Monthly Archives: April 2005

On the radio again

Posted on April 24, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Had my second appearance on BizRadio 1320 yesterday. Good thing it was relatively early, because I was a zombie for most of the rest of the day. I think I sounded like hell, but at least I was able to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 1 Comment

Still sick

Posted on April 23, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is, I don’t have strep throat. The bad news is, I feel like a rottweiler’s chew toy. If I sounded like I was drowning in helium on the radio today, that’s why. I’ve got stuff planned for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 1 Comment

Subpoena

Posted on April 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Just wanted to note that Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist have been subpoenaed by the Senate subcommittee on Indian affairs as part of its probe into the activities of DeLay associate Jack Abramoff. The Chron picks up the story today. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 5 Comments

Reviews for “The Smartest Guys”

Posted on April 22, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of review for Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room today. Greg got to see it at the official opening and has some interesting reports from the Q&A session that followed. Ted gives his perspective as a former Enron … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 4 Comments

A statement from Sylvester Turner

Posted on April 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I received the following email from two different people last night: Sylvester Turner St. Representative, District 139 Speaker Pro Tem April 21, 2005 “There has been some confusion surrounding my vote on Representative Talton’s amendment to SB 6. The vote … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 10 Comments

Foster care madness

Posted on April 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Like so many of my blogging colleagues, I’m disgusted by the action taken by State Rep. Robert Talton (R, Pasadena) to bar gays from being foster parents. I’m at a loss to understand the public policy rationale for this, since … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 13 Comments

Contested Republican primary in CD22?

Posted on April 21, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

With all the talk about which Democrats may or may not try to run against Tom DeLay in CD22, seldom is the question asked “What about the Republican primary?” Stina points to this Lawtalkers thread which indicates there are rumblings … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 10 Comments

The Texas Voter Database Project

Posted on April 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I referenced Greg Moses in the previous post, so I feel compelled to note that he’s also got a series in the works on the privatization of Texas’ voter registration database. What, you didn’t know this was going on? Neither … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | 1 Comment

Why Mary Denny must be stopped

Posted on April 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Mary Denny, author of the execrable HB1706, shows her ignorance during the committee hearings on her awful bill: “You have to show ID to rent a video at Blockbuster,” Denny said. “That’s something simple and not nearly as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 7 Comments

Toll road updates

Posted on April 20, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Anne has updates on on Toll Road Mania, with news about neighborhood groups near South Post Oak Road opposing a proposed alteration to that thoroughfare (and also endorsing the CTC resolution (PDF) to make the Harris County Toll Road Authority … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

Banjo on The Post

Posted on April 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

This is the kind of ten-years-after elegy for The Houston Post that I wanted to see. Hey, Lynn Ashby: Another perk of blogging is no word limits. Just a little food for thought, you know? Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 1 Comment

DeLay’s Defense

Posted on April 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a limited number of terminals available here and there’s often a crowd, so I’ve got to pick my spots for blogging. I want to call your attention to these two posts by Greg concerning the email Tom DeLay has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

New frontiers in grammar

Posted on April 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

One way you can tell you’re at an IT conference – in particular, one way you can tell you’re attending a keynote address by a CEO – is by the creative use of nouns as verbs. Today’s entry: “de-risked”, as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 6 Comments

Oklahoma City

Posted on April 19, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the tenth anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people. It remains the second-largest terrorist attack on American soil, and its effects are still being felt today. This … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

I-45 town hall video to be on TV

Posted on April 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Greetings from Orlando. I’m still getting my convention legs under me, but I expect to have an interesting tale or two to tell in the coming days. This sort of thing is always good for that. The recent I-45 town … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on I-45 town hall video to be on TV

On the road again

Posted on April 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’m about to take off for Florida for a couple of days to attend a conference (this one, if anyone reading this happens to be there). As such, things will be a tad slow this week, especially in the approving-comments … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | 1 Comment

Does Berke Breathed read the blogs?

Posted on April 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

So, um, is it just me, or has anyone else been mentally substituting “political bloggers” for “comics characters” in the last two Opus strips? (For those whose newspapers don’t carry it, the last two strips have been about there are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 5 Comments

Is there a Cornyn connection to Abramoff?

