Monthly Archives: March 2006

Next up: Ed Buckham

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Word is that Tony Rudy’s plea agreement will implicate former DeLay Chief of Staff Ed Buckham, of US Family Network fame (see here, here, and here for more). From Bloomberg: Supporting documents released with the plea agreement put a third … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Time to change tactics

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

HISD is taking the tougher stand they said they would with students who continue to skip class to protest immigration policies, while at the same time encouraging the students to find a more productive way to express themselves. Just hours … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Comments Off on Time to change tactics

Two down

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

And we now have two ex-DeLay staffers pleading guilty to felony charges. Tony Rudy, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, will plead guilty today to one count in connection with the ongoing federal investigation of the activities … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 4 Comments

Quarter time

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

As The Jeffersonian reminds us, today is the end of the quarter, so if you’ve been planning to make a donation to your favorite candidate, today is a great day to do it. He’s got a suggested list of Congressional … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Courage challenges Smith on immigration

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Matt brings us a message from John Courage to anti-immigrant Congressman Lamar Smith, who continues to be out of the mainstream on the subject. Check it out. Courage will be the beneficiary of a fundraiser headlined by Senator Russ Feingold … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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From the “Why every vote counts” file

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Seven votes makes the difference. A recount of ballots today confirmed that County Court-at-Law No. 9 Judge Oscar Kazen will serve a single term after all, and will be replaced next year by political newcomer Laura Salinas. “‘Landslide Laura’ wins … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Endorsement? What endorsement?

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

NASA says that when their administrator whispered sweet nothings about Tom DeLay in front of an audience, it wasn’t really an endorsement. Five days after NASA administrator Michael Griffin urged a Houston audience to keep U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 2 Comments

Want to ride your bicycle?

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Christof tells us about an unused right-of-way inside Loop 610 called the Eureka Corridor and some currently languishing plans to turn it into a bike trail. The nifty part of this is a proposal by the White Oak Bayou Association … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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CPPP analysis of TTRC plan

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier than expected, but here’s the analysis by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (PDF) of the Texas Tax Reform Commission’s finance plan. First, the proposal is a net tax cut. We had urged a plan that increased revenue; the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on CPPP analysis of TTRC plan

As the HHSC crumbles

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when the state of Texas was going full speed ahead on the privatization of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (THHSC) even though the federal government had official concerns about its ability to deliver the services it’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More on the concealed carry law

Posted on March 30, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

We all got a good schadenfreudistic laugh out of Tom DeLay’s gun woes, but I was curious about the provision in that law that called for the suspension of a concealed-carry license (CCL) for a person under a felony indictment. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 4 Comments

Abramoff sentenced in Florida

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Five years and ten months for Casino Jack. U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck sentenced Abramoff, 47, and his former partner, Adam R. Kidan, 41, to the shortest possible prison terms under sentencing guidelines in the case. In pleading for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Projecting the Governor’s race

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Lone Star Project has an interesting analysis of the Governor’s race, in which its basic thesis is that Chris Bell really does have a clearer path to a win than Carole Keeton Strayhorn. Not an easy path, mind you, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

The slow spur

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

As I read about the snarled traffic on US59 approaching the newly-reopened Spur 527, I have to ask: Am I the only one who remembers what this stretch of road was like before the construction? Some drivers said they saw … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 1 Comment

LBB analysis of TTRC plan

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Tax Reform Commission (TTRC) plan is set to be unveiled today, and it starts with a shot of good publicity thanks to a Legislative Budget Board analysis that paints it as a tax cut for all income levels. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 3 Comments

Walkouts around the state

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

There were student walkouts in Dallas and Fort Worth yesterday along with those in Houston and elsewhere around the country. That will probably be the end of that type of activity – as Stace notes, the party line from school … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 2 Comments

Astros’ claim on Bagwell insurance denied

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Bagwell insurance claim denied. Lawyers for Astros owner Drayton McLane and Connecticut General Life Insurance are bracing for litigation over Connecticut General’s decision to deny the total disability claim the Astros filed to recoup $15.6 million of disabled first baseman … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | 1 Comment

