Run, Don't Walk . . .

To read THE BEST POST I have read on dailykos in a while.

It is great satire on how the limp media we currently have might've reacted to the continental congress and the American revolution. Can you imagine what the Amarillo Globe-Republican editorial page would have scribbled about how bad it is for people to dissent against the crown? LOL.

Anyhoo . . . CLICK HERE

-Panhandle Truth Squad

Ahhh . . . Sweet, Sweet Satire

The mainstream media in this country are dominated by liberals.

I was informed of this fact by Rush Limbaugh. And Thomas Sowell. And Ann Coulter. And Rich Lowry. And Bill O'Reilly. And William Safire. And Robert Novak. And William F. Buckley, Jr. And George Will.

And John Gibson. And Michelle Malkin. And David Brooks. And Tony Snow. And Tony Blankely. And Fred Barnes. And Britt Hume. And Larry Kudlow. And Sean Hannity. And David Horowitz. And William Kristol. And Hugh Hewitt.

And Oliver North. And Joe Scarborough. And Pat Buchanan. And John McLaughlin. And Cal Thomas. And Joe Klein. And James Kilpatrick. And Tucker Carlson. And Deroy Murdock. And Michael Savage. And Charles Krauthammer. And Stephen Moore. And Alan Keyes.

And Gary Bauer. And Mort Kondracke. And Andrew Sullivan. And Nicholas von Hoffman. And Neil Cavuto. And Matt Drudge. And Mike Rosen. And Dave Kopel. And John Caldara.

The mainstream media in this country are dominated by liberals.

_________________

Read the rest of this great piece by George McClure and feel better CLICK HERE

-Prodigal Son

this land is my land

On a mean midsummer night at the butt-end of the 1980s, I drove down east 34th street toward a Fourth of July party. Marc, riding shotgun, tried to maintain his rep as Amarillo’s First Punk by leaning out of the passenger window of my car and shooting off Roman candles as we drove by Llano Cemetery. Billy, a self-styled Zen Buddhist biker, was—I believe—meditating in a lotus position as we careened wildly down the (fortunately) over-wide street. I can’t, however, be entirely sure what Billy was doing, intent as I was on trying to drive as cars swerved out-of-control in our direction, the drivers temporarily blinded by the fireworks Marc aimed directly at them.

That’s my first memory of the evening and it melts into my last. Late that night, someone burned a flag while we sang “America the Beautiful.” The mid-to-late-eighties was the first time in my memory that the perennial attempt to ban that perennial straw man of flag-burning surfaced. Five hours away and five years before our Independence Day party, Gregory Johnson had burned an American flag in front of Dallas City Hall as an act of protest against the Republican National Convention. Johnson was arrested and eventually convicted with desecration of a venerated object. In 1988, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Johnson’s conviction, and the Supreme Court eventually upheld the decision that burning the flag was a form of free speech.

So it was that I and the witches-brew of American kids I hung with—old-school punks, embryonic Goths, and fading wave-o’s looking for a new look—found ourselves burning an American flag while singing the song that should be the National Anthem. We did it because we were young, and because we could, and because someone was telling us not to.

It was a silly and childish act, a fact instantly recognized by the girl with the unnaturally black pageboy haircut, who wandered by, and rolling her eyes, condescendingly pointed out that everyone was burning flags that year. Which perhaps only served to prove the point that we didn’t know we were making: it wasn’t even an issue, until someone said someone couldn’t do it.

It was a silly and childish act, as is all political theatre, but I’m not going to apologize for it. And I’m thinking of that action tonight, as the S.O.’s brother and his girlfriend drive away from the southside neighborhood where we are celebrating. They are going to the officially-sanctioned city fireworks, and I barely have time to shake their hands as I teach my son to shoot the unofficial kind in open defiance of the city’s ban of such displays of patriotism. I enjoy the experience of being surrounding by explosions—the professional fireworks, as well as the unprofessional ones exploding on the horizon or in the street.

Especially in the street.

Most of all, I enjoy the hubris of it all—at the old Thompson Park displays people used to monkeywrench the official display by shooting cheap bottle rockets into the middle of an expensively overproduced exploding red-white-and-blue star. And, then, of course, there were always the obnoxious kids, throwing Black Cats right at your feet when you weren’t watching.

