Batting One Thousand

All this talk about the 1,000th execution in the United States has me kind of depressed.

Virginia had a shot at it, but Warner backed out. South Carolina's next up to bat.

Where's Texas? Why aren't we in the running for the 1,000th execution?

Whenever folks talk about the Death Penalty in America it is Texas this and Texas that Texas Texas Texas.

Not now, though. It's all Virginia and South Carolina and crap.

Can't we fast-track some low-life in Huntsville to his date with the needle? What about that jerk who got away from the Harris Country lockup? Yes? No? How about Tony Ford? It's not like he's busy doing Christmas, Hannukha, or Kwanza shopping, you know.
Why not just ice him now? I mean, McRib is back, who knows how long it will last, and Tony gets a last meal, right?

Come on, Governor Goodhair, let's speed things up! Please? No?

I am so disappointed in my state.

When someone says - “Look at my clock” - Be Warned

I was surfing the web, trying to put together an Christmas list for my family - and I came across this clock from The Sharper Image.

An ordinary clock it is not. According to their website:

A motion-activated security video camera recorder is hidden inside a fully functional and discreet LCD clock that sits on a shelf. ..[and you can] play the full-motion AVI digital video files through your computer or laptop using the included USB cable.

How creepy is that?! They market it like a nanny cam or protection in case your house is burglarized, but COME ON. We all know what people will use this for.

The next time you decide to stumble home with that new “special” someone - and they offer to let you see their hot clock - well, you’ve been warned!

Who's sells the most bling in the U.S.?

It's not Tiffany's or Cartier. It's not even Zales or Kay Jewelers (despite the fact that, particularly this time of year, you can't turn on the television without seeing one of their advertisements). It's — drum roll please — Wal-Mart. That's right. According to National Jeweler magazine, an industry publication, Wal-Mart (and its Sam's Club sister) was the No. 1 diamond seller in America with sales of $2.6 billion last year. Zales was second. Costco was third.

Surprised? I certainly was, read the full story to see what to look for....

Did you hate the Hurricane Rita traffic?

Here's an opportunity to let the county government know about your experiences during Katrina and Rita. Go to County Judge Robert Eckels' web site and click on "I want to take the Katrina/Rita survey."

Here's the purpose, per Eckels' website:

"We need to document and learn from the incredible story that unfolded in Harris County," said Judge Eckels. "Working together, we had an enormous impact on the lives of the people of Louisiana who were driven from their homes by Hurricane Katrina. Then between 2 to 3 million people fled Brazoria, Galveston, and parts of Harris counties seeking safety from Hurricane Rita. There are lessons to be learned from both operations and we don't want to leave any stone unturned."

I took the survey, and it's mainly a census of who evacuated, from where, and how long it took. This kind of polling has already been done, in a more scientific way, by the Houston Chronicle and other outlets.

Therefore the real opportunity here is to directly communicate your thoughts and suggestions for how county officials can better deal with future hurricanes. Here's hoping those officials and their staffs take the time to read them and publish some kind of response.

Paris Hilton Screwing

See Full Picture

Engineering nerds perfect paper aircraft design. Win Nobel prize. Spark world peace

I've never been good a making paper aircraft...they always seem to go down in flames. But Leed's university engineering students have come up with a design that will hopefully avenge me.

Ever wonder why conservatives are so opposed to public school sex education?

I think it's because they tend to picture it to be something like this and no, it has nothing to do with actual sex, you silly twit (via a completely unrelated message thread at Fark.com).

Cindy Stands (sits) Alone

Cindy is in Crawford, but it looks like no one showed up to her book signed, except for a couple of news photographer types. Perhaps she hads got all of the milage there is to be had out of her dead son.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan waits for people to show up at her book signing near President Bush's ranch on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005 in Crawford, Texas. Sheehan, whose 24-year-old Casey died in Iraq, called for anti-war activists to return to Crawford this week as Bush celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Thankfully, it's not called a Holiday Tree

Now that we have survived Thanksgiving, it's time to move on:

The Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration

Join Mayor Bill White welcoming the equally honorable Santa Claus to downtown (Where will he park the sleigh?) and the lighting of the official Christmas tree at City Hall.

Traditionally, the plaza is festively decorated and ringed with booths offering refreshments and holiday arts and crafts. Watch our famous skyline come alive with music, lights and fireworks!

City Hall Downtown, December 10th, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

What about Pancho Claus?