And They Cook, Too

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I know that when the vast majority of the public thinks about blogs and bloggers (at least, the vast majority of that tiny slice of the public that knows who and what we are), words like “Cheetoes” and “Jolt cola” … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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More bloggy plagiarism

Posted on March 29, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, what with all the Domeneching recently, I’d not heard of the case of ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd and the charges that he’d reada humor piece from a Michigan Wolverines fan blog called the M Zone on the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | 1 Comment

DeLay sues to get his gun back

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Tom DeLay is fighting to get his gun back after his concealed carry license was suspended due to his felony indictment. Under a Texas law passed in 1995, a license may be suspended if the holder is charged with a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 6 Comments

Another student walkout

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Some breaking news here: I just got a phone call from Melissa Noriega, who tells me that students from Stephen F. Austin High School have walked out of classes and are moving through downtown, possibly towards the immigration court, though … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | 15 Comments

Statute of limitations aids Reed

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Ralph Reed is in the clear in Travis County because the statute of limitations has run out. He had been under investigation by County Attorney David Escamilla that he had violated Texas law by not registering as a lobbyist. Mr. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | 1 Comment

Libertarian candidate in CD22

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via Greg in TX22 and Right of Texas comes the news that the Libertarian Party has a candidate with some name recognition to run in CD22: Bob Smither. The engineering consultant is known for the tragic case that involved the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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A judge’s view of plea bargains

Posted on March 28, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Galveston’s Judge Susan Criss has an interesting op-ed on the process she goes through in reviewing plea bargains that come before her. I’ve reproduced the piece beneath the fold because the Galveston News site is highly transitory. The background on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

A roundup of immigration links

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t paid enough attention to the fierce debate over immigration that’s currently brewing in the Senate, the streets, and even the schools. Since I don’t think I have any original thoughts to add at this time, let me say … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

From the “People who are easily annoyed” files

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I have no idea what this guy is talking about. Donald Younger read last Monday’s article about the challenges faced by MetroRail operators. “I would like to say a little about the passengers and pedestrians,” he writes. “First of all, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | 4 Comments

Is this the end for Carol Alvarado?

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle runs a story on Carol Alvarado today that’s one part biography/career retrospective and one part political obituary. The big question: Will she ever be able to run for political office successfully again? “Even taking the best case, that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 3 Comments

Enriching Ed

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

This WaPo piece is a companion to the National Journal piece whose excerpts were in TPM Muckraker that I linked to over the weekend. It’s about DeLay buddy and former Chief of Staff Ed Buckham and the money he made … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Radnofsky and Harris

Posted on March 27, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Barbara Radnofsky is guest-blogging again at Capitol Annex, while her campaign manager Seth puts in a few words on her behalf at Wampum. As unhappy as I was that she did not win the Senate nomination outright on Primary Day, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Bagwell to DL

Posted on March 26, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

If the end of the line for Jeff Bagwell isn’t here, it’s getting really close. Conceding that it might take “a miracle” for him to play again, Houston Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell went on the disabled list Saturday in a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Who needs health care, anyway

Posted on March 26, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Women struggling with cuts to clinics. Through her divorce and the struggles of raising three girls on her salary at the Sonic Drive-In, there was one thing in Tanya Wilson’s life that came easy. Every three months, Wilson drove to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | 2 Comments

99 Red Balloons on the wall, 99 Red Balloons

Posted on March 26, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

There’s such a thing as liking a song a little too much. VH1 Classic will present a full hour of the English and German music videos for the 1984 hit 99 Luftballons, aka 99 Red Balloons, by German rock group … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 1 Comment

More Russian love for DeLay

Posted on March 26, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall this story from late last year about a Russian oil company funnelling $1 million to a phony “grassroots” group with deep ties to Tom DeLay for the alleged purpose of influencing his vote on legislation the International … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Stockman is in it to win it

Posted on March 26, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via Greg in TX22 comes this Congressional Quarterly piece that explains wingnut Steve Stockman’s intended entry into the CD22 race as an independent. Executive summary: He aims to win. Though Stockman says he is running to win, most observers are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 4 Comments