There are, of course, very good reasons for cities to ban fireworks—particularly this city. A mesquite weed will burst into flames if you look at it angrily, so it’s generally a good idea to have as few things openly burning as possible in this dry deathscape.

But there are also very good reasons for ordinary citizens to openly and joyously defy the ban—particularly on the Fourth of July, particularly on Independence Day.

It’s political theatre. Like the Boston Tea Party, when the Sons of Liberty dressed in silly, unconvincing Mohawk costumes, boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and childishly dumped the ships’ cargo of English tea into the sea. Or like Abbie Hoffman’s Yippies who, in 1967, childishly dumped paper money onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Or like our silly and childish flag-burning.

Sometimes, just as children frequently possess a simple wisdom that adults cannot duplicate, so childish acts can point out deeper truths.

The universal truth is this: democracy is founded—and only can be founded—through the rebellion of ordinary people against unjust laws. Anniversaries of births of democracies should be celebrated in like manner.

We’ll light our fireworks wherever we want. There are almost a couple of hundred thousand people in this city. They can’t put all of us in jail.

And, in these ugly days of USA-PATRIOT acts and the President saying, “You’re either with us or against us,” such displays shouldn’t stop on the Fourth.

Independence Day, 2005, is over, but we need to keep acting like children spoiled by democracy.

Check out books from the library that are guaranteed to raise eyebrows. Dig out your copy of the Anarchist’s Cookbook from the bottom of your box of high school memorabilia. Read it on an airplane. Visit questionable Internet sites. Wear t-shirts with inflammatory slogans. Burn the flag to save what it represents. Refuse to stay in the “free-speech zone.” Insist that everywhere is a free-speech zone.

Because America, patriotism, democracy demands no less.

SPACEDARK

this land is your land

as Bruce Springsteen sang, or was it Peter, Paul, and Mary? It was Bob Dylan! . . . or was it Mojo Nixon? Tex Ritter, Trini Lopez, Lee Greenwood? The song was written by Woody Guthrie, and parodied by Jib-Jab during the 2004 election.

God Bless America! . . . as Ray Charles sang, or it might've been Celine Dion. Or the Mormon Tabarnacle Choir. That song was written by Irving Berlin, and Woody Guthrie hated it, and he hated hearing Kate Smith sing it over and over and over. That's why he wrote "This Land is Your Land," a song he considered more realistic. He changed the lyrics from year to year to reflect current events. What lyrics would the song contain today if Guthrie were still around?

America is diversity. It just is.

And I'm off for the Midwest for awhile. See y'all on the flip side.

SPACEDARK

Regressives in Trouble

The raft of recent polling showing Bush sliding into the low 40's nationally has continued even after his nationally-televised speech Tuesday night. State by state polls do show a large divide between last November's red and blue states, but Bush's weakness is revealed even in the red states. He trails in all of last fall's battleground states, including by a wide margin in Ohio.

Even in Texas, Bush is not much better than even, with approval besting disapproval statewide by only 50-47 in June. In west Texas (his best region), approval outweighs disapproval by only 54-41. Splits of the Texas data reveal his pronounced weakness among the young (18-34 year olds disapprove by 51-46), among independents (disapprove 56-38) and among Hispanics (disapprove 56-41). Of course, we should be chastened by the fact that those are also exactly the demographic subgroups least likely to put their fannies in a voting booth.

These numbers combine with Gov. Goodhair's unpopularity to provide both opportunity and challenge for Democrats. The opportunity is palpable. Dissatisfaction with regressive governance is manifest. Charles Kuffner has reported that the state of the playing field may entice some big name Dems to suit up for next year. But Greg Wythe correctly notes that having a big name is overrated, and that we would be well advised to avoid nominating any candidate just for his/her name. The challenge is to develop an infrastructure (grassroots organization, fundraising, communications machinery) that is competitive with that of the R's. That is a long-term challenge that isn't going to be solved in the next 2 years, and probably not in the next 4. And without it, we will be at a disadvantage in getting our message out and getting those marginal voters who agree with us to show up; nevermind that we have reality on our side. But this is the time to build. There are times that a compelling narrative can combine with good timing to overcome strong organization. Having strong candidates with that compelling message gives us an opportunity to win now, and assures that we will take a step forward in building our party machinery.

