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December 29, 2006
Classy In Katy
Today's Chronicle continues monitoring the dust-up out in Katy, over a Muslim group's plans to build a mosque there.
It seems that one non-Muslim resident, business operator, and owner of property adjacent to the proposed mosque site, Craig Baker, is not pleased with the Katy Islamic Association's plans. To show his displeasure Mr. Baker has organized pig races, which began today in less than ideal weather conditions (at least for human spectators), on the aforementioned Baker Road property.
Obviously, pork is a forbidden meat in Muslim culture and initially the Islamic Association took offense to Baker's planned porcine festivities. The group fired off a letter complaining, but since have decided the races don't bother them.
Meanwhile, after numerous (and shocking) allegations of racism against Baker, he has launched a counter attack, claiming the Muslim group deeply offended him when it suggested he and his family (who he claims have been on the land for 200+ years) should get lost and move. He's even launched a Web site to tell his side of the story.
Classy behavior indeed, from all concerned, during this holiday season of giving.
Posted by houtopia at 06:19 PM
December 27, 2006
Ford As Example
With the death of former president Gerald Ford, as expected, tributes have been pouring in from across the American political spectrum. From them a common theme has emerged -- that even in his brief, unelected tenure as president, Ford sought to bring Washington and the nation together to heal the damage done by Watergate.
In an age where political polarization and bitter partisanship rule the day, Ford's consensus-building ethos seems but a fond memory of an era gone by. What a shame.
With Congress set to begin session, word is that Democrats will use their new rule of the House and Senate to restore many rights to the minority party that were denied them over the last 12 years. We hope so.
We also hope that here at home, members of the Texas House of Representatives will take the opportunity at hand to reject the mean-spirited, destructive reign of Tom Craddick and elect his fellow Republican Brian McCall to be the new Speaker of the Texas House. McCall is a conservative, but unlike Craddick has a reputation for collegiality and fairness.
With a new year upon us, what better tribute to the legacy of Gerald Ford (modest though it may be), than to follow his example and restore sorely needed civility to American political discourse and policy-making? Let's hope they're listening in Washington and Austin.
Posted by houtopia at 06:46 PM
December 24, 2006
Christmas Comes Early To The Texas House
With the holiday season running at full throttle, politics is normally placed on the back burner for a few weeks. Now and again, however, something flares up worth mentioning.
On Saturday, word broke that the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Republican Tom Craddick of Midland, has a challenge to his leadership. The challenge is not a futile effort by a Democrat (who are a 12-seat minority in the House), but a shot across the bough from Craddick's own party.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Brian McCall, Republican House member from Plano. A consensus builder who is liked on both sides of the aisle, McCall represents a real threat to Tom Craddick's speakership.
If McCall can get the votes of most of the 69 Democrats in the House, and peel off enough disgruntled Republicans, he will be the next Speaker of the Texas House. Whether he can is the million dollar question on the eve of the 2007 legislative session.
Tom Craddick has ruled the House with an iron fist since assuming power, and his leadership style has damaged him with members of his own party, not to mention Democrats. For the past two sessions it has been his way or the highway, and fellow GOPers who dared defy him faced the threat of a well-funded primary opponent (see Tommy Merritt of Longview.)
The 2006 elections, however, weakened the effectiveness of Mr. Craddick's threats. In both the primary and general elections, Craddick-backed candidates performed well below expectations. He lost numerous allies, from both parties this year, hence his current precarious position.
Mr. McCall's entry into the Speaker's race is an early Christmas present for Texans. This great state faces serious challenges in the upcoming legislative session, challenges that demand common-sense, practical solutions, not partisanship. Tom Craddick's leadership over the last several years has epitomized what is wrong with American politics today.
Here's hoping for a McCall speakership, and a positive new direction for the Texas House and the people it serves.
Posted by houtopia at 01:38 AM
December 19, 2006
Riding The Crime Wave
It's no secret that crime has been the news story in Houston this year. One need only watch the evening local news to catalog the seeming flood of H-town murder and mayhem in 2006. To be sure, there have been some very disturbing violent crimes committed here this year, and in areas like the west side, which heretofore had been insulated from such trouble.
New statistics released today by the FBI will fan the flames of fear and outrage among the Houston public. The stats show that from January to June 2006, Houston's violent crime rate significantly outpaced the national average, with the murder rate up a shocking 28% over the same period in 2005.
It's also no secret that many Houstonians associate the rise in crime with the influx of Katrina evacuees some 16 months ago, and clearly a criminal element from New Orleans relocated to Houston and has caused myriad problems. Comments in recent months from HPD at various public forums, however, reveal that the Katrina effect, while real, has been exaggerated.
