Letters on Mikal Watts for Chief Justice.

I got a few responses on my Mikal Watts for Texas Court of Appeals Chief Justice post. Mostly they deal with the fact that Mikal lives in San Antonio and the job I want him to try for is in Austin.

Sometimes the job that is made for you isn’t where you are. That’s a fact of life.

Here’s a message I received today, echoing the same comments as the others:

“The Third Court of Appeals is based in Austin and hears appeals from the trial courts in Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Coke, Comal, Concho, Fayette, Hays, Irion, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, McCulloch, Milam, Mills, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Sterling, Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson counties.”

”The Fourth Court of Appeals is based in San Antonio and hears appeals from the trial courts in Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Brooks, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Mason, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Real, Starr, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb, Wilson, Zapata, and Zavala counties.”

I know. Apparently we read the same web pages.

In shopping for an appropriate job for Mikal, I started in Bexar County, but didn’t want to settle for a mere judge or associate justice spot. Mikal’s got too much talent for that. No it’s chief justice or nothing. In the 4th, Chief Justice Alma Lopez is up for re-election in 2008, but she’s a Democrat so the work is done there.

In the neighboring 3rd district, the incumbent is a Republican. A do-nothing Republican. He says in his own bio that the Chief Justice writes the opinions of the court. OK, if so, take a look at who writes the opinions. Anyone but him.

No, we need a Democrat in that spot. A young energetic Democrat. I think Mikal Watts was made for this position, and it was made for him.

Draft Mikal Watts for Chief Justice of the 3rd Court of Appeals!

No Probation For Scooter Libby?

I just heard it on CNN going on in the other room. There is a glitch, a procedural problem that may prevent Scooter Libby from serving any time under supervised probation, and it’s all because Bush commuted Libby’s sentence before he spent a single day serving it.

According to US District judge Reggie Walton, there is a problem if a convicted felon has his sentence commuted before setting foot in prison.

From MSNBC:

“The law, Walton said in court documents, ‘does not appear to contemplate a situation in which a defendant may be placed under supervised release without first completing a term of incarceration.’”

This problem arises from Bush’s reluctance to talk to anyone about this decision before making it public. Had he run the idea past his Attorney General . . . no scratch that . . . past some legal minds in the Department of Justice, they would have, in all probability, pointed out this technicality in the law. Either that, and he did consult the Justice Department, they pointed out the problem, and he went ahead anyway.

Either way, Bush looks really bad. An incompetent who says that a fine and probation was enough punishment, and then blows it on the probation, or a devious and dishonest president who was given a way to get his friend off the hook almost entirely.

Walton is giving the special prosecutor and Libby’s lawyers until Monday to come up with arguments on this.

All I can say is How Much Is ENOUGH!

You Have GOT to See SiCKO

I don’t do movie reviews so don’t expect one here. What this is, is a chronology of what I had to go through to see Michael Moore’s new production of SiCKO. And a recommendation that you also jump through those hoops, well, hopefully fewer ones than I had.

I live in what was once aptly called DeLay Country. Aptly named, because up until last year, voters in my area were wildly enthusiastic about returning to congress every two years one of the meanest, self-aggrandizing, disingenuous, and corrupt politicians in recent memory.

So when I looked up the start times for Michael Moore’s SiCKO at my local AMC I was startled to learn that it wasn’t playing there. Nor anywhere else within 25 miles. I was amazed to discover that it was only playing in a handful of theaters, all within the confines of the City of Houston. You have to hand it to AMC, they really know their local market. Three screens to show Ratatouille, none for SiCKO.

My daughter had an unexpected day off yesterday, so we decided that we needed to make the trek to Houston. The matinee was at 3:25 so we left the house an hour before that, reasoning that we could kill the extra time some way. It had been raining off and on that afternoon, but just as we exited the door, the sky opened up and we were both drenched in a downpour.

As we drove down the street, I noted that the water piling up on each side of the road was creeping toward each other. The downpour abated and we made it to the freeway unscathed. The drive into the city was marred by only a few slow downs, traffic was light but moving slowly due to the weather. As we passed inside “the Loop” I noted that we probably wouldn’t have to worry too much about how to kill time once we got there.

There was no parking lot next to the downtown theater and the street curbs were absolutely jammed with parked cars. The adjacent parking structure pointed to a “theater entrance” so I figured they had a section for theater patrons. They did. For 3 bucks.

Ten minutes later we were in our seats. The movie started immediately. No kidding. We didn’t see one trailer.

What I will say about Michael Moore’s latest production is that Moore has done it again. His sense of timing is exquisite, and when you think he has proved his point he goes on to new heights and proves it with new authority.

Staying for the credits, you are treated to some quotes, and a recommended website that caused me to burst out laughing: http://www.hook-a-canuck.com

Go to the website and you get the gist of the point, but in order to really appreciate it, you need to see this film.

Draft Mikal Watts For Chief Justice of Texas 3rd Court of Appeals

Republicans have had a stranglehold on the Texas court system. But now, with parts of Texas going blue, progressive Texans have a chance to retake the state justice system.

Let’s start at the top. Ken Law is Chief Justice of the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin. He ran unopposed in 2002 for the office of Chief Justice.

What we need to oppose this qualified, but Republican, individual is a centrist Democrat with sterling credentials in law, and we need look no further than San Antonio's own Mikal Watts.