It is critical that everyone who considers themselves a Democrat come out for local events (put the evening of July 16 on your calendars now--more to come soon). Talk to your friends and neighbors about just giving our candidates a chance to be heard. Then step up to the plate and make a contribution of whatever you can afford to (1) your county party, (2) the state party and (3) at least one candidate per cycle. Remember that the days when a few big-money donors ruled the roost is over. John Kerry outraised George Bush last year, and over half his money came from contributions of less than $100.

Slow and steady wins the race. Be the turtle.

DEMOPHOENIX

Virgil Van Camp is Pro Choice

Pretty surprising, but that's exactly what he told us this morning in his AG-R column, even though he didn't use those words. In an earlier post, our colleague Spacedark suggested that he was disappointed by this turn of events, presumably tongue in cheek, since it deprived him of yet another opportunity to rant at Van Camp. Quite aside from the reality that most of Van Camp's writing ranges from vitriolic claptrap to well-meaning claptrap, his column is an opportunity.

I think Van Camp spoke honestly when he wrote "I do believe there is a vast number of folk like me who are in the middle and have trouble with both extremes." What he doesn't get (and all those others who think they're in the sensible middle) is that the folks he perceives to be "pro-choice extremists" are not, because they agree with nearly everything he wrote about the issue.

I'm not sure what Van Camp thinks the pro-choice position is, but I can assure him that he described it extremely well. In essense, the pro-choice position is exactly what it sounds like, the sensibility to admit that the kinds of decisions he discussed, from contraception to pregnancy termination to end-of-life decisions are extremely personal, deeply rooted in religious conviction, and should not be mandated by the government. None of us should be so arrogant as to require that someone who follows a different religious tradition behave according to our personal sense of morality, unless there is a compelling state interest. That's exactly the basis for the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Pro-choicers are not pro-abortion. Most would not want to face such a decision themselves. We believe, on the basis of a large body of independent, scientific research, that conscientious, comprehensive sex education and family planning are the most effective route to keeping abortion as rare as possible. Arguments that presume to paint pro-choicers as pro-abortion are nothing more than propaganda.

Van Camp goes on to point out the hypocrisy of the so-called "pro-life" activists who find plenty of time for protesting, but none for adoption of children who need a family. That hypocrisy takes many forms, including the reality that so many who loudly proclaim their "pro-life" convictions are intentionally absent when the discussion turns to the health and welfare of children who have been born.

Van Camp has yet to realize that the reasoning he used to overcome right-wing disinformation on this subject can be applied to a whole range of other topics, but that's a subject for another time.

For now, what's appropriate is just hearty congratulations.

DEMOPHOENIX

texas young democrats fundraiser

One thing that encourages me like nothing else is to go to a Democratic meetup or meeting and see young faces. That's why- for those of you who still don't get it- the Dean campaign was so exciting and so important. But whether or not you understand that, surely everyone sees that we can't coast much longer on the support of octogenarians who joined up when FDR saved America. Along those lines, Andrew from Burnt Orange Report writes:

Right now we have an online fundraiser going on called “Turn the Capitol Blue” oriented around the special session. For the next 21 days we are trying to get $181 a day-- $1 for every legislator for the rest of the special session—for a grand total of just under $4,000. We plan on using this money to continue our rebuilding efforts around the state. This money will go a long way and every penny counts.

If you'd like to help the kids, here's the link.

SPACEDARK

o, insubstantial ghost!

Hmph. Since Virgil Van Camp disappointed us by writing a fairly decent and well-reasoned column this morning, we'll have to harass the opinion page's Ghostly Voice^TM:

Several students from West Texas High attended a Texas Association of Future Educators conference in Dallas this past spring. Teachers "chaperoning" the students took them to an adult-oriented restaurant, where the wait staff used profanity and made sexual references.

