Monthly Archives: July 2009

Doing it in the Facebook with the Twittering, HCRP-style

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg checks in on the Harris County Republican Party’s efforts to bring social media skillz to their masses. It’s easy to make fun of them for this – okay, it’s easy to make fun of them in general – … Continue reading →

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Litter bags for litter bugs

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ever see someone throw trash from their car window and want to do something about it? Well, now you can. It’s not quite a citizen’s arrest, but an average of 1,025 Texans every month open their mailboxes to find a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cornyn to vote No on Sotomayor

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody should be surprised by this. The senator who runs the GOP’s Senate campaign arm says he’ll vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Texas Republican John Cornyn is siding with his party’s leaders and conservatives against President Barack Obama’s … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Friday random ten: Raindrops keep falling on my head

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of that wet stuff that’s finally started falling from the sky again after however long a dry spell, here are ten songs about rain. 1. Rain – Flying Fish Sailors 2. Rain and Snow – Solas 3. Rain … Continue reading →

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Senate fundraising scorecard

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve seen campaign fundraising for city of Houston races and for state of Texas races, now let’s take a look at the Senate race, whenever that will be. Here’s what I’ve got for the major candidates via the FEC webpage: … Continue reading →

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Our friend the stimulus package

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Jason Embry tells us just how much Texas relied on the stimulus package this year. A new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that federal stimulus dollars played a large role in allowing Texas lawmakers to balance … Continue reading →

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What kind of patriot are you, anyway?

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Contrarian reports on more SBOE follies. A reader passed along a link to this Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel story that shows just how much some members of the State Board of Education are trying to slant social studies classes in … Continue reading →

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Tulia ten years later

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The 40th anniversary of the Apollo mission to the moon is on everyone’s mind these days, but there was another big anniversary this week that shouldn’t be overlooked: On July 23, 1999, dozens of mostly African-American citizens of Tulia, Texas, … Continue reading →

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Jones versus HPFFA

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yeesh. The head of the Houston firefighters union blasted City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones for her handling of allegations of racism and sexism in the Houston Fire Department, saying in a sharply worded letter on Thursday that she had disparaged “thousands … Continue reading →

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From the “Reasons why KBH won’t resign” files

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Gardner Selby notes that whenever Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison decides to resign from the Senate, Governor Perry controls the timing of the special election to replace her and can use it to help his preferred candidate. Under the law, if … Continue reading →

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A tour of the July campaign finance reports

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to City of Houston elections, this past July 15 was also a reporting deadline for state and federal campaigns. I’ve put together this Google spreadsheet that details a number of legislative, SBOE, and statewide races, to serve as … Continue reading →

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On the matter of turnout

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This Star-Telegram story about turnout in the 2008 election versus turnout in the 2004 election has got some people talking. The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain sent more Texans to the polls last year, but the state … Continue reading →

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HPOU touts its opposition to eyewitness ID reform

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a clip from the Houston Police Officers’ Union publication, Badge and Gun (June/July 2009 issue), written by HPOU President Gary Blankinship, detailing how HPOU successfully helped lead the fight against a couple of bills by State Sen. Rodney Ellis … Continue reading →

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City or county?

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Like Nancy Sims, I was at the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce candidate forum yesterday morning. And like Nancy, I thought this bit was one of the more interesting parts of the debate. Several questions focused on city finances and … Continue reading →

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Watson on unemployment

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Kirk Watson reviews the bidding on how the state of Texas has handled its unemployment issues. As was noted during this past legislative session by Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken (who was appointed by the Governor and once … Continue reading →

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The tenth time is not the charm

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Ashby High Rise still can’t get approved. Plans for the Ashby high-rise were rejected for the 10th time Tuesday with the city saying its own traffic evaluation now shows the projects impact would push the Bissonnet Street at Shepherd … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Lane Lewis

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moving on to the first district Council race of this interview cycle, today’s subject is Lane Lewis, who is running for the District A seat currently held by Toni Lawrence. Lewis has worked as a social worker and has been … Continue reading →