Watts has made himself well-known in legal circles, and has recently become mentioned in the news in a possible Senate race bid. Watts would be a good opponent to Bush rubberstamp Senator John Cornyn, but in opposing this Republican, he leaves himself open to accusations of trying to buy the office with contingency fees, a liability in the extreme. Others might point out that he has no legislative experience and that he is underqualified to be a senator.

Let’s turn his liabilities into strengths.

Let’s urge Mikal Watts to run for Chief Justice.

Mikal Watts, the right man for the right office.

John Edwards On Labor And Trade

John Edwards spoke to a roomful of steel workers yesterday. He said all of the right things to union workers. Every Democratic candidate will say exactly the same thing. So how does Edwards differentiate himself from the pack on these issues?

Watch this YouTube video and find out.

Republican Senators Break Ranks With Bush Over Iraq

It started last year when Senator Chuck Hagel (R - Nebraska) became the vanguard in splitting with his president on Iraq war policy. Then things seemed to have quieted down in the GOP as Bush’s “Surge” was announced and then implemented.

Until last week.

On June 27, Senator Richard Lugar, (R - Indiana) announced on the Senate floor a change in his stance on the War in Iraq. The purpose of “The Surge” was to "give time for the Iraqi politicians to work out the constitutional elements, not only the oil law, but the local elections, a whole raft of things.”

Lugar is calling for reassignment of American troops in Iraq; pulling them off the front lines and retasked to training Iraqis.

And to have the troops back home by March 2008.

In other words, this conservative Senator has totally embraced the conclusions of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group. The ones that Bush completely dismissed late last year.

Adding his voice to the chorus was another Republican Senator, George Voinovich (R-Ohio) who rose in support of his GOP colleague saying that there wasn’t enough fear in the Iraqi government. Once they “know we are genuinely leaving, I think all of a sudden the fear of God will descend upon them and say 'We've got to get involved in this thing.'"

There they go again with this fear thing. It has stopped working here so maybe they can get it to work over there. Perhaps it's something like we make them afraid over there so we don’t have to be afraid over here.

Then today, Senator Pete Domenici (R- New Mexico) has echoed Lugar, Hagel and Voinovich.

“I have carefully studied the Iraq situation, and believe we cannot continue asking our troops to sacrifice indefinitely while the Iraqi government is not making measurable progress to move its country forward.”

Rumored to be poised to join this double-crossing quartet are John Warner (R - Virginia), John Sununu (R – New Hampshire), Norm Coleman (R - Minnesota), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Richard Burr (R – North Carolina).

That makes nine. And that plus the Democratic fifty-one makes it sixty.

Now all we need is some legislation that can be agreed to with this new supermajority and we can get an Iraqi War Policy bill to Bush’s desk to receive another veto.

So . . . we need six more so we have enough to override the veto. So then we can have an Iraqi War policy law that Bush will ignore.

After the Scooter Libby fiasco, you think Bush cares about what people think of him? About his legacy?

What’s my point? I guess it’s this: it doesn’t matter who comes out for a new Iraq War Policy, or how many. This is Bush’s war and the only way it’s going to end is if it becomes a political expedient for Bush. Mentioned in some of the news websites that I have linked to, is that he needs to be thinking about the 2008 election and how it is going to be bad for Republicans, including the presidential candidate, if he doesn’t move on this issue.

Truth is, I don’t think he cares about that, either.

Nick Lampson Holds “Neighborhood Office Hours” in Richmond, Texas

I got the robo call, I got the email, and then my friend Ann called. Nick Lampson was having a “Neighborhood Office Hours” at the Richmond City Hall Annex on Tuesday, July 3rd, and we decided to go.

Neither of us knew where it was, but I knew where Morton Street was. It turns out we drove straight to it. The room was nearly empty except for 5 geezers who were sitting in the comfortable chairs lined up along one wall. One of them turned out to be Hilmar Moore, the mayor of Richmond.

The room filled. There were at least 25 people in the room when Nick arrived. Not a bad turn out, and my guess is that Ann and I were probably one of the few Democrats that attended. Well, Rodrigo was there, but Rodrigo is always there. His vigilant attendance of public meetings puts us all to shame.

Nick gave a brief speech . . . nice to be here . . . spent some time in the hospital . . . stuff like that. But his real reason for being there was to listen to what we were concerned about. I was doing research all day on the upcoming NCLB reauthorization vote, and had my question framed, but I also wanted to hear what people were thinking, so I held my question in case no one else had anything to ask.

Suffice it to say, I didn’t get to ask the question.

There was lots and lots of discussion on transportation issues. One question had to do with light rail to Houston. It opened up a can of worms. First, that the existing railroad line that runs right through Richmond was going to have increased traffic due to the purchase and construction of two container offloading sites in western Rosenberg. Railroad traffic, already around 60 trains per day, is expected to double and the truck traffic between Rosenberg and US 59 is expected to be heavy. Lots of infrastructure issues.

Nick also mentioned a proposal to reroute the rail line so that it bypassed populated areas, but that the railroad companies would probably need federal “inducement”.

Back to the light rail issue, if a new railroad line is built, that frees up the Highway 90 rail line that could then be converted to light rail.

Interesting.