What the Pilgrims actually ate for Thanksgiving

When you're eating your leftover cranberry sauce today -- know this about the Pilgrims. Yes, they had cranberries. No, they didn't have sugar. I, for one, can't imagine cranberry sauce without a sweetener.

There's more. Turkey wasn't the only fowl the Pilgrims ate -- they also cooked cranes, partridges and, believe it or not, eagles. The History Channel, in conjunction with food historians, put together this list of food that was likely on the menu in 1621, at the first Thanksgiving:

Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

On the same "Thanksgiving" subject.....LOL!

Things You Can Only Say On Thanksgiving

1. Talk about a huge breast!
2. Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist.
3. Its Cool Whip time!
4. If I don't undo my pants, I'll burst!
5. Whew, that’s one terrific spread!
6. I'm in the mood for a little dark meat.
7. Are you ready for seconds yet?
8. Its a little dry, do you still want to eat it?
9. Just wait your turn, you'll get some!
10. Don't play with your meat.
11. Just spread the legs open and stuff it in.
12. Do you think you'll be able to handle all these people at once?
13. I didn't expect everyone to come at once!
14. You still have a little bit on your chin.
15. How long will it take after you stick it in?
16. You'll know it's ready when it pops up.
17. Wow, I didn't think I could handle all of that!
18. That's the biggest one I've ever seen!
19. How long do I beat it before its ready?

The Fool Strategy

We screwed up the prewar intelligence. We screwed up the postwar planning. We screwed up on interrogation techniques, we screwed up on financing the war. We screwed up on yellow cake and Mohammed Atta meeting Iraqi agents in Prague, we screwed up by discounting the non-discoveries of UN weapons-inspectors on the ground. We screwed up.

But we're not liars. We're fools. And the sooner the American public can go back to regarding us as fools, not liars, the sooner I can go back to doing the job the American people put me in office to do, the sooner I can get back to - not lying - fooling around with the national interest. Thank you.

Pop Quiz

Okay, here's a tricky question. A 20-year-old guy is dating a 14-year-old girl and her parents confront them when they get home after curfew and so he shoots them in the head and kills them and kidnaps, or maybe doesn't kidnap, the girl. How far do you have to read down in the story to find the words "home-schooled" and "Christian?"

Cheney's Energy Task Force?

The Washington Post has names, dates, lies.

More from the, "What will they try next" department....

iPod cradles carved from solid rock
An advertising company in Japan has made these $2500 iPod docking stations carved from giant lumps of solid rock. Only two have been made and neither have been sold yet. This is a natural DIY project -- someone do a HOWTO! Argh, Flash Link, click on iStones after it loads and curse stupid unlinkable Flash while you're at it

“If you can’t beat him on philosophy, try ethics”

The Democrats attempt to smear Sam Alito.

The world deserves better fraud

You know those bogus e-mails that litter your inbox with promises of riches if only you’ll divulge your bank account and PIN numbers? I got one today from a woman who’s dying of cancer and wants to will me $1.5 million:

I have been touched by God to donate from what I have inherited from my late husband to the you for the good work of God, rather than allow my relatives to use my husband's hard earned funds ungodly.

Well, praise God!

Alas, she says I can’t come over in person to pick up a check (so as to begin my godly spending promptly), or even call to tell her how much I know the Lord (& Taylor’s) would appreciate her generosity:

At the moment I cannot take any telephone calls right now due to the fact that my relatives are around me and my health status.

At the moment right now, her relatives and health status are keeping her off the phone, but not the Internet?

Do you sudoku?

It’s the puzzle that’s sweeping the nation. I got this one in 7 minutes, 40 seconds. Let me know if you get it faster.

Maybe the USA should adopt this strategy...

In Thailand, the warning images on packets of cigarettes, illustrate all sorts of nasty smoking outcomes, rather than a banal textual warning. Locals there report that each time they open the pack and have to see rotting teeth, it makes them really think twice about lighting up... (on the box tops, the image is pasted right on the top).
Link to full-size supermarket display.

UPDATE:
Singapore too has such disgusting warnings that even nonsmokers do not wish to look at the stackfull of cigarette cases in the shops. Here is a list of all countries with such warnings in place. Here are graphic images used in singapore cigarette boxes. (really disgusting!)

So thats how you do it!

This time-lapse Flash animation of a figure being sketched is too cool!

Note: Once it comes up and starts drawing, click on the 16X button at the bottom to make it draw faster.