In a KHOU report tonight, HPD cites a substantial overall population increase (about 140,000) as explanantion for the raw number increase in violent crimes. With more people comes a larger number of crimes is how the argument goes.
Furthermore, HPD contends that when statistics for July-November 2006 are added in, the crime increase for the year is quite a bit smaller than the FBI report shows. In short, HPD says that yes, crime is up in 2006, but not as much as the alarmist media coverage would indicate.
Houston Mayor Bill White has echoed this theme in his public comments, citing improvements over the last few months. Statistically he and HPD are right, but as the mayor's August appearance at a boisterous west side town hall meeting proved, in politics perception often trumps reality.
The fact is, whether or not entirely justified, Houstonians are scared and angry about rising crime here, and citing statistics won't quell those high-running emotions. The mayor and HPD seem to grasp this concept, and have substantially increased police presence in west/southwest Houston in recent months, as well as instituted the first new HPD cadet classes in years. They have taken the first steps toward tackling a difficult problem -- increasing population and crime, coupled with a shrinking police force -- that has been years in the making.
In light of today's FBI report, continued sensational news coverage and word-of-mouth horror stories about rampant crime, local officials dismiss public sentiment on this issue at their political peril.
Posted by houtopia at 10:33 PM
December 16, 2006
Circular Firing Squad - GOP Style
In recent years, political insiders and the media have enjoyed watching and discussing the Democratic Party and its various factions engage in very public recriminations against each other over lost elections and other missed political opportunities.
As the out of power minority party in recent years, Democrats have seemed less like a unified opposition than a group of siblings who just can't get along. The DLC was taking the party too far to the right, liberals were pulling it too far left, etc. Meanwhile, Republicans, while certainly not unified on every issue, kept their dirty laundry private, and presented a united public front.
And according to the GOP playbook, the political press took this contrast and ran with it -- highlighting Democratic disarray and Republican discipline at every opportunity. No doubt the perceived difference pervaded public consciousness (at least somewhat) and helped shape public attitudes about the two major parties, to the GOP's benefit. The public saw a firm, determined Republican party, and agree or disagree it had a clear agenda and message. But the Democrats? They couldn't even get their own internal house in order, so how on earth could they competently lead America in such dangerous times? You get the picture.
Well, occasionally events intervene to change the dynamics (and perception) of a situation. The November 7th election was such an event. Republicans lost control of the Congress, numerous governorships and state legislative seats across the country -- a stern rebuke of GOP leadership over the last several years.
The press, however, has been slow to catch on to the new political environment. In the election's immediate aftermath news stories seemed to continue with the aforementioned "Democrats in disarray" theme. Readers will recall the seemingly endless attention paid to the Democrats' intra-party battle over the Majority Leader position and the chairmanship of the important House Intelligence Committee. It was if nothing had changed.
Well, the press is slow these days (after all, it only took them three years to finally start asking tough questions about the Iraq War), but they seem to be coming around.
In the wake of the deteriorating situation in Iraq, the Baker Hamilton report and Henry Bonilla's disastrous loss in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas race, even Paul Burka is beginning to see cracks in that facade known as GOP unity. His editor, Evan Smith, has a fascinating interview with former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey in the upcoming issue of Texas Monthly. Armey apparently pulls few punches, and reserves some special comments for his former Texas colleague, Tom DeLay. (It's been a long time, but evidently Armey hasn't forgotten about DeLay's failed coup to take him out as Majority Leader a decade or so ago.)
Additionally, today brought news that former Georgia Republican Congressman (and Clinton impeachment heavy) Bob Barr is defecting to Libertarian Party, citing "disillusionment" with the GOP on issues like spending and privacy.
Looks like Republicans are setting up their own circular firing squad.
Posted by houtopia at 04:53 PM
December 12, 2006
Finishing The Cycle Strong
A very strong 2006 election cycle for Democrats is finishing on a high tonight, as former Democratic Congressman Ciro Rodriguez of San Antonio will return to Washington after beating GOP incumbent Henry Bonilla decisively in today's special election for the 23rd District of Texas.
Readers will recall that the 23rd was the principal violator, in the U.S. Supreme Court's eyes, of the Voting Rights Act by Tom DeLay's mid-decade Texas redistricting plan. While the Supremes largely preserved DeLay's Lone Star gerrymander, they cried foul on the 23rd and threw out the lines. The newly drawn seat reconstituted Latino voting strength in the district and made it very competitive for a Democrat.
