A Blogger with a Mission

If you haven't seen the Squeeze episode of Bands Reunited and don't want me to spoil it, don't read this post.

I'm slaughtered, gutted, and heartbroken.

On today's episode Squeeze did not reunite. The guys, except Jools, consented and then backed out. Jools was a maybe. Then it all fell apart.

There is hope. VH1 has a petition up. Please go sign it. Even if you don't like or know Squeeze, please do it for me.

If you have a blog, please link to this post and get the word out. If you don't want to do it for me, do it to prove the power of the blog.

Please sign it and get the word out. Please, please, please!

Another Blow to Liberal Biased TV News

Interesting development... As the liberal radio network tries to break into the conservative talk radio market, Sinclair Broadcast Group moves to take the liberals on in the 'free TV' market.

NEWSMAX: Sinclair, The Next Fox, 'Fair and Balanced'

...The Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG) is the eighth-largest network of television stations, based on revenues, and the nation's largest independent group owner of stations, according to Broadcasting & Cable....

...Headquartered in the suburbs of Baltimore, it owns or manages 62 television stations in 39 markets - giving the network coverage of 25 percent of the nation's television audience...

...In October 2002, the network created a news feed for its stations and affiliates called "News Central" – a 17 minute national and international news report. Anchored by veteran TV news journalist Morris Jones, the News Central is part of the local news program for many of Sinclair's stations. The Sinclair affiliates break seamlessly from local news anchors to News Central for Jones' rundown of the significant national and world events, then return to local news...

..."Basically, [we're] in the red states," says Sinclair's Vice President for Corporate Affairs Mark Hyman in a NewsMax interview, referring to the markets SBG serves -- mostly in "red" states George Bush won in the 2000 election....

Hmmm... They own ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, WB & UPN affiliates. Move over Brokaw. Oh, wait he already is on the way out.

A job for me...

I received notice that I'm summoned for jury duty. I'm so excited because I'm the perfect person to serve on a jury. I can just look at a person and tell if they're guilty or not.

I've been saving that joke up a long, long time.

That's what I like about Houston....

If you've ever driven on I-10 (Katy Freeway) heading east from Highway 6 you've probably noticed Dickson Realty's marquee out front. Craig Dickson's the owner, and over the past year I've gotten to be friends with him. He has a great message up on the marquee and I thought I'd reproduce it here:

Employee of the Month
Craig Dickson

I get a kick out of that.

Houston Chronicle: No excuse for driving into path of light-rail trains

Drivers who can't resist the urge to make an illegal left-hand turn across the light-rail tracks should avoid the stretches of Main and Fannin where the tracks are laid.

Well, the law's the law and you can't much argue with what the ChroniBile's saying here. But let's just think about that a minute. Getting the toy train is making our life less convenient. The 99% of us who will never ride the train on a regular basis have to reconfigure our lives to make METRO and the ChronicBile editorial board happy. Am I the crazy one here, or shouldn't maybe the local government exist to provide services to us?

World-Class

Thanks guys. That train really made us a world-class city.

WaPo: Houston, Playing Defense

In fact, Houston is bigger, but not especially uglier, than many other cities in Texas, where developers tend to be unfettered by niceties such as zoning laws and a tradition of urban planning.

We're not especially uglier. Thanks.

Cox News Service: Houston celebrates itself at Super Bowl prelims

This town -- chronically the butt of jokes for its traffic, tangy air and curious lack of zoning that allows barbecue restaurants to sit next door to taxidermy shops -- has been scrubbed clean, instructed to sit up straight, mind its manners and smile for the company. And, in a flourish of well-deserved civic pride swirled with classic Texas provincialism, it is going completely bonkers for a football game and the extravagant nonsense surrounding it.

Detroit Free Press: HOUSTON NOTEBOOK: New transit system hits a few bumps

One of the centerpieces of Houston's efforts to get ready to host Super Bowl XXXVIII has been the city's shiny new 7.5-mile Metro light-rail transit system. It runs from downtown to Reliant Stadium, where the game will be played Sunday.

But early snags have taken a little of the luster off the showcase system. One problem has been collisions between cars and trains. The system's tracks run at street level alongside vehicle traffic, and a number of accidents have occurred when motorists tried to cross tracks illegally or otherwise bumped into the trains.