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We’ll know who’s running for what soon enough

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Glazer notes a Capitol Inside piece that suggests that State Sen. Kirk Watson is staying put, and that Houston Mayor Bill White will shift gears and run for Governor instead of Senate. As one who expected him to run … Continue reading →

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The five-thousand dollar club

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

David Ortez does some digging through the campaign finance reports for the three Mayoral contenders and comes up with a list of those who gave the legal maximum of $5000 to each. Gene Locke is the big winner, with more … Continue reading →

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Texas Voices update

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits gives a report. I was pleased to get to spend a little time with Mary Sue Molnar and the folks at Texas Voices (a group made up of families of registered sex offenders) at their statewide conference here in … Continue reading →

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Rice gets stimulus funds for physics building

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Go Owls! Rice University narrowly missed a chance at federal funding for a new physics building last year. The $787 billion federal stimulus plan offered a second chance. The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced Monday that Rice will … Continue reading →

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The HISD Trustee races

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Most of the electoral action this fall will be for City of Houston races, but there are also five HISD Trustee seats on the ballot, one of which will be open. School Zone reports on the two races that will … Continue reading →

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US Attorney update

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mary Flood notes that while we still don’t have a nominee for US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, we at least now have a list of finalists. The committee met with the four folks whose names were sent … Continue reading →

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Dewhurst settles financial disclosure complaint

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, now we have an idea of where Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst gets his wealth. The Republican sent the Texas Ethics Commission two corrected financial statements covering 2007 and 2008 filings. The new disclosures show Dewhurst holds a stake in … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of July 20

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time for another Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup. Click on for the highlights.

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To the moon

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the 40th anniversary of the day that man walked on the moon. I was three years old when this happened, and I have a very vague memory of watching it on TV. There’s a lively discussion going on … Continue reading →

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Interview with Stephen Costello

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with the At Large candidates, today we hear from Stephen Costello, who is running for At Large #1. Stephen is a civil engineer, whose firm has been rated one of the best places to work in Houston, and is … Continue reading →

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Defining “expert” down

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman editorial board lets us know how Don McLeroy defines an “expert” on something. Don McLeroy, who couldn’t muster enough votes in the Republican-dominated Texas Senate to win confirmation as chairman of the State Board of Education, has a … Continue reading →

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(Don’t) Run Everywhere, Dallas-style

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Remember when Dallas was a stronghold for the state GOP? Those days are long gone. After two straight losing cycles that forced them out of power, Dallas County Republicans will feature a scaled-down ticket for the 2010 elections. Party Chairman … Continue reading →

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City candidates on Twitter

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Since I brought up the subject of Houston city candidates on Twitter last week, I figured I’d put together as complete a list of such candidates’ Twitter feeds as I could, since I’d already gotten such a head start on … Continue reading →

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At least now we know what he does with his time

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, Orlando Sanchez, our do-nothing County Treasurer, is a closet urbanist. I’ll direct you to Greg for a thorough review of Sanchez’s vision for Washington Avenue, to which there’s not much to add. I will note that Sanchez continues to … Continue reading →

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RIP, Frank McCourt

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bestselling author and former high school teacher Frank McCourt has died at the age of 78. Frank McCourt, the retired high school English teacher who became a best-selling memoirist, liked to say he had disproven F. Scott Fitzgerald’s adage about … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Weekend link dump for July 19

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hot. Hot hot hot. Better than being cold, if you ask me, but still. Hot hot hot. What’s your generic word for soft drink? I’ve always called it “soda”, as befitting my Yankee upbringing. Are you an annoying airline passenger? … Continue reading →

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The immigration question in the Mayor’s race

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Man, we need comprehensive immigration reform we can all live with. The city’s plans to step up cooperation with federal authorities in efforts to deport illegal immigrants is garnering new debate in the 2009 mayoral contest. Latino advocates have pressed … Continue reading →

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