WHAT? -- Bird killed for knocking over dominoes

The Associated Press reports that, "A sparrow knocked over 23,000 dominoes in the Netherlands, nearly ruining a world record attempt before it was shot to death Monday."

Too cute -- or just too sad?

Too cute -- or just too sad?
It's International Day of the Cute!

1. Let's order up a big bowl of awwwwwwwwwwwww for the 2008 Olympics mascots!

2. McSweeney's fake-sends a 4-year-old to the office for a day. Really, if you have a 4-year-old, I'd be happy to arrange a job swap.

3. And Matty B asks the key question that cuts across generations: Is this Charlie Brown tree -- at $24 -- cute or sad?

Graffiti - What can we do?

I have noticed a worsening graffiti problem in Houston. Private property owners are legally required to clean it up, but there doesn't seem to be much enforcement.

I think the secret to reducing graffiti is to undermine the motivation of the "tagger". They're trying to impress people and show off their tags. How can we demotivate them cost-effectively? Obviously, more enforcement and catching them is not very practical. The solution is to wipe out their tag immediately. As soon as it's discovered, by a citizen or police on patrol, it should be called into 311 and a 24-hour response team should be sent out to paint over it with some neutral color. Ideally, it shouldn't live more than a few hours before it's wiped out.

This should totally demoralize graffiti taggers. Why go to all that work when your "art" will become a gray blob by sunrise? Nothing to show off.

I don't really think the cost of this response team would be all that much. It could even be a single guy with a power painter, ideally with a cherry-picker truck like Centerpoint linemen to get to those difficult places. I think it should be run by Harris County just like the Motorist Assist Program. That way it will cover the whole county rather than just pushing taggers outside the city limits.

What I'm not sure about are the legal issues of painting private property. It's not really any extra work to clean up - it's just another layer of paint. Maybe the response team has to wait to get permission from the owner, but I think if they explain the strategy they could get pretty quick approval from most owners. A phone rep could even work to secure owner permission before dispatching the team to the site.

If anybody has heard about graffiti solutions that have worked in other cities, I'd love to hear them in the comments.

Windfall Profits Tax

A couple of days ago, this NY Times editorial dusted off about every archaic economic theory of the Carter Administration to promote a windfall profits tax on energy companies. So, since economics was one of my college majors, I was thinking about doing an Econ 101 post pointing out how the Times' position would actually make things much worse than they already are, which is really not all that bad (have you noticed what's been happening to the price of oil and natural gas over the past week or so?).

Then, somewhat surprisingly to me, I came across this Washington Post editorial that does does the job for me.

I don't know about you, but I find it quite refreshing that the Washington Post editorial page has come to understand that the market is much more effective than government in dealing with energy supply reductions.

Mayor's press release poses as reporting on KHOU

KHOU-11's Chau Nguyen follows up on Doug Miller's teaser about municipal wifi with coverage that amounts to a press release from the Mayor's office:

Mayor Bill White said that if all goes as planned, Houston could go Wi-Fi within the next few years. That would mean anyone could get connected anywhere in Houston.

"I think the public is ready for it," Mayor White said.

So just how would the public benefit?

The mayor picked Umesh Verma with the City of Houston Technology Task Force to lead the effort.

"We're talking about life-enhancing, life-changing experiences, hopefully for the better," Verma said.

Would it be too much to start with more basic matters, such as addressing HPD's manpower shortage and repairing potholes?

If the city can't manage those basics, it certainly doesn't need to be throwing millions of dollars at matters best left to the private sector.

“France continues to burn despite security”

Day 13: a curfew didn’t work. Imagine that.

Do women have a better sense of humor?

Quick list, my three favorite comedians:

1. Bill Cosby
2. Mark Lowry
3. Jeff Foxworthy

What do they have in common? None of them are women. But according to a study in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, women are more likely to enjoy a good joke than men. Here's a snippet from the story:

But they were surprised when their studies of how the male and female brains react to humor showed that women were more analytical in their response, and felt more pleasure when they decided something really was funny.

"Women appeared to have less expectation of a reward, which in this case was the punch line of the cartoon," said Reiss. "So when they got to the joke's punch line, they were more pleased about it."

This may be all well and good, but I still don't believe the no. 1 thing women are looking for is a man with a sense of humor...

Quote

“Like a person for his qualities. Love him for his difference.” - John Myers from “HellBoy”

Hmmm…..