For the record, although the Ghost makes it look like the students were taken to a strip club or maybe Studio 54, the AG-R previously reported that the restaurant was Dick's Last Resort. Yeah, sorta vulgar but, frankly, not much worse than Shrek. So, yet again, the Ghost needs to, um, expose all the facts. And until he's willing to commit to not taking his own little Ghostlings to the fart-joke-and-innuendo-ramas that pass for family entertainment in the movie theatres, the Ghost should live and let live. Or, at least, stop sensationalizing in such an obvious and deliberate effort to bad-mouth educators. What, too thin-skinned?

SPACEDARK

Colin Powell: Selling Out to a Company Near You

UPDATE: I guess my comment below about being surprised at 50% of attendees not clapping for Powells Rah-rah about Iraq was not far off the mark.
-PS
__________________
A while back, at one of my firm's conferences, Colin Powell spoke. It was in front of people who are probably 90% Repubs. His speech was complete with not one but TWO snarky whines about that big meanie Michael Moore, one stab each at the NYT and Wash. Post., and there was one quip about Newsweek. You know how they can't get those quotes right. Snicker, snicker!

He talked about flying around in a taxpayer paid-for 757, with military escort. How he loved it when his right foot hit the bottom step and the engines began turning. When he sat down at in private office on board and was served a pepsi, they were in the air. He actually said it was, "Pretty cool." You are welcome Colin. No thanks necessary or apparently forthcoming.

He talked about his corvette. You see, he has served his country so long and so well, that he deserved to treat himself. This comment was quickly followed by a jab at the Washington Post, for implying he was speeding around VA dodging the cops. Snicker, snicker! Ol' Colin is just like you and me folks!

He spoke at length about . . . himself. About how great it was when he solved a spat between Morocco and Spain over a small island with goats. Snicker, snicker! Get it? Those furriners worry about the silliest things. We are 'murica, and we lead EVERYBODY.

He did not mention his speech to the UN or much about the current Bush administration. It was about this time that I realized two things;

1. You really can get to a point in this country where you will never be held accountable for your actions.
2. Once you are at that point, you actually believe in your Ceasarish mystique.

Colin seemed to have no regrets and no conscience. This was the guy who helped cover up the My Lai incident and was heavily involved in Iran-Contra. The guy who stood by when 20,000 African-Americans were illegally thrown off the voter rolls in Florida.

He was the great General Powell, so sit on this and spin America.

There was a couple of surprises. He did not talk about much about Iraq. Why remind folks that you lied to them and their kids are dying while you imagine how you are going to spend the $100k paid for speaking to them?

He said the same 'ol tired horsesheet. Central front on the war on terrorism, blah, blah, frikkin' blah. We can't leave Iraq until the job is done, yadda, yadda. The crowd of rethugs went wild clapping.

That was not unexpected. Or so it appeared at first . . . What was unexpected was, as I looked around the room, probably 50% of the audience DID NOT applaud wildly. They sat, arms crossed.

I felt better about America. Seeing through the booolsheet is not a Democrat/Repub issue. Realizing that you are being crapped on by our "leaders" has nothing to do with being a partisan and everything to do with being a realist.

I think we have turned a corner when half of a large group of Repubs realize the truth. We were lied into this quagmire, and Iraq needs to get better soon, or we need to get the hell out.

-Prodigal Son

Lone Star Democracy Builders Association

A useful blogroll, on which we are listed under "Blogs by Women". That's interesting, since any female posters around here tend to disappear about as quickly as . . . well, maybe that sentence is best left unended.

SPACEDARK

Republican Leadership Phrasebook

A PTS Scoop:

We all know how Republican "leaders" deliver such on-message, cookie cutter presentations, complete with their own focus-group-tested language. A high-level white horse souse, whom I will identify only as "Deep Doodoo" has passed on a half-page ripped out of the Republican Leadership Phrasebook, and translations, which he/she was able to smuggle out of Dick Cheney's bunker. While it would have been too dangerous to keep the originals, photocopies have been independently verified and are reprinted here for the first time.


"A" is doing a superb job: "A" agrees with me.

You can't put a number on that: The number would be embarrassing to me, so I won't tell you.

We should respect the public: The public are gullible ignoramuses.

The ownership society: What do you care? You'll never get into my country club.

I say exactly what I mean: Sometime in the middle of the night, you'll get tired and drop your wallet.