Christian Science Monitor: Sunday best: Houston's Super Bowl face-lift

But in a world where style often goes further than substance, it will take an awful lot of beaming faces to cover up Houston's flaws: The city is in many ways, well, ugly.

I'd like to say welcome to everyone visiting Houston. We're really happy to have you all here. I'm sure there are plenty of folks like me who are avoiding the parts of town where all the crowds are heading. Don't take it personal, I just don't care for big crowds. Y'all have fun.

If you're interested in moving here, we'd be honored to have you as a neighbor. Houston isn't that great a place to visit, but it is a wonderful place to live.

But, if you're thinking of moving here and helping us get with the way other cities do things, I'd have to ask you not to. If you think zoning will solve the "problems" of growth, no thanks. If you think that C&C Barbecue (where Mister Charlie is king) shouldn't be able to cook food in a mobile trailer by the side of the road, well, maybe we're not the place for you. If you want to make Houston like where you come from, it was nice to have you visit, but maybe you ought to live where you do.

Who's That??

That would be me. My name is Matt Albright. As Rob stated, I have lived in West Houston (since '95) and enjoy being politically active.
Here is a brief bio:

First Breath Taken: 1971; Barberton, Ohio

Where I have lived: Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas

Family: Married for 6 years and have 2 Children
Wife - Emily,
Son - Zachary (4yr),
Daughter - Grace (17mths)

Occupation: Structural Engineer (Offshore Oil & Gas Industry)

World View: Christian, Conservative, Pro-Life, Home Schooling, Republican.

Hobbies: Politics, Weight Training, Genealogy, History Buff.

Clanging Trolleys, Belching Buses and the Toy Train

Houston Chronicle: Midtown Trolley to Halt Despite Protests

All six current Metropolitan Transit Authority trolley routes serving downtown will be eliminated Feb. 15 as Metro changes dozens of bus routes to tie into the new Main Street light rail line. Three new trolley routes will serve rail stations at the Downtown Transit Center, Bell and Preston, ferrying train riders east and west from the north-south rail line......

.....Edna Ramos, president of the Downtown and Midtown Residents Association, said many of her neighbors will drive to work instead of waiting for the bus.

"Metro's lack of response to critics will undo progress in convincing hundreds of people to leave their cars and use mass transit to get to work and school," she told the board.

Hey, what gives..... I thought the new light rail system was going to relieve congestion?!?!

Vote as I say!

My Endorsement: Emily Munoz for Criminal District Court 177

I'm very happy to endorse Emily Munoz for Criminal District Court 177. So much so that I wrote out a whole page on her. It's a requirement for reading this blog that you vote for her in the primary. I'll know if you don't!

Welcome our Guest Blogger

That would be Matt Albright, a friend of mine and a political activist in west Houston. I'll let Matt introduce himself, if he likes. The only other thing to say is that he doesn't speak for me and I don't speak for him.

Dean Leads.... But Who's Counting?

CNN's Democrat Primary delegate scorecard.

Also, a thanks to Rob for the invitation to be a guest blogger.

Read the bold parts in the quote

Houston Chronicle: MetroRail wrecks on track to rival U.S. record

Transit officials say nothing could have prevented Tuesday's crash. Not only did Quyen Lu ignore two 'no left turn' signs, said Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert, he failed to yield while making the turn and drove straight into the train's path.

Lambert and other transit authority executives said, however, they have asked their engineers to examine signals in the Museum District, where turns are generally permitted except when signs illuminate. Several drivers complained Tuesday that the illuminated signs can be hard to see, especially when the sun is shining bright. Also, the signs are positioned over the center lane, not the left lane where motorists are supposed to turn from.

Nothing could have prevented the crash!!!??? How about putting the damn signs in the lane where people can see them?

Tom DeLay - Not too sexy for his shirt

Texas City Sun: Congressman visits his new district

"I get involved in many different things," DeLay said. "I do things that aren’t so sexy," he said in reference to work he has done for the Port of Houston.

CD02 Candidate Profiles

The Baytown Sun: Six Republicans battle in new district

I could go and quote the whole article, or you could just go read it. Yeah, just go read it.