Emotions

Thank you, Houston Chronicle, for confirming the fact that the Houston Texans are not a bunch of incompetent football-playing Vulcans, but a bunch of sensitive and emotional incompetents.

Not Looking Good

I might have chosen the losing side on the the Proposition 2 issue. This doesn't mean at all that I've chosen the wrong side. Just about all the right sided Texans are for Prop 2 and I feel like I'm standing alone. The thing is I understand how people are uncomfortable about gay marriages. I understand how they can feel that a homosexual lifestyle is wrong. But. . . To me the propositition is about hate, and intolorance.

Why should any straight person care if a gay person gets married? Its really none of our bussiness is it? I also feel that a marriage is between a man and a woman. Thats why I married a woman. If someone feels otherwise why should my beliefs be instilled on them. Its none of my bussiness. I nor anyone else should have to like it.

So I will vote against Proposition today knowing its a real long shot. Then again in 1980 I thought Reagan didn't stand a chance.

Turfboy

Sports Illustrated selected David Carr as one of the ten most disappointing players in the NFL this season.

I think the photo's a fake. Carr's upright and on his feet, eluding the defenseman instead of on his back and staring at the lights.

Are you Trapped in a Box?

If we are to have any hope of thinking outside the box, the first thing we have to do is recognize when we are trapped in one.
During a visit to the Mental Asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug." Do you want a room with or without a view?

Hateful, not needed

ROSA Parks said "no" to bigotry, hatred and discrimination. In her memory, we should also say no to Proposition 2. It is hateful and unnecessary.
Let the churches decide what is sacred, and let the local and state governments decide what is legal in their jurisdictions.
There is a difference — we call it a separation of church and state. We do not need a constitutional amendment for this or other restrictive human rights issues.

Did You Notice the Sandwich?

David Kiley of BusinessWeek reports that Subway unveiled its new Chicken Parm sandwich on the live episode of Will & Grace.(NBC, Sept. 29, 2005, 7:30 central).

Seems like a strange tie-in but marketers are increasingly grasping at straws to break through the clutter. If it's done in the right way, product placement can be effective. But if it's too obvious .... well, viewers can tune it out just like they do a commercial.

Perhaps a better link would be to have the character Karen endorse a particular brand of vodka. What do you think?

I'm Convinced That Better Communication Can Change The World

Okay. So maybe that headline is a tad overstated.

But I see so many situations -- business, organizational, personal -- that could be improved by better communication.

More honest communication. More timely communication. More detailed communication. More thoughtful communication.

The very essence of human interaction is one person sharing thoughts, feelings, impressions, information, ideas, vision, etc., with another.

Think about it -- you can't make anything, sell anything, buy anything, do anything, without being able to express yourself at some level.

Can you overcommunicate on an issue? Perhaps. But far too often, we err on the side of too little, too late, too difficult to understand.

Be an overcommunicator. Be prolific. Be precise. Be verbal. Make a connection.

This Is A Cool Map Tool

This Google map tool gives you visuals plus demographic information all with one easy-to-use interface. It's either very useful or a great way to kill an hour or two.

MREs for hurricane victims on eBay.

“If it’s true, that’s pretty reprehensible”. Government-issued MREs for hurricane victims find their way to eBay.

“It’s very easy to just dismiss anything I say”

Indeed it is, Your Royal Highness.


Prince Charles: "I find myself born into this particular position. I am determined to make the most of it."

A conservative case for gay marriage

University of Minnesota law professor Dale Carpenter is guest blogging at The Volokh Conspiracy on the question of same-sex marriage. Dale is arguing the case for gay marriage from a traditionalist perspective. His first substantive post is here.

I share his view that “gay-marriage advocates have the burden of proof in this debate.” The burden always rests with the affirmative proposition. This is one reason why I believe same-sex marriage must come slowly by way of democratic process and not suddenly by way of judicial fiat. The redefinition of society’s most important social institution is a big deal; the rigorous but unhurried demands of democracy will guarantee that gay marriage advocates meet their burden.

Again, Dale is not making a rights-based argument: “Lots of people spend lots of time arguing about this; indeed, rights-talk has monopolized the debate. The traditionalist case is consequential and moral, not legal.”

I think you’ll enjoy his posts.

There are indeed liars among us

A must-read: Opinion Journal provides a nice summary of how the Democrats are lying to us about Mr. Bush lying about the war.

Ronnie Earle - What a Difference 48 Hours Can Make!