Nick also mentioned the planned deepening and widening of the Panama Canal, and how that would mean that Houston and Galveston port channels would also need to be deepened and widened.

Probably the most interesting question came from a woman who identified herself as a “conservative Republican”. She offered that “No offense”, she didn’t consider herself represented in congress. She complained that congress didn’t listen to the people anymore, they listened to lobbyists. When I heard that I had to look at my notes and reverify that she indeed said that she was a conservative Republican. Her big concern was health care. She wanted to know what Nick thought about John Conyers’ HR 676. Nick didn’t know the specifics of the bill so she mentioned that it was about Universal Health Care, something that she thought we should have. I couldn’t believe my ears. A conservative Republican wanting Nick to vote for Universal Health Care.

Nick was all over this. He talked about the PHARMA lobby and what they did to Medicare/Medicaid. About the pharmaceutical industry having the biggest profit margin in the world, and about how Americans should be able to buy American-manufactured medication from other countries. He mentioned a proposal to allow people who are not old enough for the federal Medicare health plan to be able to buy in to the plan with premium payments based on number of years below 65.

So here’s the news: Republicans are ready for Universal Health Care. Democrats need to own this issue.

Another question from the back came from a woman, didn’t get her name, she said she worked at the Fort Bend Star. Her concern was about levees, that new FEMA maps indicate that current levees aren’t high enough, that levees being built by the county in low-lying areas are of questionable value, but mainly she wanted to see the map that told her insurance company that they needed to raise her homeowner’s insurance because she was now on a floodplain. No one would show her a map. She said that she was told that she should “just trust FEMA”.

Boy did that get a laugh.

She kept on him, wouldn’t let Nick off until he promised that he would look into getting her a map.

The conversation turned to science and Nick saw an opening to bring out his views on science. Funding for all science programs, he said, is down. Partial cuts are everywhere. Indeed, Nick pointed out that in its Apollo Program heyday, NASA’s funding constituted 6% of the entire federal budget (and remember, we had a nice little war going at the time). At the present, NASA’s budget is 0.6% of the federal budget. Nick pointed out that America is 39th in the world in terms of science education, bringing out a few gasps in the room.

More statistics. Nick pointed out that last year China graduated 60,000 science PhDs, while America graduated 6,000. At that, Ann leaned over and whispered “and 2/3 rds of them were Chinese.”

The point being that America is the place where scientific advancement has happened in the past, but that we are not very good at ensuring that will continue to be true in the future.

On immigration and border security, Nick echoed what he told us at the Richmond/Rosenberg Chamber of Commerce luncheon last month. Nothing is going to happen on this issue this year, and probably not next year. Not mentioning a fence, Nick did mention that if we are serious about border security, all we have to do is enforce the current laws and provide the manpower that has been requested: 50,000 more border patrol personnel rather than the 1100 that were delivered, more customs officials, more prosecutors to enforce the laws.

But all of that takes money, and Nick reiterated what he said earlier. To do this we cannot spend more and reduce the deficit at the same time. He didn’t go into the specifics of that, but you know what he was talking about. Rolling back Bush’s tax cuts for the well off.

And we all know how that will happen. It’ll happen when we have 60 Democrats in the US Senate.

Then Nick, Nick the staffer that is, started pointing at his watch and Nick, the Congressman, said that he had to wrap things up. People got up and crowded around him. Ann and I spoke briefly with Monica, who heads up Nick’s Clear Lake office, and left.

Ann announced a craving for chocolate and we were off in pursuit of that physical need.

Ironically, just as I got home later on, the phone rang and it was Nick’s voice in another robo call. This time for a “Keep Your Kids Safe” town hall meeting in Pearland.

I think I’ll pass.

Rick Noriega's 4th of July Message on Daily Kos

Sugar Land Liberal has a new posting on Daily Kos. It is a 4th of July message from Texas State Rep Lt. Col. Rick Noriega.

Now I don’t know why I need to direct you to that blog. They get a million hits a day to my 6. But I thought I would anyway just to say I did my best to increase the traffic to Daily Kos. Next time, I guess I’ll see if I can help out Arianna Huffington.

Here’s my favorite part of Rick’s message (of course):

“The draft effort asking me to run for the United States Senate has been an astounding honor. I and my entire family are humbled by it. We have prayed about this call. We have asked God every day that if we undertake this immense and necessary task, that it is for the right reasons. That I meet this challenge for God, for Texas and for the country we share and love, not for myself.”

The Draft Rick Noriega effort was a no-brainer and a pleasure to work on.

Thanks for stepping up, Rick.

Happy Soggy Fourth!

Well it’s the 4th of July and here in southeast Texas we have yet another massive storm system passing slowly, ever so slowly through the area.

The news is full of cancelled parades, festivals and fireworks shows. That being the case, maybe the only fireworks my 6 nearby readers will ever see today will be the one that they can see by clicking on the YouTube frame below.

They say it’s the world’s largest fireworks display on record so . . . well . . . there’s that.

Cornyn Vs. The Big Bad Rich Guys

Well it has finally begun, and really early. Remember just a little while ago when Senator John Cornyn from Texas was saying that he wasn’t interested in what or who the Democrats were talking about running against him? That he wouldn’t even start thinking about a campaign until after the primary, when he knew who he was running against?