METRO Light Rail - 9
Houston Drivers - 0

Houston Chronicle: Metro train hits car turning across tracks

A MetroRail train slammed into a car that turned across the railroad tracks this afternoon in the Museum District, sending the car's driver to the hospital and damaging the train.

This is why we voted on the rail plan before we got to see this train in action. I'm really concerned that someone will get killed by the train on Super Bowl weekend.

Update: Alert reader Matt A. writes to point out that the Union Pacific pickup driver knocked the train off the tracks and he should get the point for that. So, it's Train - 8, Drivers - 1. Also, he asks a good question: you notice that the media is not reporting the damage estimates and costs of each of these accidents?

John Culberson Mention

KRT Wire: Here's what we won't miss at Super Bowl

Houston built a $324 million light-rail system that was supposed to serve its Olympic bid but now is a Super Bowl vessel, humming 7.5 miles between downtown and the new stadium. Rep. John Culberson, who opposed the train because Houston's traffic problems are outside, not inside, the downtown corridor, called it 'primarily a real-estate development operation rather than a people mover.'

Besides that, this article is sour grapes from LA over the Super Bowl.

A Cry for Help

Please, someone help me. It started with MTV's The Real World 10 years ago and now I've fallen into the pits of reality TV addiction. I'm watching this, and I like it.

My kind of people.

What part of the Constitution don't you understand?

Houston Chronicle: Art car parking turns into Main Street squabble

When the Downtown Entertainment District Alliance invited Jeff Towns and other art car owners to park their art on wheels on Main Street Friday, no one expected any hassles.

Instead, Towns was wrestled to the ground, handcuffed and detained by police officers who were unaware he had permission to park on Main Street.

[snip]

Metro Sgt. Curtis Holloway said he knew about the art car event, but had not briefed officers.

"I probably should have informed (the officer)," Holloway said. "(Towns) could have avoided it by simply providing his ID and permits to be there. That would have been the end of the situation. I'm certain of that."

Yes, we are all supposed to be good little subjects and show our papers to the representatives of the statist collective. The police are, of course, free to beat on anyone who fails to immediately follow their orders, but we have to watch the way we behave.

I'm feeling very libertarian after reading that.

Song of the Day Quandry

So, I'm working in our studio and it's 70s night. I should be in the mood for this song:

Do a little dance,
make a little love,
get down tonight

But I was listening to this Clash tribute CD. It's got Cracker doing a country version of White Riot.

White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own
White riot - I wanna riot
White riot - a riot of my own

Black man gotta lot a problems
But they don't mind throwing a brick
White people go to school
Where they teach you how to be thick

An' everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
An' nobody wants
To go to jail!

All the power's in the hands
Of people rich enough to buy it
While we walk the street
Too chicken to even try it

Everybody's doing
Just what they're told to
Nobody wants
To go to jail!

Are you taking over
or are you taking orders?
Are you going backwards
Or are you going forwards?

I can't get it out of my head.

Oh yeah, I don't think I've ever mentioned this before...I used to be a "punk" in high school. I tried to die my hair blonde and it came out orange. I wore combat boots and slam danced at a hardcore club downtown. I grew out of that, but not the music.

Houston Chronicle: Pickup driver injured in MetroRail collision

The driver of a pickup truck was injured this morning when his vehicle collided with a MetroRail train near the Reliant Astrodome.

[snip]

The train's front wheels were knocked off the tracks by the impact, and the bottom front part of the engine was damaged. The windshield was broken in a starburst pattern, but it's unclear if the train's driver was injured.

Behold the power of the blog!

So after yesterday's post, I get an e-mail from Ms. Munoz. She has a web site in the design stage and invited me to take a look. I've submitted her name to the Slightly Rough Endorsements Committee.

And then, bam, I got an e-mail from Arlette Molina, a candidate for the GOP nod in CD09.

The great and powerful precinct chair and blogger gets back to doing the laundry.

Hard Work Pays Off

You might remember Emily Munoz from this post. I can now declare her officially the hardest working candidate in Harris County. Last night I came home to a letter from her with an invitation to a campaign kick-off and a message on the machine from her following up. Devon Anderson and Adam Brown, candidates for Criminal District Court 177, better get on the ball. Ms. Munoz has got a list of qualifications that look pretty dang good to this non-lawyer's eye. I've only got one question for her, and that's how long have you been a Republican? I'll tell you though, the amount of work and qualifications she has, if she says "last week" I'll still consider her.