Posted on April 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Star Telegram reports on another potential casualty of the Abramoff casino scandal: Senator John Cornyn, from his time as Texas’ Attorney General. The closing of the Speaking Rock Casino near El Paso in February 2002 was one of John … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

“The Smartest Guys In The Room”

Posted on April 18, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I had the opportunity recently to watch a screener DVD of the documentary movie Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, based on the book by the same name. It’s a fairly comprehensive and snappy overview of the rise and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Enronarama | 2 Comments

March traffic report

Posted on April 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I had nearly 55,000 hits in March, putting it just a notch below January’s total. The scourge of referral log spam continues, but I suppose I’m getting a little amount of perverse satisfaction in knowing that the clowns who are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Traffic Reports | 1 Comment

DeLay protest at NRA convention

Posted on April 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

John Cobarruvias has a report from the anti-DeLay protest outside the NRA convention yesterday. Pictures can be found here, here, and here. Sure is nice to see DeLay described by a mainstream source as “embattled”, isn’t it? Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Good news and bad news on the crime front

Posted on April 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Grits reports that the Harris County drug task force is kaput. This is a good thing, since the main legacy of these things is the Tulia fiasco. It also allows for the money earmarked for the task forces to go … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Comments Off on Good news and bad news on the crime front

The Houston Post, ten years after

Posted on April 17, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Monday will mark the ten-year anniversary of the death of the Houston Post, and its former editor-in-chief Lynn Ashby commemorates the event. I liked The Post – I signed up for a subscription my first week on campus as a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 6 Comments

Polls and debates in San Antonio

Posted on April 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Jeffersonian notes a new Survey USA poll which shows Julian Castro continuing to hold a solid lead in the San Antonio Mayor’s race, but still falling short of a majority of the vote. He also has some analysis from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2005 | 1 Comment

Morrison update and other trivia

Posted on April 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve heard a few tidbits from Richard Morrison‘s trip to DC to meet up with the DCCC and various persons of interest. The DCCC made him an offer, which he ultimately declined (sorry, no details available). I am told that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Radio daze

Posted on April 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

My debut on BizRadio 1320 went pretty well, I thought. Kevin led off and they talked to him about lonely toll booth operators and Sports Authority shenanigans, then it was my turn and we discussed hosting the Super Bowl and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 4 Comments

Another CBMS mess update

Posted on April 16, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Meant to post on this earlier, but things got a little crazy around here: Here’s the latest installment from Father John on the privatization of Colorado’s Benefit Management System (CBMS), which is described in this Denver Post article as being … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Another CBMS mess update

Disturbing trends in online polls

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how long this will be up, but there’s a poll on the Click2Houston.com website that says “Should it be illegal to live together in a sexual relationship when not legally married?” I can only wonder how much … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Society and cultcha | 3 Comments

The Year of The Yao

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

The Year of the Yao, a documentary about Yao Ming’s first year in the USA and NBA, opens this weekend in Houston. The film presents the incredible pressure placed on Yao, not only as a basketball player and the top … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in TV and movies | 1 Comment

A voice made for blogging

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

If anyone in town reading this is awake and near a radio tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10:15 AM, you can tune into BizRadio 1320 AM and hear me talk about This Week In Blogging. Kevin did this last week, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | 6 Comments

HB16: The biggest PLOB yet

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been some mighty tough competition this session, but I’m going to nominate HB16 as the biggest PLOB of them all. That’s the bill that would allow a pharmacist to refuse to sell birth control to an adult woman with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

Some DeLay links to tide you through the weekend

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Greg observes President Bush’s evolving relationship with Tom DeLay. Parallels to his friendship/nonfriendship with Kenny Boy Lay are strictly coincidental. Nice to know that someone in Utah still loves The Hammer. Media Matters rounds up a bunch of anti-DeLay editorials … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments

Illegal armtwisting?

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Will the TRMPAC scandals reach the Governor’s office? Republican State Rep. Tommy Merritt is claiming that Rick Perry’s former chief of staff Mike Toomey urged him to sign a pledge card for Tom Craddick in return for a promise to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Comments Off on Illegal armtwisting?

Deadbeats

Posted on April 15, 2005 by Charles Kuffner

Keith Gaddie of Sooner Politics has a personal interest in the maelstrom surrounding Tom DeLay. I have a little issue of my own, in the interest of coming clean. I’m working on a book on the Texas redistricting, and nothing … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 2 Comments