We know exactly what is happening: We have no earthly idea which end is up.

I don't discuss classified reports: Somebody else leaked it for me.

We should promote democracy everywhere: Do as I say, not as I do.

Family values: How much you would pay me to keep grandma out of GITMO.

All we want is an up or down vote: We want our way all the time.

It's your money: see "I say exactly what I mean".

All they know how to do is hate: They disagree with me and I hate them for it.

We don't make policy based upon polls: We haven't figured out how to steal a poll.


If Deep Doodoo and I are able to remain out of GITMO, there could be more. It is hoped that the press will find these translations useful.

DEMOPHOENIX

Look Who's Talking

So, who will be watching the Chimporer tonight? Document the atrocities by clicking 'Comment' and let 'er rip!

-Prodigal Son

bizarre love triangle

When I participated in the latest conference call with Chris Bell, one of the bloggers (not me) asked about military base closings. I didn't address Bell's response in my posting at the time because I didn't fully understand it and I wasn't sure what to say about it.

I still don't know what to say about Bell's response, but I think there's a specific issue we need to consider.

I hate to admit to fuzzy-mindedednes and lack of attention and focus, but I called in to the conference from the S.O.'s house and her beagle Clyde was freaking out during the back-and-forth about military bases. But to unfairly paraphrase something I didn't fully catch, I definitely got the impression that Chris was focusing on Texas base closings in his answer to the question. As well he should. He’s running—sorry, exploring—for Texas governor, after all.

But, Houston, we have a problem.

I also know from previous calls when I was more focused that Bell doesn’t want to write off this part of the state. He’s already visited the Panhandle, did so very early on, and has worked up here. He refers to this area as his “old stomping grounds.” So it may not be news to him that folx up here couldn’t, for the most part, care less about Texas base closings.

They’re worried about the closing of Clovis, New Mexico’s base. A recent study by a Texas Tech professor (no link yet; the study was reported by Kelly James on KXGL-FM, but I’ll keep looking for the specific data) suggested that Potter and Randall counties could lose 600-700 jobs from the closing. That's what panhandlians are freaked out about.

This isn't a critique so much as a grappling for a light switch in a darkened, unfamiliar room. The Panhandle has always been at the center of a perverse ménage-à-trois: married to Austin, but hopping into bed with eastern New Mexico at every opportunity. How does Bell— or any gubernatorial candidate, but preferably one we could support as progressives— address the concerns of this area while remaining Texan? Is there a way to make the urban centers down state happy while keeping the interest of the desert people with the wandering eyes? Or does it matter? Do we matter?

SPACEDARK

high fire hazard this fourth of july due to multiple straw men

This morning, the Amarillo Globe-Republican Ghost— aw, hell, let's just call him by his real name— David Henry the Wingnut shot rubber bullets at a fave Republican target: the ACLU. And like all rubber/glue situations, Dave, your bullets

bounced off the ACLU
and stuck to you.

Dave sez:

The American Civil Liberties Union continues to pick and choose what liberties it considers worth a fight. After ACLU legal pressure, the Webb City R-7 School District in Missouri decided Thursday to revoke its ban on T-shirts with pro-gay messages. One student, with the message "I'm gay and I'm proud" on his T-shirt, said he was glad he could now express himself. That's fine, but we wonder if the ACLU would have involved itself in a lawsuit against the school district had the student wanted to wear a T-shirt with the message, "I'm Christian and I'm proud." Doubtful. If anything, the ACLU would have sued to prevent the student from "expressing himself." It seems there are rights that must be protected, and then there are those that must be restricted. How uncivil.

Hm. See, Dave, it's really not a good debate tactic to just make up your opponent's position. It's called debating a straw man, but usually people at least ascribe straw man arguments to a more vague opponent like "Democrats" or "libruhls". Putting words in mouths of specific people or groups is ungentlepersonly and possibly libelous, not to mention piss-poor journalism. But while we're at it:

The Amarillo Globe-Republican continues to lie and distort the positions of the newspaper's political opponents. After corporate pressure, the AG-R Opinion page editor John Kanelis decided Thursday to turn over all editorial chores to Dave Henry, the rightmost member of the editorial staff. Dave the Wingnut, with the message "I'm against civil liberties and I'm proud" on his T-shirt, said he was glad he could now express himself but even more glad that no one else could; he proceeded to print anti-ACLU diatribes sourced only by the ouija board the Wingnut keeps under his desk. "ACLU Killed Jimmy Hoffa!" Dave the Wingnut fumed on the Opinion page.