But all of y'all need to get a web site.

Hatchet Job

Houston Press: The Original Shame Sentence? Rattling the bones in Ted Poe's closet

According to sources -- two of whom say they are eyewitnesses -- the skeleton in the candidate's closet may be a dramatic apology they say he delivered in the late '80s at an evening meeting at the Kingwood Church of Christ. According to some of the congregation, Poe had been threatened with expulsion by elders after they caught him having an extramarital affair with an unmarried female church member. They demanded their own version of shame sentencing: public self-flagellation in front of congregants.

[snip]

The pulpit minister of Kingwood Church of Christ at the time was Carl Power.

He disputed the accounts of Poe's making a public apology.

"I don't have any recollection of it," Power told The Insider. "I know of no such meeting with the elders, and I'm sure I would have known."

I'm not even a Ted Poe supporter, but I got to point this out. If you believe these unnamed sources, then you have to believe the minister is lying.

Russian Oil News

Surgutneftegas is planning for 2004 (Russian). Here's an English version of their press release and here's a Russian one.

Village Trustees ... Stick to Parade Schedules & Planting our Parks

Until you are shocked by a piercing alarm in the middle of the night and met in your kitchen by a masked invader as your children shudder in their beds, until you confront that very real nightmare, please don't suggest that some village trustee knows better and he/she can effectively task the police to protect your family from the miscreants that this society has produced.

Here's a handy guide to the Texas Congressional races this year.

Floating in a beam of light with you...

The best show on TV right now is VH1's Bands Reunited. Last night they got A Flock of Seagulls back together to play. Man, you kids today, you don't know how bad you got it with your Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. Back in my day we had real music, quality stuff made with a little heart. One question though, how'd those guys get so old? I was in high school when they broke in 1982 and that was only a few years ago...



Of course the most important episode is yet to come.

Mental note to self...

PubliusTX: More Spur 527 Badness

...never lie to Kevin.

Chuck Muth will be blogging from the CPAC conference.

Over at Reductio Ad Absurdum, I wrote a A Contrarian Take on the SOTU.

All My Friends Are No Longer Strangers

One of the nice things about having this blog is that several old friends have gotten in touch with me because of it. The most recent addition to the blogroll is Stephen, a guy who I was in the service with. He and I were in the same Russian class out in Monterey and the same office in DC. He's since moved to Moscow and picked up a Russian wife and they have a beautiful daughter. Here's his site. Go check out the baby pictures and saw "Awwww!" Also, be sure to read the About Me section. Laugh-out-loud funny.

What part of being safe don't you understand?

Houston Chronicle: SUV driver collides with Metro train

A man turned his sport utility vehicle left into a Metro train Monday in the Texas Medical Center, the second collision since light rail passenger service began Jan. 1.

The title of this post is a play on the insulting ad being run by METRO here in Houston. The METRO police chief is standing next to the train and tries to sound like a drill sergeant talking to the troops. He's berating us to be avoid being hit by the train. My first thought when I saw the ad was that I'm not in boot camp any more and I don't appreciate being spoken to that way. Especially by someone whose salary I pay.

Update: Kevin reports that this would seem to be the third accident, not the second as the ChronicBile states. It seems there was another one in between the two the ChronicBile reports. How is it possible that our beloved local daily could have made a factual error!? Why, that never ever could possibly happen!

Democrats Gone Wild!

FOXNews.com: Click here

The site above includes a link to Howard Dean's absolutely bizarre performance in his "concession" speech last night in Iowa. Si se puede!

VOANews.com: India Purchases Aircraft Carrier, 12 MiGs from Russia

India has signed deal to purchase an aircraft carrier and 12 fighter jets from Russia, after nearly a decade of negotiations. The deal also comes as India strengthens ties with the United States.

Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes hailed the $1.6 billion deal as a momentous step in India's long relationship with Russia. 'This is a historic occasion, which,' he said, 'constitutes a major landmark in India-Russia cooperation, in the military-technical field, and a reaffirmation of our strategic relations.'