Still, few gave Ciro much chance of winning (Note: Mr. Burka, are you going to keep swallowing the inside-Austin GOP spin or broaden your source pool a bit?), but win he did.
This victory is a tasty bit of icing on a pretty sweet national election cycle for Democrats, and marks another solid step forward taken by Texas Ds. Boy, has it been a while since that phrase was applicable.
Congratulations to Congressman Rodriguez. Oh, and Merry Christmas Mr. DeLay.
Posted by houtopia at 08:45 PM
December 11, 2006
The Best Show On Television
After a "mixed" results day of sports in the area -- for we Texans and UT fans, Vince Young's overtime heroics left a bittersweet taste, though the Horns' basketball victory over LSU was an unqualified success -- we settled in for the season finale of the best show on TV.
With programs like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Deadwood, among others, HBO has been pushing the television envelope over the last several years and producing the highest quality programming available.
No show is more gripping than The Wire. Created by David Simon and Ed Burns, The Wire is set on the rough and tumble streets of Baltimore and offers an unvarnished look at the enormous problems afflicting inner-city America.
The show in each season fictionally follows the lives of certain Baltimore residents -- some of whom are part of the criminal element, some not, and some hovering in between -- the law enforcement folks -- some good, some bad -- who struggle to fight an overwhelming crime problem, and the politicians -- some crooked, some straight -- who rule this declining American city.
If you have HBO, watch it -- shows are frequently repeated. If you don't, buy the DVDs. The show just completed its fourth season, and the first three seasons are available for purchase.
Again, there is nothing better on television today.
Posted by houtopia at 02:49 PM
December 07, 2006
Texans Don't Want Coal In Their Stockings
Kudos to Pink Dome this morning for reporting the findings from a new survey conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project. Many Texans do not know (as the survey points out) that Governor Rick Perry has a plan to "fast-track" consideration of 12 new coal-fired power plants for construction in Texas without addressing health and environmental concerns. This new poll indicates that the overwhleming majority of Texans are opposed to such a plan.
The survey findings are eye-opening and worth a look. The 600+ adults sampled have strong views on this important issue, largely irrespective of their partisan political affiliation. Not surprisingly, women are even more opposed to the Perry plan than men. And despite Vice President Dick Cheney's categorizing it as a "personal virtue", three out of four surveyed support using major conservation efforts to reduce electricity demand first, rather than constructing new power plants.
Texas may be a politically conservative state, but there is nothing "liberal" about wanting clean air and water. It's a public health issue, and a moral one -- we have a responsibility to leave a liveable world for our kids and grandkids.
On the issues of energy conservation and independence, fuel economy, and clean air and water, the American public is decidedly in favor of making serious efforts to improve our situation. When will our elected officials respond?
Posted by houtopia at 04:45 PM
December 06, 2006
Fancy That
We read R.G. Ratcliffe's afternoon offering today in the Houston Chronicle with interest. Just a month removed from running a weak but successful reelection effort, Texas Governor Rick Perry told the Texas Border Coalition that "building a wall along the border with Mexico is a 'preposterous' idea."
We can hear the faithful over at KSEV saying told ya' so already. Perry, who isn't particularly popular with anyone these days, fell out of favor with many in the ideological conservative crowd (who used to be his friends) over the business tax, the Trans Texas Corridor, and a lack of action on the hot-button immigration issue.
These conservative die-hards believe Perry sold out to big government and political correctness. His comments today constitute throwing a big, fat combustible yule log on that fire folks.
Perry's comments may also leave those Texans who saw (almost without a choice, given how many spots the Guv ran) his recent campaign ads -- many of which touted his get tough approach on immigration -- scratching their heads. Is this the same Rick Perry from just a month ago?
Far be it from us to accuse the good Governor of having pandered to his base to win an election (highly unusual behavior for a politician, no?), but he seems to have changed his tune awfully quickly. Gee whiz, his line about the ladder industry even sounds a lot like the one his Democratic opponent Chris Bell used on the campaign trail. In this case, we happen to agree with the Guv. Selected fencing may be a good option in certain areas, but a wall across the entire border is folly -- hugely expensive to build and maintain and likely ineffective.
But then, we didn't vote for Governor Perry, so our expectations of him are, let us say, low. We're guessing, however, that many already angry Texas conservatives who sucked it up and voted for him despite serious misgivings about doing so, have quickly gotten back in touch with that anger.