Remember that? Here’s a reminder. Three paragraphs from the bottom. Go look, I’ll wait.

Well I guess the electioneering has begun in Cornyn’s camp – 245 days before the primary. Just one week after that article came out, John Nau, Cornyn’s statewide campaign manager sent out a letter to Cornyn’s past supporters.

It starts out all syrupy, stuff that moneybags Republicans lap up, then he strikes for the gold:

“Unfortunately, John appears to have drawn a very wealthy personal injury lawyer – Mikal Watts – as a potential opponent.”

“Reminiscent of Tony Sanchez and 2002, last week Mr. Watts chose to send a message to Democrat (sic) primary opponents. In two checks, he gave and loaned his campaign $3.8 million.”

“And that is the purpose of my letter.”

“Would you send John one of the amounts I’ve mentioned on the enclosed reply by June 30th? With your help, we will send a message about the strength of the team supporting our U.S. Senator John Cornyn.”

“John is a very good man who won a focused, positive 2002 campaign. Inthat effort, John’s campaign raised and spent roughly $15 million. His opponent also spent $15 million and benefited from more than $70 million spent by Tony Sanchez to turn out their base.”

Then it ends with a bunch of saccharine, sweet but not nutritious, praise of Cornyn that really makes you want to hurl.

Analysis? First it isn’t “wealthy guy” or “wealthy Democrat”, it’s “wealthy personal injury lawyer”. Now don’t get me wrong, lawyers are good people to have around when there is trouble. I’m not saying they are bad . . . THEY are. Did you like the swift boat campaign against John Kerry? You’re going to love the one against Watts. I’ll bet they’re already looking in closets and under furniture.

Second, Nau brought up Sanchez’ failure to buy the governorship in 2002. But more importantly, he makes the case that Cornyn’s opponent, Ron Kirk, stood to benefit from Sanchez’ GOTV effort and he still didn’t win. Clearly making the case that, in Texas politics, money doesn’t talk.

So Watts is useful to Cornyn’s campaign right now because he can be used as a lever to pry some cash out of the hands of those on his donor list.

Who do you think John Cornyn’s campaign want to run against in November? With Watts as an opponent, Cornyn can deflect and completely alter the conversation. It won’t be about Cornyn’s pro-Bush/Cheney/Rove voting record, as it should be. It’ll be all of those personal side issues that will take center stage. Republicans are very good at sleight of hand campaigns.

Rick Noriega doesn’t have any of that baggage. This is the guy that John Cornyn doesn’t want to run against, not Watts. I can think of no more eloquent way to put this than the words in Don’s letter that I posted yesterday:

On 9-11:

“While John Cornyn politicized 9-11 for partisan political advantage, Lt. Col. Rick Noriega stared down Afghan war lords and helped train Afghan soldiers to fight the Taliban.”

On immigration:

“…a politically inspired fence is not the answer. While Cornyn tried to use the issue for partisan advantage, Rick has worked on the border and in the legislature to find common ground.”

On Katrina:

“…while George Bush and John Cornyn stood around doing photo ops with FEMA director Michael Brown, Rick Noriega, just back from his tour of duty in Afghanistan, volunteered and served as Incident Commander at George Brown Convention Center, managing the rescue efforts for over 30,000 Katrina evacuees.”

Put Noriega in as Cornyn’s opponent, and the Democrats are in the drivers’ seat, defining the conversation. Put Watts in as Cornyn’s opponent, and Watts will be in a row boat with one oar, surrounded by swift boats.

But you know, I could be wrong about this whole thing.

Nah.

Politics As Ususal in Fort Bend County, Texas

You can go from one day to the next without seeing it, but every once in awhile, here in Fort Bend County, you walk right by the snake pit that is our county government and GOP – because they’re one and the same - and they’re all down there, writhing, spitting venom, and eating each others’ young.

It’s the GOP bashing other GOPers, and it wouldn’t be so bad except that what’s going on now affects the forces of good also.

It’s all spelled out in FortBendNow. County Elections Administrator J.R. Perez wants to combine some voting precincts and eliminate voting locations, all of this in an effort to avoid spending tax dollars to buy more voting machines. That all sounds nifty, but I have a couple of points of concern.

First, they tell me that there is a lot of growth in the county. All you have to do is take a drive along the Grand Parkway or FM 762 and see the houses spring up like mushrooms after a rain. New houses mean new voters and that means you need to buy more voting machines, OK?

Second, since the county is growing, what is all this guff about elimination of 8 precincts and consolidation of 40 others? Shouldn’t it be going the other way?

But then, all you have to do is listen to who howls the loudest, and it’s comes from precinct chairs that would be eliminated: seven of the eight are on the GOP county executive committee. This represents a sizeable chunk of the committee that has been nipping at the heels of GOP county chair Gary Gillen since he was elected. One of them, Dean Hrbacek, is rumored to be considering a run against Democratic Congressman Nick Lampson next year.

So it’s not about saving taxpayer money, is it? It’s all about eliminating the opposition within the GOP.

I tell you, they think that they own this county. Well . . . maybe it’s because they do.

As pointed out in the FBN article, the howling and cries of foul essentially brought everything to a screeching halt (JR, Gary, you didn’t think they’d object?) and we’re back to square one. And now we have J.R. Perez wringing his hands, complaining that he doesn’t “have enough equipment to do a presidential election. If you add 10 new voting locations, I definitely don’t have enough equipment.”