Under the deal, India is buying the Admiral Gorshkov, a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier, and 12 MiG 29-K fighter jets. India will take delivery of the aircraft carrier by 2008.

The Gorshkov is pretty old, but it's still a carrier...

This is a Russian site that follows oil and gas news in Russia. The English side is ok, but the Russian side is better.

There's your problem right there....

WaPo: Kerry Scores Comeback Iowa Victory; Edwards 2nd, Dean and Gephardt Lag

A dramatic home stretch, and vivid stylistic contrasts among the main contenders, prompted Iowans to turn out in large numbers. With most of the vote counted, party officials said they had counted 122,000 caucus-goers, double the amount of four years ago but just shy of the 1988 Democratic record.

Byron and Andrew predicted a Dean win with turnout of 140,000 and 150,000. They didn't get that.

I'm willing to predict a better showing for Dean percentagewise in New Hampshire. Why?

1. They'll be able to drive turnout better in a traditional voting scenario than in the caucus. If you've never watched a caucus on C-SPAN, make a mental note to watch one next time. The math these caucus-goers have to do and the deals they have to finagle are amazing. It makes getting people to go pull a lever look very easy. Dean had too many people who were new to the process and didn't know how to work the caucus. Kuff's got the links to prove it.

2. Some union support will go from Gephardt to Dean. Unions are the masters of voter turnout.

But as far as I'm concerned, nominate any one of these four. Bush wins. And I'll be out there helping...

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Andrew D. has a great look at the Iowa caucuses over at Burnt Orange Report: Kerry Carries Iowa. Byron notes Rep. Gephardt's concession speech and I've got to agree that that was probably the best dropping-out speech I've ever seen.

I knew if I posted that link Owen would run with it. Go read his take on the light rail editorial: More light rail mythology

Dean Panics, Gets Angry

NewsMax.com: Dean: I Didn't Say 'Panic Attack' [Yes, He Did]

Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean denied that he ever suffered from "panic attacks" during a Monday morning interview with Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," insisting that neither he nor a reporter who recently interviewed him had used that term to describe an episode where he hyperventilated upon taking office as Vermont governor in 1991.

Citing a recent interview he gave to People magazine, Dean complained to "Fox & Friends" host Steve Doocy, "I think if you read People magazine it says no such thing. The quote that you just read, it didn't say anything about a panic attack."

People's interviewer did, however, twice ask Dean about past "anxiety attacks," prompting the former Vermont governor to detail his hyperventilation experience.

Noted People's Ann Driscoll, "It sounds as if you had a little bit of an anxiety attack when you got the word that you were now governor."

"I did," responded Dean. "I hyperventilated and I started hyperventilating and I thought, You better stop that or you won't be much good to anybody. . . . To suddenly get told that you have responsibility for 600,000 people — it provokes a little anxiety.

CBS News: Dean To News Media: Get A Life

At an event meant to mark the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a stern if not angry Howard Dean, told the media to “get a new life.”

With the start of the Iowa Caucus only hours away, the former Vermont governor arrived at the Iowa Historical Museum for the State of Iowa King remembrance.

Dean, who was not scheduled as one of the speakers, arrived with the national and local media waiting. The event had been posted on the media roster by his campaign.

Tens of Thousands?

The Salt Lake Tribune: Critics rail at light rail to no avail

For the first four days of 2004, tens of thousands of people flocked to downtown Houston and lined up for more than an hour to ride the city's new light-rail line.

Send Rep. Flake a check!

azcentral: Barnes says Rep. Flake is living up to his name

Republican Rep. Jeff Flake got elected to Congress after promising to fight wasteful spending, impose a six-year term limit on himself and vote his conscience. Now, with fewer than four years on the job, Flake is being challenged for re-election by a lobbyist and former state legislator who is outraged with Flake for making a bunch of unrealistically high-minded promises to the voters of his district - then keeping them.

I was leaning towards supporting John Devine for US House District 10, until I went here: Elliott For U.S. Congress Texas 10th District

...clicked on Platform, and saw this:

Fire Ant Eradication

I've got to rethink the whole matter now.