On Tuesday, Ronnie had this to say about Texas judges...

“The law expresses no need for judges to check their citizenship at the door,” Mr. Earle argued. He called Judge Perkins's contributions “paltry, not a fraction what this defendant is capable of raising for his causes, including intimidating judges with whom he disagrees.”

Mr. Earle said that “we cannot afford to make integrity a partisan issue,” adding, “The argument made by the defendant's counsel, taken to its logical conclusion, turns us into Shiite and Sunni sectarian mobs.”

Apparently, Earle never really believed a word of that grandiose (albeit hyperbolic) speech.

Just two days later, Earle asked the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court needs to “check his citizenship at the door”, according to this motion he filed. In it, Earle asks that Chief Justice Jefferson recuse himself from the case because Wallace Jefferson's...

“... impartiality may be reasonably questioned and he may reasonably be perceived to have a personal bias in favor of the defendant.”

So is Wallace Jefferson a Shiite or a Sunni? I don't know if that was ever decided.

Astros Extend Garner's Contract

If you hadn't seen it, the Astros extended Phil Garner's contract, and it will now run through 2007.

My only question might be they might not have rewarded Garner even more, and maybe given him an additional year.

I'm still recovering from and have not fully digested the Houston's feelings about the four-game sweep. For all I know there is a loud and vocal faction blaming it on Phil Garner. But if such exists, it is all hooey. The simple fact of the matter is that, not just once, but in back to back years, Garner's teams have outperformed every previousa team in Astro history. In only two years (a year and a half, really) Garner has won more than twice as many playoff games as all other managers in Astro history combined. Almost half of all playoff games in franchise history have now been managed by Phil Garner.

There are some who will say that a manager's contribution is entirely overrated, but when I look at the 2004 team's record at the break, and look at how it finished, I find that particular idea hard to swallow, as well.

Garner's style almost invites second-guessing, and I know that I have disagreed with several of his moves along the way, but I don't think there's any doubt that, at least so far, he's the greatest manager in team history, and I thoroughly welcome this admittedly very much expected news.

Have a sinking feeling?

Here's a few quick facts from yesterday's subsidence conference:

1. In Louisiana, where subsidence is worse, nearly all of the "sinking" is at levels below 6,000 feet. This is deeper than all traditional measurement methods, so that's why it wasn't really detected before.

2. There's not really any measurement system in Texas to catch this deep-level subsidence, but Gary Jeffress at Texas A&M Corpus Christi just got some federal money to do a comprehensive re-measurement similar to what was done in Louisiana.

3. There's been virtually no water extraction, and little to no oil or gas extraction in Galveston during the last century. Then why has the island sunk more than 2 feet since 1900?

Business tidbits

I pass along the following tidbits of business information that caught my eye this morning:

The auto industry just recorded its worst October for U.S. sales in 13 years;
For most of October, the nearby price of a natural gas futures contract closed at a high of $14.34 per million British thermal units. That was more than twice what natural gas traded for at the beginning of the year. However, an Energy Information Agency inventory report last week revealed an unexpectedly large increase in natural-gas storage just as most of the U.S. was experiencing an unusually mild autumn. Accordingly, the price of a nearby natural gas contract closed yesterday at $11.60 per million BTUs, down almost 20% from last week's highs; and....
Despite record profits, oil and gas companies are reinvesting a surprisingly low percentage of their profits and it is not clear why.

Nuke the Bastards!

If the Demoncraps try to fillibuster Alito, NUKE EM!


OK, wait.....don't get your panties in a bunch.....I'm referring to the "nuclear option" that senate democrats got all hot and bothered about. (the Republicans like to call it the "constitutional option" to avoid scaring the stupid people who crap thier drawers every time the word nuclear is used...)

Dude. That's deep.

I believe the proper response, upon reading this story of Earl Hickey of NBC's My Name Is Earl and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes of ABC's Lost as the slacker Everyman is "Dude. There's like a thesis or something in that." That is all.

(Will we ever learn how Hurley got his nickname? Leave your theories as to its origin in the comments.)

George Mitchell makes huge gift to A&M

Longtime Houston independent oil and gas entreprenuer, real estate developer and philanthropist George Mitchell announced jointly with Texas A&M University yesterday that he and his wife Cynthia are donating $35 million to A&M to help build two physics facilities at the university. Jennifer Radcliffe of the Chronicle reports on the donation, which is one of the largest in A&M history. Earlier posts on philanthropic donations of the Mitchells are here and here.