So get some.

J.R. needs to get off the dime, stop playing with the maps, and get on the phone to Hart Intercivic, the makers of that glorious voting machine that every write-in voter loves to hate, and order up some more of those machines.

Because if you don’t have enough machines to run an election, and you know it, and are down on public record as saying it, can you spell v-o-t-e-r s-u-p-p-r-e-s-s-i-o-n?

Bush Commutes Scooter Libby’s Sentence . . . Yawn

If anyone is surprised that Scooter Libby was going to have his sentence commuted, that’s because they still think that there is still fairness in this world. My prediction of today’s events, encapsulated here, was very nearly dead on.

It was probably a bone thrown to those of us with a sense of decency and fair play that Libby has to pay the $250,000 fine, but give me a break. Someone with a college nickname like “Scooter” doesn’t have to get a 2nd mortgage on his house to pay it.

There is a sense of moral outrage out there today, and I can only say ditto to those, because the words have already been said.

Want moral outrage? With feeling? Go read the commentary at Sommervell County Salon.

Justice. We need justice. I vote that every penny of that fine goes to Valerie Plame, the CIA operative whose cover was blown.

UPDATE:

I am ignorant of the law. I'm not trained in it, but I study it a lot. Tonight it was pointed out to me that had Scooter Libby received an outright pardon, as I predicted, he would be open to congressional subpoena to testify about any and all that he might know about the Valarie Plame affair.

But since his sentence was commuted, if he were to be asked to testify in any of these things, Libby would just be able to plead the 5th. This makes Libby's sentence commutation more than despicable. It's an attempt at outright stonewalling.

Stonewalling. Where have I heard that term before?

Blogswarm! Rick Noriega For US Senate From Texas!

Texas bloggers (and not so Texas bloggers) have been talking up Rick Noriega as a senatorial candidate for some time now. An older Draft Rick and a newer Draft Rick Noriega website were launched. They are also seen posting on Stop Cornyn. But look what happened yesterday and today.

Noriega Blogswarm:

Bay Area Houston recalls how he first met Rick at a rally to protest building a toxic rail line.

Susan at Kiss My Big Blue Butt is ecstatic about Bubba’s letter and has, for the very first time in her 15 years of “not blogging" endorsed a candidate on her website.

muse, posting at Musings and cross posting at Off the Kuff (because Kuffner has serious mung – get better Kuff, pneumonia is bad news) gives the short version of the weekend events.

Matt Glazer posted the long version at BOR and Daily Kos.

Dos Centavos was particularly taken by Don’s reference to Rick Noriega being a symbol of hope and promise to Hispanics in Texas and all over America.

Eye on Williamson also gave the long version with links to the Selby article in AAS.

Texas Observer added to the buzz on the 29th with the observation that Rick Noriega has expertise in two areas that Cornyn would normally be able to bully an opponent over,

From the borderland, South Texas Chisme carries the news to The Valley.

An Enduring Democratic Majority thinks Rick’s announcement of an exploratory committee is awesome, absolutely awesome.

Swing State Project brings its national audience to Rick Noriega’s announcement, as well as the promises of both active campaigns to play nice, and to “let the games begin”.

Texas Weekly has a rundown on Rick’s Mid-Cities Democrats announcement and a respectable collection of links on the story.

Senate Guru, a blog that specializes in senatorial races, also picked up on the news.

And last but not certainly least? Howling Latina has a posting on Rick Noriega. Now get this: this is a Virginia blog. The excitement is spreading.

Rick Noriega: This Time Why Not The Best!

SDEC member Don Bankston sent the following letter to every member of the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee and Democratic Party County Chair in Texas. It says what we have all been saying all along about how Rick Noriega will be the best candidate Texas Democrats can offer to run John Cornyn, Bush’s rubber stamp in the Senate, out of DC.

Here’s what Don has to say:

Fellow Democrats:
THIS TIME WHY NOT THE BEST!

For United States Senate, instead of the richest, why not the best? In 2008, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to elect a Texas Democrat who can inspire and lead in the tradition of Lloyd Bentsen, Ralph Yarborough, Lyndon Johnson and Sam Houston. That Democrat is Rick Noriega.

Rick Noriega grew up in a working class neighborhood on the east side of Houston. He achieved a Master’s Degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Public Affairs. He is a dedicated husband and father. Rick and Melissa’s commitment to public life is not about the pursuit of wealth and power, but a moral and spiritual commitment to public service. Rick has been a loyal soldier, dedicated legislator, and a compassionate public administrator.

Picture the stark contrast with the incumbent. While John Cornyn politicized 9-11 for partisan political advantage, Lt. Col. Rick Noriega stared down Afghan war lords and helped train Afghan soldiers to fight the Taliban. Further, Lt. Col. Noriega knows the difference between the fight to rid the world of Bin Laden and being bogged down in a deadly civil war in Iraq.

Again, while Cornyn panders on border security and uses fear as a political weapon, Rick Noriega volunteered as a Commander for the Laredo Border Sector. Rick knows first hand, up close, that a politically inspired fence is not the answer. While Cornyn tried to use the issue for partisan advantage, Rick has worked on the border and in the legislature to find common ground.