John Devine, candidate for the US House from Texas District 10, has something like a blog: Journal and Letters

Song of the Day: Jail Guitar Doors by The Clash

Let me tell you 'bout Wayne and his deals of cocaine
A little more every day
Holding for a friend till the band do well
Then the D.E.A. locked him away

Clang clang, go the jail guitar doors
Bang bang, go the boots on the floor
Cry cry, for your lonely mother's son
Clang clang, go the jail guitar doors

An' I'll tell you 'bout Pete, didn't want no fame
Gave all his money away
"Well there's something wrong, it'll be good for you, son"
And so they certified him insane

And then there's Keith, waiting for trial
Twenty-five thousand bail
If he goes down you won't hear his sound
But his friends carry on anyway

I guess this makes it clear, I am not a cultural conservative.

Attention Super Bowl Visitors to Houston

Welcome. If you're coming for the Super Bowl and you're reading this blog, you're obviously cool enough to get the inside scoop on entertainment options. I know the big party downtown is tempting, what with Asleep at the Wheel and BR-549 appearing, but it's gonna be really crowded. Kevin has been kind enough to put up an alternative list for you: PubliusTX - A Super Bowl Lineup For Locals

I received a nice e-mail from a guy over at Campaign Resources, Inc. who actually looked at my web site and liked it. Wow. Thanks!

Finally Filing's Finished

Last night I was working at our studio and trying to watch the Congressional race filings as they came up on the computer. I had enough time to hit F5 and watch the results refresh, but not enough time to post anything. Since Kuffner has a really good wrap-up, you probably should just go over there and read it.

I don't understand these guys that wait until the last minute to file. I understand the strategy of not telegraphing what you're doing, but if you're taking on an incumbent, you need to start getting name ID early.

But, as usual, nobody listens to me.

There were a couple of surprises that Kuff didn't get into. One was the failure of Lyndon Rose to file as a Republican in CD09. He did just get appointed to some board at UH (was it the Regents?), so maybe he decided not to spend the time running a contested primary and a largely hopeless general election campaign.

The other was the appearance of a Democrat opponent, John Martinez, for CD07 (John Culberson). If memory serves, he filed for the Democrat primary in 2002 and then withdrew. The rumor I heard was that the county party pressured him to drop the race, they didn't want to increase turnout in CD07 when there were statewide races. But, anything I hear about internal Democrat politics is pure rumor.

I suspect that CD32, where Democrat Martin Frost is taking on Republican Pete Sessions, will be one of the most expensive races of the year in Texas. Sessions obviously has the edge in votes, but even if Frost loses, he's going to make Texas Republicans work for it.

I plan on following the races in CD02, CD07, CD09, and CD10.

For CD02, I think any GOP nominee will have to work hard to beat Lampson. He has Democrat partisans' passion going for him. I don't think any Republican starts out with any real advantage besides having an R next to his name. Clint Moore is very popular with grassroots Republicans, but I'm not sure how well he'll do with the average Republican voter. Ted Poe has more name ID with primary voters, but I think Clint will have the grassroots organizing advantage. My sympathies are with Clint and I'm thinking about endorsing him despite the fact that I don't live in the district (something I don't care for doing).

CD07: I'm a hardcore John Culberson supporter and would take a bullet for him. I don't think the other candidates have much of a shot, but I'll keep my eyes on the race.

CD09 is my district. Mr. Hassan (the recently announced GOP candidate) ought to shoot me an e-mail or send me a letter if he wants me to take a look at him. I'm predisposed to support a candidate with a web site over those without, so Arlette has the early advantage. The Democrat primary will be fun to watch. With two people beating up on him, I think Bell's got some challenges. Good.

In CD10, I don't have a horse. Devine is the only Harris County candidate that I know anything about, but I can't call myself a supporter. McCaul has been busting his butt on outreach to Harris County GOP stalwarts, and having Kaye as his Treasurer is a real coup. She's instrumental in west Harris County GOP politics.

Welcome Aboard

The Paris News: Republicans bow out for Ralph Hall

By Mary Madewell
The Paris News
Published January 16, 2004

Two suburban Republican contenders who had lined up to run for the 4th Congressional District have bowed out in support of a new party member, incumbent U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall of Rockwall.

