"you made history, and we're just gettin' started"

After the longest invocation ever and a tribute to veterans, Boyd Richie asks the first-time delegates to stand. Almost as many stand as did during the national anthem.

After introducing the officers, Richie introduces Kirk Watson as the temporary chair of the convention. Kirk Watson was once the mayor of Austin, and, to my knowledge, did not regularly beat people up or explode in anger at road maintenance workers.

Watson gives an inspiring speech describing our times and our cause and introduces a video about Rick Noriega, complete with old pictures of Noriega with hair. U.S. Congressman Al Green (Houston) then takes the stage; he also addresses the theme that our time has come, and the time has come especially for Rick Noriega, who starts out his speech with the words "Everything he just said," but hen goes on to say a number of things of his own. He points out that his unit is a descendent of the unit William B. Travis commanded in the Alamo. But, he says, he is counting on a different outcome this time.

Noriega calls for a moonshot type energy project, calls for quality health care to be available to everyone, and points out that John Cornyn voted against increasing the minimum wage seven times yet gave himself a pay raise, says he will fight to increase education funding, and support for veterans. Cornyn also voted against the 21st century G.I. Bill and Noriega describes this as a moral imperative. Regarding immigration, Noriega properly places the onus on companies who lure illegal aliens into the country and then exploit them. Democrats, he says finally, he not leave the families of Texas behind.

spacedark