Lastly, while George Bush and John Cornyn stood around doing photo ops with FEMA director Michael Brown, Rick Noriega, just back from his tour of duty in Afghanistan, volunteered and served as Incident Commander at George Brown Convention Center, managing the rescue efforts for over 30,000 Katrina evacuees.

This record of service and leadership will be in sharp contrast to the politics of fear and division of John Cornyn.

Lastly, Rick Noriega will be a symbol of hope and promise for Hispanics throughout Texas and the nation. We can demonstrate that there is room in our party for a dynamic progressive Hispanic leader to represent us in the Senate.

As former County Chair and a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, I urge you, and all Democrats, to support Rick Noriega for United States Senate. Rick will not let you down.

Very truly yours,

Donald W. Bankston,
SDEC #18

BOR Exclusive: Noriega Will Form Exploratory Committee Next Week

Wow. You don't get this scoop from a blog very often.

Todd Hill at Burnt Orange Report attended the Mid Cities Democrats Fourth of July picnic this afternoon and was treated to a speech by Texas State Senator Rick Noriega that he will launch his Senatorial Exploration Committee next week.

Now can we have all of Watts' blog trolls pipe down about how Rick can't be interested in running for US Senate if he has to have people "Draft" him?

For Senate: What Message Should Texas Democrats Be Sending?

Next March, March 3rd to be precise, that’s 247 days from today, Texas Democrats will go to the primary polls again. This time to choose, among other races who they want in the White House and who they think will beat John Cornyn in November.

This is going to be a closely watched election because Texas was one of the few states that didn’t participate in the 2006 Blue Revolution. What kind of message should we send to the world then?

I think the message will be embodied in the Senate race. First, because in all probability the presidential race may be all but over by the time Texas gets around to voting. Second, because who Texas opts for in the presidential race will not reveal anything about the values of Texas Democrats.

The senate race will.

Let’s say that it becomes a 3-way race between “exploring” Mikal Watts, “announced” Emil Reichstadt, and “rumored” Rick Noriega.

“Rumored,” by the way, is getting to be more like “very probably” if you take a read at W. Gardner Selby’s Austin American-Statesman article today.

Reichstadt has announced that he will run for the seat. He announced last April 14th, two and a half months ago, and we haven’t heard anything from him since. If nothing changes, we have two horses in this race, not three.

We have Texas trial lawyer Mikal Watts, a self-funding “Bloombergesque” candidate whose political stands appear to have a progressive bent, with the exception of abortion rights, which he doesn’t think women should have. He’s a reasonably bright guy, though, who has used his law degree to enrich people who have been wronged by greedy corporations. He has gotten some big awards, and the resulting contingency fees that have rolled in over the years give him a leg up on opposing a well-financed Republican.

Well-financed Republican, by the way is a redundancy in Texas.

He has used his fortune to fund Democratic campaigns all over the state. He has spent millions. In doing so, he has garnered a lot of appreciation from folks that may not have been elected had he not infused their campaigns with huge wads of cash.

Message? Cash is king.

Wasn’t it Archimedes who said “Give me cash big enough and I can lift the world”? This is the message of a man who wants to be the next junior senator from Texas. He and his supporters want it to be the message that Texans will send to the world. Anything can be bought if you have enough money.

And then we have Texas State Representative Rick Noriega. Rick represents an Hispanic-dominant district in Houston. Money hasn’t been a huge factor in his five campaigns. Selby reports that he has spent $550,000 in campaign money in all of his races combined. Huge wads of cash do not define Rick Noriega. He himself has said as much last month as reported in another Selby article.

“I am seriously looking at the race, but whether or not I get in or not, I have no intention of getting into a back and forth with a bank account. I do not want to reinforce the unhealthy idea that a candidate is judged solely on money.”

So a message from a Noriega primary win will not be about “Cash is king”.

If not, then, what will it be about?

It will be about Texans not wanting to send the richest man to the Senate, just the best one.

It will be about sending to the Senate someone who bases his life on public service. Someone who worked in the state legislature to make it possible for children of illegal immigrants to get a college education, and not pay the oppressive out-of-state tuition that would put higher education out of their reach. Someone who supports the notion that a woman should have final say over what goes on with her body, and not the government. Someone who served in Afghanistan teaching Afghans how to fight the Al-Qaeda-supporting Taliban. Someone who made the lives of thousands of New Orleans refugees more comfortable if not more possible in his work at the George R. Brown Convention Center after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Texas Democrats have a real opportunity to show the world that Texans value substance and service over the long green.

Rick Noriega is simply the best man for the job based on quality, not currency. By sending Rick Noriega up to face down John Cornyn in November, Texans can send a clear, strong message to the world that things have changed here.

UPDATE:

Now it's not just bloggers that have raised their collective voices to urge Rick Noriega to run for Senate. Go here and see how 47 of Rick's Democratic colleagues in the state house have added their voices to the chorus.

Nick Lampson’s Blue Doggish Votes on HR 2829

Now don’t get me wrong, Nick Lampson is probably the best Democrat we can get elected in his crazy, crazy Texas congressional district. I just want to point out that progressive Democrats were not represented very well on Nick’s votes in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2008 (HR 2829).

This is one set of votes that Shelley Sekula (no hyphen) Gibbs will not be using her next mailer. Nick’s Blue Dog streak is definitely showing.