Bob Collins of Farmersville and Steve Clark of Rockwall both told Hall this week that they would withdraw from the campaign to support the senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Welcome Super Bowl Visitors!

USATODAY.com: Houston rolls out welcome mat for Super Bowl

I'm happy you're here and I hope you enjoy your stay. You probably won't see me, my goal for that week is to stay outside Beltway 8.

You can rent my house if you want. $50,000/week

You can't blame a guy for trying....

This is complicated...

METRORail Safety

Curses, Foiled Again

So, alert readers of this blog will have surmised from a few entries that I took an unusual interest in state rep district 50, currently held by Jack Stick.That's because I was helping a friend of mine (Don Zimmerman) who wanted to run against him in the GOP primary. That effort has fallen apart because the Travis County GOP has declared him ineligible. Why? Well, Don filed for precinct chair and then filed for state rep without unfiling for precinct chair. The law is you can't be a candidate for two offices at the same time like that, so only the first filing counts.

Now, it is not the county party's job to hold every single candidate's hand and lead them through the whole campaign. But, it's still annoying when this kind of thing happens.

It's impossible to be mad at Don about this, he feels worse about it than anyone else. I can understand that the party officials didn't warn him, heck the person who took his money and paperwork might not have even known that he was filed for precinct chair. So, this is the kind of thing you have to chalk up to experience and move on.

Welcome Jon Matthews Searchers

According to my logs, more people are hitting my blog when they're looking for info on Jon Matthews -- more than any other search term. I wish I had more info for you all, but this story below is the most recent thing I've found, and it's pretty old. So be sure to check back in the beginning of February, maybe we'll know something then.

Fort Bend / Southwest Sun: Parr, Matthews plead not guilty

Former radio talk show host Jon Matthews appeared before District Judge Brady Elliott on Friday with his attorney Steve Dogget. Matt-hews pleaded not guilty to the charges of alleged indecency with a child. His next court appearance is set for Feb. 2.

Crack for the Political Junkies

CJR Campaign Desk

Link via IPC.

Brenham Paper Gets the Scoop

Brenham Banner-Press: GOP to hold forum for District 10 candidates

The staff of Teresa Doggett Taylor of Austin, who had said she would seek the seat, has resigned.

Taylor, a mortgage banker, made an unsuccessful bid for Texas Comptroller in 1996.

Adam Mitchell, who had been Taylor's field director/press secretary, said her staff had resigned 'as of today.'

'She's having a problem raising funds for the campaign,' said Mitchell. 'Nothing against Teresa. She's a good woman. But if you can't raise any money, it's hard to win an election.'

Script Kiddies Get New Toys for Christmas

PCWorld.com: PayPal Scam Spreads Mimail Worm

The strategy of using a Trojan program to retrieve the new virus is unorthodox, and may be intended to circumvent antivirus products that have already been updated to spot the new versions of Mimail, she says.

Crack for the Intel Junkies

Story and link via CDI Russia Weekly

CIA FBIS DIRECTORY OF RUSSIAN DEFENSE AGENCIES

The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) of the Central Intelligence Agency has inadvertently disclosed its "Directory of Russian Federation Defense-Related Agencies and Personnel."

The FBIS Directory provides open source information on Russian military structure, installations, intelligence agencies, and leadership, including English and Russian biographies of selected individuals.

Although all of the information is unclassified and does not reflect clandestine collection, such data is nevertheless typically withheld from public disclosure by the Central Intelligence Agency.

A few years ago, the CIA refused to confirm or deny the mere fact that it had prepared biographies of certain foreign leaders. The Agency goes so far as to claim that disclosing the amount of money spent by FBIS on open source collection and analysis would damage the security of the United States. (Selected FBIS translations are made available to the public through an online subscription service.)

The FBIS Directory, updated as recently as December 2003, was found on a publicly accessible portion of an otherwise restricted web site. A copy is posted here:

Directory of Russian Federation Defense Related Agencies and Personnel

CD31 Watch

So, is Wes Riddle going to run against John Carter or what?

Mark Goldberg Watch

Houston Chronicle: City leaders offered 12 percent raises

Houston's elected leaders are being offered a fat pay raise, but Mayor Bill White and most council members say they will decline it as the city faces another lean budget.

