws). But now I just want to show you what our noble opposition is capable of.

Pure thuggery.

I got a call from Marsha on Sunday morning informing me that someone had thrown a brick through one of the windows of the Rosenberg Democratic Headquarters. She asked me to bring a camera and take photographs.

Upon arriving I found that not only had that scurrilous act occurred, but that they had rummaged through and stolen $80 in cash. Two weeks prior, they stole cash and a very valuable laptop PC upon which we had our PAC’s membership list as well as voter data.

Not only don’t these people believe in playing fair, they believe that felonious offenses are copasetic as long as they are against Democrats.

The crime was reported to the Rosenberg PD and they took a report and moved off. The crime was then reported to the media and they descended. It can all be seen here (warning you have to sit through an ad).

That TV station's video was taken after we had cleaned up the glass, installed some plywood 4xs8’s to cover the hole, and then hid the plywood by covering them with campaign signs (the Morrison and Siegel signs that you see in their video).

Here are photographs of the crime scene as it appeared when the headquarters was opened on Sunday morning.

Here is the brick.

Outside, you can see the thick glass spread everywhere.

And the iron bar that was used to clear out the glass after the brick was thrown.

And here is the crime scene after the glass was cleared, the empty glass frame covered with plywood, and the plywood optimized with properly sized campaign signs.

The KTRK story focused on signs being stolen, both Democratic and Republican signs. Implying again, that this matter is a push: both parties are guilty.

Republicans, however, have clearly gone beyond the pale and exacted real property damage on a building. Property damage to the tune of $800 in glass replacement.

My humble suggestion to the Republican Party of Fort Bend County is that they should display proper disdain for this hate crime by one or more of their number, and pass the hat around to compensate the Fort Bend Democrats’ loss.

If they are really sorry that this happened, they’ll do it, don’t you think? They’re sorry that this happened, don’t you think?

No, I don’t either.

Houston Has A Redneck In It

No, I swear it’s true. In the City of Houston there is a guy who doesn’t like peace. Probably doesn’t like people who aren’t white. And apparently has a real bee in his bonnet over Zydeco music. Well, maybe not that last one.

The Chron reports this morning that early this morning, about 1 AM according to the folks there, a bullet was fired into a studio window at the local radio station KPFT. According to KPFT, the bullet was fired from a passing car, hit the plexiglass part of the window, pierced the glass portion of the window and then slammed into the control room door on the far side of the room.

Police are looking for the bullet this morning.

No one was hurt, but the bullet passed within 18 inches of a woman’s head.

As a probable motive for the attack, station general manager Duane Bradley offered that “the sometimes-controversial station airs blues, folk and other types of music as well as ‘alternative’ programming about gay and lesbian issues and a program geared toward Texas prison inmates and their families.”

Bradley continued:

"There was actually a Zydeco music show that was on when this happened. Zydeco, if anything, is kind of happy music."

Most probably, the perpetrator had heard something on the show that he didn’t like, and decided to put redneck thoughts to redneck action.

You just know that unless a miracle happens the crime will go unpunished, but it makes me wonder whether, if caught, the criminal would be charged under the Hate Crimes law.

HR 1592, The “Hate Crimes Bill” Passes

Hate crimes, crimes committed against people because of some physical, behavioral or ideological characteristic, are more heinous than the vast bulk of crimes that humans are capable of. Congress today accomplished something that would have been impossible before January. They passed HR 1592, the “Hate Crimes Bill”. A similar bill, sponsored by Ted Kennedy, is making its way through the Senate.

The vote went this way Aye: 237 (including 25 Republicans) and Nay: 180 (including 14 Democrats). My congressman, Nick Lampson, is still recovering from surgery so did not vote.

What this bill will do if it becomes law (more on that later) is to recognize hate crimes as a crime against a person committed solely on account of the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim. That’s the broadest definition ever to be seen, and it is very inclusive.

The bill authorizes the attorney general to give priority to prosecute cases involving hate crime, and provides that the attorney general may provide technical support to local law enforcement agencies in their investigations. In addition, local law enforcement agencies may apply for grants of up to $100,000 per year to assist them in their investigation of hate crimes.

Federal prosecution of local hate crimes may occur if the local jurisdiction requests it or does not object to federal action, or if the jurisdiction fails to prosecute the offense. A person convicted of a federal hate crime, a felony, could face up to 10 years imprisonment, or if the victim dies, is kidnapped or sexually assaulted, life imprisonment.

Hate crimes speak to the worst side of human behavior. It needs special attention to eradicate commission of hate crimes in this country.

This is a great and noble bill.

And George Bush says he will veto it.

Why? Is it because too many people with “high moral standards” will be incarcerated? Religious extremists who want to cuff a faggot for Christ? Or is it because of California? California has led the way in passing hate crime bills into law. It is now a crime in California to refuse to hire a teacher solely because he/she is a transsexual.

The Washington Post printed a White House statement on this bill today:

“The White House said state and local criminal laws already cover the new crimes defined under the bill and there was "no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially large range of violent crime enforcement.”

So, according to the White House, the reason Bush opposes the bill is because the states already prosecute hate crimes, and that hate crimes are so widespread and rampant that there is no need to federalize the crime. They also say it isn’t inclusive enough. No mention of the elderly. No mention is made of policemen or the military (you know, guys who carry guns?).

Do these people come from the same planet I am from?

Republicans are outraged that the law no longer makes us all equal. That gays get their cases filed before straights who are beaten and robbed. Well let’s get this straight: hate crimes are crimes motivated by ideas, not avarice or passion. A victim of a hate crime not only has a broken body, but a broken spirit. Hate crimes are the cruelest crimes in existence. They SHOULD get priority.

Rightwing evangelical James Dobson, founder of “Focus on the Family” says that the true intent of the bill is to “muzzle people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality”. Dobson wants to retain his religious right to hate his fellow human man. He also claims that the bill would deny his right to free speech.

No, I think it will still be possible for Ann Coulter to call John Edwards “a faggot” in tasteless jokes. But it will protect her if someone attacks her under the delusion that she is a former male.