The bill essentially funds many branches and agencies of the government through September 2008. 37 amendments were filed, 6 passed, and 31 either failed by vote, by point of order, or were withdrawn. The vote for final passage went 240 Aye to 179 Nay.

Nick voted Nay.

But that was just on final passage. Here’s a record of his votes on the amendments

Amendments 1-3 were withdrawn.

Amendment 4: to reduce funding for the General Activites under the General Services Administration by $8 million and increase funding for the Office of Inspector General under the General Services Administration by $6 million.

Nick voted Aye. Amendment passed by a vote of 281-144

Amendment 5: “to reduce funds for Selective Service System by $10,000,000 and increase funds for the Small Business Administration by $10,000,000.”

Nick voted No. Amendment failed by a vote of 95-320.

Yep, we are going to be needing that money for the draft. You know it's coming.

Amendment 13: (you didn’t think I was going to list them ALL did you?): to prohibit the use of funds to be used for the Prevention Works or Whitman-Walker Clinic needle exchange programs.

Nick voted Aye. Amendment failed by a vote of 208-216.

Amendment 16: to prohibit funds for the Grace Johnstown Area Regional Industries Incubator and Workforce Development program. (submitted by Jeff Flake R-AZ, this specifically targeted projects promoted by Congressman John Murtha).

Nick voted Nay. Amendment failed by a vote of 87-335.

Amendment 19: prohibit the use of funds to be used for the Mitchell County Development Foundation, Inc. for the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Project (Another Jeff Flake amendment).

Nick voted Nay. Amendment passed by a vote of 249-174.

Amendment 26: to prohibit use of funds for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission.

Nick voted Nay. Amendment failed by a vote of 107-318.

Amendment 27: to prohibit use of funds in the bill for the Office of the Vice President (This was Rahm Emanuel’s amendment to cut off funding for Dick Cheney).

Nick voted Nay. Amendment failed by a vote of 209-217.

Nick, we could have saved $4.8 million.

Amendment 30: to limit the use of funds to implement section 5112 of title 31 United States Code (this section deals with designing coins and notes for the US Mint).

Nick voted Nay. Amendment passed by a vote of 295-127.

Amendment 35: to require that each amount appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act is hereby reduced by 0.5 percent.

Nick voted Aye. Amendment failed by a vote of 205-220.

Amendment 36: to prohibit funds to be used to implement or enforce the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992.

Nick voted Aye. Amendment failed by a vote of 224-200.

Amendment 37: to prohibit funds to be used by the Internal Revenue Service to implement a Spanish-language version of the "Where's my Refund?" service.

Nick voted Aye. Amendment failed by a vote of 165-257.

On a motion to recommit the bill to the Appropriations committee, Nick voted Aye. The motion failed by 199-222

On passage, Nick voted Nay. The bill passed by a vote of 240-179.

Now I realize that Nick is a fiscal conservative and that his voting record is being closely watched. On Thursday he did not give the Republicans much ammunition to use against him, and I guess that’s good. I just wish some of those programs that Nick voted not to support were programs that he did support. And really, Dick Cheney doesn’t need the $4.8 million. Now that he is no longer a part of any of the 3 branches of our government, Halliburton can write the check.

It’s chump change to them.

What Do Alcoholic Beverages And Higher Education For Texas’ Veterans Have In Common?

No, I’m serious, there is a connection.

In a Chron article today, we learn that Gulf War veteran William Sanchez has been denied a waiver of college tuition and fees guaranteed to other Texas veterans by the
Hazlewood Act. So he has joined in a federal lawsuit that has been filed in San Antonio by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Apparently there is a hole in the Hazlewood Act that excludes people who are not citizens of the United States. This hole was to be repaired by legislation sponsored by Letitia van de Putte (D-San Antonio) and Rick Noriega (D-Houston). The bill failed in the last legislative session, leaving the hole unfilled.

Of this failure and the situation faced by thousands of Texas veterans, Rick Noriega said:

“Our government says that you're OK to join the military and fight overseas, and when you return you're afforded GI Bill benefits. But, the state of Texas says if you're a Texan and fight overseas, you're not afforded Texas benefits. It's a real hypocrisy.”

Where is this hole and how did it come to be?

First, you need to answer this question: What is the difference between a “resident” of Texas and a “citizen” of Texas? At first blush you will say, there IS no difference and you might be right. In actual fact, when you look at any given time requirement in the Texas Education Code, which the Hazlewood Act amends, you will find that there is a “residency requirement” of 12 months. Yes, you must be a resident of Texas for 12 months before you can attend a Texas public institution of higher education and not pay out-of-state fees.

And that’s a good law. Texas’ higher education institutions benefit from local taxes that Texas residents pay. Out-of-staters, aka “foreigners”, need to pay a surcharge since they have not paid into supporting the schools in other ways.

But if you look at the Hazlewood Act, you see two actual requirements. The benefit is available to all veterans who “were citizens of Texas at the time they entered the services indicated and have resided in Texas for at least the period of 12 months before the date of registration”.

Now I look at that and say well of course, they have to have come from Texas when they entered the service, and they had to have been paying into the various ways the state raises revenue. No problem.

Yes problem.