A&M is certainly appreciative of the Mitchells' generous gift, but what most Aggies want is for Mr. Mitchell to do something about the reeling Aggie football program, which Chronicle sportswriter and former Aggie John Lopez sizes up here and here. Similarly, this caustic San Antonio Express article on the A&M football situation pretty well reflects the Aggie sentiment around the Lone Star State at this particular moment.

The Aggies are currently 16.5 point underdogs in their game at Texas Tech on Saturday. Taking Tech and laying the points may be the lock bet of the year. (Sorry, Donna, Michelle, Michele, Teri, Bennie Jo, Lucy, Bennie, Don, Heidi & Bob!)

Metro's Fast Sign Change!

Remember that eye-popping sign Laurence Simon saw on a Metro bus recently?

Today he notes that Metro has changed the sign. Take a look at the new one. =)

Lunch Box Sandwich Spread ad, 1955

The contents of this jar make me think of the old dinner table insult, "Do we eat it, or did we eat it?" Swell drawing, though. I wish I had hands twice the size of my head, too.

From the 'What Will They Think of Next' department....

Talking kitchen-trash can burps when it's full
An NYU student is planning to build an animatronic trash-can that extends the functionality of Walt Disney World's talking trash-can:
The trash can and recycling bins are a modular set that would gives both sound and visual feedback. The trash can would only make a sound when you open it (i.e. open it's mouth). For example, when you throw something out, and the can is near full, it can belch. When it gets very damp (using a moisture detector), often an indication that the trash is more prone to germs, smells, etc., it can cry. When you open it up to take out the trash, and change the liner, it can giggle, as in being tickled. The sounds don't need to be so human, animal, or literal. But, with the sounds, the trash can takes on some "creature" behaviour.

Temporary red light camera delay - per KTRK-13

Red light cameras that were supposed to be in place Tuesday at busy downtown intersections already face a snag.

The cameras designed to catch red light runners were supposed to begin a trial run Tuesday morning, but the five contract companies involved have not signed their contracts with the city. The city wants to put five cameras at five different intersections to catch drivers who speed through red lights.

Violators will be identified from the license plate and will get a ticket in the mail. The cameras should start working in a few more days once the executives ink the deal.

No doubt, Mayor White is carefully checking the contracts for any sneaky shenanigans.

World-class panhandling

Laurence Simon had an interesting experience with Houston's homeless and METRO.

METRO really doesn't need to commission $250,000 studies to figure out why people aren't enamored of their transportation system. Reading Laurence's blog would cost a lot less!

Official Voting Guide

Okay folks, I know you've been waiting for me to issue voting recommendations on the proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.

Here they are:

Proposition 1: Against. We don't need another government agency with the power to borrow money and give it to private companies.

Proposition 2: Against. If the purpose of the proposed amendment is to defend the sanctity of marriage, that purpose would be better served by state laws addressing the high incidences of divorce, adultery, and family violence that occur within traditional marriage between a man and a woman and that are more damaging to the institution of marriage, the welfare of children, and the stability of society, than same-sex marriages.
It isn't just gays that must mobilize against Proposition # 2. Bear this in mind:

Pastor Niemoller (a protestant minister from Germany) wrote:

"In Nazi Germany they first came for the Communists and the Jehovah's Witnesses,
But I was not a Communist or a Jehovah's Witness so I did not speak up.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak up.
Then they came for the Catholics, but I was not a Catholic so I did not speak up.
Then they came for the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist so I did not speak up.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Proposition 3: Against. We must rein in "economic development grants" which can become little more than unpoliced giveaways to the politically connected.

Proposition 4: For. If you violate bail once, you shouldn't get it again.

Proposition 5: For. Commercial borrowers are big boys; they don't need the Legislature to protect them from themselves.

Proposition 6: For. Increased public oversight of the judiciary is just fine with me.

Proposition 7: For. If Grandma wants to borrow money, why should the state get in her way?

Proposition 8: Abstain. I don't even know, off the top of my head, where in the hell Smith or Upshur Counties are.

Proposition 9: Against. Longer terms for mobility board members would only make them even less accountable to the public than they currently are.

Feel free to print out your own copy of this Voting Guide, make a few thousand copies, and hand them out to everyone in your precinct.

Happy Belated Halloween!

Hope you had a good Halloween, folks. I just couldn't pass this up.....

Time to scare the piss out of you. Look at this.

Yikes.