Perry's words today seem to strongly signal what many already believed, he will not seek another term as Governor in 2010. Perhaps Perry, a former Democrat, is intimating a tack back to the center for his final four years in charge. It wouldn't bother us, as it would probably benefit the state.
We're betting it doesn't bother a certain popular local radio host and newly elected State Senator either. As he potentially eyes his own 2010 bid for the Governor's Mansion, expanding his AM radio soapbox across the state, he needs an ever-present bogeyman against whom he can rally the troops to his side and use to raise his own profile. Perry unwittingly played this part to perfection in 2006.
With the holiday season upon us, for Dan Patrick, Governor Rick Perry may be the gift that keeps on giving.
Posted by houtopia at 03:34 PM
December 04, 2006
Losing Our Way
Over the last several days, more details have emerged in the sorry story of Jose Padilla, an American detained as an "enemy combatant" since 2002, until a few months ago without being charged with a crime.
Detention of these enemy combatants in America's war against Islamic terrorism has been controversial. Many such combatants who were captured during combat in either Afghanistan or Iraq have been held indefinitely at various locations around the globe, including American military facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Last summer the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Bush Administration's attempt to try these detainees by military tribunal, as unlawful and a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
And who could forget the bizarre case of the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, the 20-year-old Californian captured after the Mazar e Sharif prison uprising during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan? Walker had been fighting with the Taliban against the U.S. backed Northern Alliance, and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Virginia.
The Padilla case is different. Unlike the Guantanamo detainees, Padilla is not a foreign national. And unlike Lindh, Padilla was not captured fighting overseas. Padilla is an American citizen arrested on American soil, but for nearly four years his constitutional right to due process was simply ignored. He was held for years in complete isolation, and perhaps tortured, without ever being charged with a crime.
Despite much hype from the government about Padilla's participation in numerous plots against America, apparently any evidence of such participation was lacking. As Andrew Sullivan points out in an excellent post on the subject, any mention of such behavior was conspicuously absent from the actual indictment against Padilla. Sullivan goes on to point out that whatever legitimate charges may exist against Padilla (no one is claiming he's a saint), he may now be so mentally damaged by his confinement that he is unable to stand trial.
The battle against Islamic terrorism poses many challenges for this country. We face a real threat from a real enemy who would like nothing more than to destroy our way of life, and we must fight this threat with unflinching resolve. Without a doubt, that means eliminating those who would destroy us whenever possible.
But as the Padilla case and the proposed warrantless wiretapping of Americans illustrate, in pursuing the enemy at all costs, we risk becoming what we seek to destroy. No small part of American victory over terrorism is preserving those precious freedoms that make this the greatest country in the world. With freedom comes risk, but it's worth it.
We hope that Americans will (with help from the press) take a real look at the disastrous Padilla case and hold their government accountable to uphold the rights afforded American citizens by our Constitution. During this difficult period of history, we must not lose our way, and where we have already strayed off course, we must right it.
Posted by houtopia at 02:08 PM
December 01, 2006
The Right Choice
We were pleased to read the AP story just out that Texas Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-El Paso)has been chosen to chair the critically important House Intelligence Committee. Reyes, a Vietnam Vet and former U.S. Border Patrol Agent, is a solid, non-controversial choice for the post after the bruising, nasty jockeying that has taken place in the last few weeks.
This recent Washington Post piece offers a good summary of the controversy surrounding the ranking Democrat on the committee, Jane Harman of California, and Alcee Hastings from Florida, both of whom were vying for the job, and the challenging political minefield it created for Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi made a wise choice steering clear of either member. In the wake of the Hoyer-Murtha battle for Majority Leader, which right off the bat sent precisely the wrong message to the American public of Democratic infighting, (and where the Speaker-to-be took it on the chin politically), the last thing Pelosi needed was another divisive decision.
Reyes is a good choice partly because he is free of the baggage the others carried, but also because he's an experienced, level-headed member who understands the importance of the job and of reducing the poisonous partisan acrimony that has pervaded the committee in recent years.
It's also good for Texas. One disastrous consequence of Tom DeLay's Congressional redistricting plan was the defeat of many of the state's most senior Democratic members from Congress. And now that the senior Republican members have been relegated to minority party status, Texas has lost considerable clout in the House. Reyes' appointment restores a bit of what has been lost.
Finally, with the explosive growth in the Hispanic population in Texas and across the country, both major parties know that winning the Latino vote is critical to their long-term fortunes. Promoting a qualified Hispanic member to a major committee chairmanship sends the right message that the Democratic Party is willing to do more than just pay lip service to the Latino community.
Pelosi got this one right.
Posted by houtopia at 10:39 AM