It caused Letitia van de Putte to send a letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott seeking clarification:

“It is significant that the act explicitly requires both Texas citizenship and residency which may indicate that lawmakers viewed citizenship and residency as distinct requirements. The two requirements may have been conflated because of the lack of an explicit definition of citizenship.”

All Abbott had to do was to view these two requirements as separate as I have done, and not fused as suggested by van de Putte.

Why?

“Texas citizen” is not statutorily defined, which, I think, is the point that van de Putte was making.

But give Greg Abbott enough rope and he’ll find a way to tie a noose. He (or most probably someone on his staff) found a definition of “Texas citizen” in the statutes. Once, but that was enough. It is found in the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code. In his opinion, Abbott writes:

“only the Alcoholic Beverage Code defines it: "In this code . . . '[c]itizen of Texas' and 'citizen of this state' mean a person who is a citizen of both the United States and Texas." Tex. Alco. Bev. Code Ann. § 1.04(20) (Vernon 1995).”

Oh boy, that one is a stretcher isn’t it? One has to have one long arm to reach for that one, but Greg Abbott is equal to the task. That discovery, and Abbott’s acceptance of it as a valid definition, dumped a load of cock-a-doodle on thousands of Texas veterans. Those who served their country, some who went to war, and some who faced bullets and IEDs.

When Rick Noriega called this a “real hypocrisy” I think he was being polite.

Truth and History, When Rewritten, Never Stay Rewritten

I was thinking about Dick Cheney’s wild claims that his office does not exist within the Executive branch, as I watched Rahm Emmanuel’s bid to withhold a $5 million appropriation from the Vice President’s office

Quoting Jim Abrams AP article:

“The vote, on an amendment to a 2008 spending bill for the Treasury Department and executive branch agencies, was defeated 217-209.”

It concerned me because up until this past week, I was pretty sure that the office of the Vice President was definitely within the scope of the Executive Branch, but now it apparently is not. In a wave of a magic wand, truth changes and lies become fact.

Then I started thinking about the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Brown v. Board, and how Chief Justice Roberts twisted the facts of history in using the very case as justification to overturn the decision.

I was thinking just how fragile the truth actually is.

And then I read an article that makes Cheney’s and Roberts’ shenanigans pale in comparison. These shenanigans occurred 3500 years ago.

Upon her death around 1500 BCE, Pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut had passed away at about the age of 50 and was buried in an elaborate tomb that is built into a cliff. But her successor Pharaoh King Thutmose III, her stepson, sought to erase all evidence of her existence, including having her mummy removed and placed in a humble tomb.

Like Cheney and Roberts, Thutmose tried to remake history in an image that he preferred.

And hopefully, like Thutmose, the scheme will fail one day. Egyptologists are now convinced that an unidentified mummy discovered in 1903 in an obscure tomb is that of Queen Hatshepsut.

I believe that “Truth” is a spirit that can be obscured, but that it’s impossible to repress the truth forever. One day, the truth will re-emerge. Cheney’s and Roberts’ lies and re-writes of history will eventually be revealed as the shenanigans that they really are.

I just hope that it takes less than 3500 years this time.

John Cornyn Protecting Texans From Organized Labor

Here’s another reason why Texas Senator John Cornyn needs to go.

He voted Nay, with the rest of his Republican cronies, with Phil Specter (R-Pennsylvania) being the one lone Republican Aye vote to bring HR 800 to the Senate floor for consideration. With 3/5ths needed, the bill is dead.

What is HR 800? It was introduced in March to, among other things, amend the National Labor Relations Act to allow for “an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations and to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts.

It makes it easier for employees to organize into collective bargaining units – that is, labor unions.

One provision of the bill would allow the NLRB to certify a union without a secret ballot election if a majority of employees authorize the union through other means known as “card-check”.

In short, it makes it easier for unions to form, and makes it harder for management to prevent their formation.

That is, by voting against HR 800, Cornyn and his cronies make it easier for management to continue to pay their employees slave wages, with little or no health insurance, and allows management to continue to operate their facilities with little or no regard to the safety of their employees.

Why? Because labor unions operate against all of the above.

But here’s what makes Cornyn’s vote particularly invidious.

You know my friend, Ann? The one who has to hand feed her turtle that she raised from an egg? Ann showed me an email from Cornyn’s office, dated today, outlining his voting position on this bill. Nice that he sent it out 2 days after the bill failed the cloture vote on the 26th.

Know why Cornyn voted against the bill? According to his email message, he voted against bringing the bill to the floor because he is protecting her from those thugs and thieves called “organized labor”.

Here’s what he wrote:

“Unfortunately, card-check campaigns lack anonymity and can create opportunities for organized labor to place negative pressure on employees or bargain away their right to a secret ballot election. Under current law, employers may voluntarily recognize unions based on card-checks, but they are not required to do so. Instead they may insist upon an election administered by the NLRB.”

You see? He’s really on the side of the working man. Those labor unions exert pressure on employees to accept higher wages, health insurance and safe facilities. Employees really don’t want that stuff at all. So he wants to keep it just as hard as it has been for labor unions to form.

I've got a great guy in mind who we can put in Cornyn's seat in 2008. He has not declared a candidacy, nor even established an exploration committee. But something tells me that this guy will not only will serve Texans and Americans better, he will do it with integrity and distinction.

Draft Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate from Texas.