[snip]

Other council members who do not hold second jobs are Carol Alvarado and Pam Holm, who declined the raise. Also declining it were Ronald Green, a lawyer, Addie Wiseman, who owns a landscaping company, and M.J. Khan, who has real estate holdings. Mark Goldberg, who took the raise, also is a lawyer.

I'm feeling more and more confident about endorsing Russ Ridgway for JP every day.

Words out of my mouth...

National Review Online: Kenneth D. Whitehead on Title VI

I believed then -- and I believe now -- that it is necessary to master the language of a foreign culture in order to be a qualified foreign-language and area specialist in the full sense of the word. I also thought -- and still think -- that university-based language and area-studies programs have a place in meeting the country's needs. But it was also clear to me -- and it is clear to me today -- that without a steady hand on the keel, Title VI will continue to come up short.

Rational Review

CD09 Watch: What the Lampson?!

The Harris County GOP's web site shows Nick Lampson as having filed for the new CD09. (This has been updated today.) Either this is an error, a change in the way the GOP is listing the candidates, or Cong. Lampson is taking on Cong. Bell in the Dem primary. There's nothing about this on the Democratic Party sites.

Update: Harris County GOP reports that it is indeed an error and have changed it. Please note that this was not the webmaster's fault.

CD09 Watch: Edwards Running?

News 24 Houston: New congressional districts mean new candidates for Congress

The filing period for new congressional districts continues through Friday, so the pool of candidates could grow. In fact, Houston Councilwoman Ada Edwards may also join the race for the 9th district.

Houston Chronicle: Bell shifts House bid to 9th District

Another, Houston City Councilwoman Ada Edwards, ruled out her bid Tuesday. "I think I can be more effective staying right where I am," she said.

Apparently not running.

In my continuing efforts to emulate Kevin and win the Houston Press Best Blog Award, I'm also going to see the Prince of Darkness.

Hi there. Thanks for linking to me. Maybe I'll comment over there on this post. First thing:

Rob Booth, a "libertarian Republican" (<--an oxymoron, if you ask me)

That's the second person to say that to me recently. What do you all think Ron Paul is?

Thanks for the link and you seem like a nice guy too.

Respect My Authority!

I mentioned to Arlette Molina last night that her site was loading very slowly. Today, it's fixed. The all-mighty precinct chairman retires to his living room.

CD09 Watch

Chris Bell files.
Al Green did too.

Some candidates better get cracking...

Judge Carol G. Davies of the 177th District Court is not running for re-election and there are three Republicans running to replace her.

One of these is a young lady (she's younger than me) named Emily Munoz. Normally I wouldn't care about this sort of race very much. Judges don't say much in their speeches and there isn't much they really can say. You kind of have to go by a gut feeling and others' recommendations. So, in this race so far, Emily Munoz has called me personally, mailed me a letter, and remembered my name last night and having had talked to me about an endorsement. Then, to cap it all off, she said "I know you'll want to research the other candidates first." No pressure. Brilliant.

So, Devon Anderson and Adam Brown, candidates for Criminal District Court 177, get on the ball! I expect flowers and chocolate if you want my endorsement.

Point of trivia: Emily Munoz was one of Clara Harris' lawyers.

Of Steak and VegiMite

In this post I noted that Outback Steakhouse doesn't seem to have anything to do with Australia. I consulted with an Australian friend of mine who confirmed that Outback Steakhouse indeed has "absolutely nothing" to do with Australia.

He did offer to give me some VegiMite. He explained that one of its major ingredients is a beer yeast. They feed it to their children on toast with butter. I thought that explains a lot about that Crocodile Dundee fellow.

The Democratic Candidates Are So Bad....

How bad are they?

WaPo: O'Neill Says He Did Not Believe Documents Under Scrutiny Were Secret

Appearing on NBC's 'Today' show, O'Neill did not dispute any of the quotes critical of the Bush administration attributed to him in the book, including the characterization of Bush as 'a blind man in a room full of deaf people.'

But he said, 'I used some vivid language that if I could take it back, I'd take that back, because it's become the controversial centerpiece. And I am afraid that it will cause people to have an impression without actually reading the book. I hope people will read the book.'

O'Neill also said he would still vote for Bush.

That's pretty bad.