That's fine, but we wonder if Dave would have printed such invective directed against the ACLU had the union been engaged in one of its battles supporting the right of the Ku Klux Klan to march. Doubtful. If anything, the Wingnut would joined in the ACLU's suit supporting the right of the KKK to "express itself." It seems there are rights that Dave the Wingnut wants to protect, and then there are those that he wants to restrict. How uncivil.

See how that works, Dave? Not so fun being the straw man is it?

SPACEDARK

Today is Kick the Sheeet Out of Liberals Day

Today at the AG-R it's "BASH THE LIBERALS!" day. . . (again)

Today's paper has a column titled "21st Century Democrats Resemble an Old Joke".

Steve Holland, serial Republican hate spewer HERE and HERE , Terry Schiavo vampire HERE, and tired meme "Democrats are old and tired" stenographer HERE pens yet another column about . . . wait for it . . . Democrats being old and tired. HERE

Hey Steve. We get it. You hate Democrats. You hate Liberals. Go back in your shack and finish your manifesto already. You are beginning to repeat yourself.

Today we also have another serial RNC stenographer James Fluegel penning yet another anti-liberal screed in a LTE called, "Goebbels would see possibilities in PBS" HERE

So it's OK to make nazi comparisons, just as long as you are a damn Republican.

No mention today of Karl Rove's vileness HERE, no liberal columns to counteract this horsesheet, just plain good 'ol fashioned liberal hatin'!
_________________

Peeps, have you had enough yet?

Did you call your senator yesterday?

What, you didn't know you hate our troops and want them to die? HERE. Hate America? Have no morals? Don't sacrifice for your country? ARE you a joke?

Are you ready to stand up and say, "I'm mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore"? HERE

I am. As Fanny Lou Hamer said, "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

We are Liberals. We have died on battlefields foreign and domestic. It was a Democrat who brought this country out of a Republican inspired depression and saw us through WWII. We have fought for the rights of everday folks our whole lives. We have fought for civil rights for all, and died for that cause. We died on 9-11 and sucked in anthrax in that horrible month almost four years ago.

We love this country too much to let these hateful bastards sell it off to their friends for a campaign contribution, or a hot lobbying job.

If someone can give me an example where polite discussion has gotten humans progressive rights, I would appreciate it. But this is a barfight now IMO.
___________________

Ever been in a bar fight? I have. It was in this tiny hellhole in North Platte, NE. Went something like this. . .

A man approaches you with a broken beer bottle, muttering. He swings and hits you on the head. You see, you told him to play nice and relax. That you did not want trouble.

You get a towel from the bartender and put it on your head to sop up the blood, you pick up a pool cue, and you jab it in his face. You smash it on his head, you push it in his guts. You throw it away and punch the bastard in the face, you break teeth, you use your elbow in his eyes. You pummel him into the ground.

Then when he is down on the ground, you don't walk away saying, "I guess that taught him a lesson" you kick him in the ribs, you kneel down and punch. You punch until your knuckles are flayed open and bleeding. You stand back up and kick him in the balls, and guts.

Repeat until he does not move. You look around at his friends. You have blood running down your face and neck and into your shirt from under the towel on your head. Your hands have yours and his blood on 'em.

It is unsaid but explicit. You are next if you step up. They just watched you mercilessly beat their loudmouth leader, who they never liked anyway, but he said he'd beat THEM up, so they don't.

You were hit first. You never wanted this fight, but you damn well finished it.

You see, you are a fighter of last measure, and you fight to win. Every time.
___________________

We as Democrats need to RIGHT NOW say to ourselves that the Repubs are so devoid of integrity that they are going to say and do anything to bash us. They will swift boat, and hillary tell-all us to pieces unless we realize this fight for our country is real, and that if we don't trade punches one-for-one, the America we learned about at Caprock/Palo Duro/AHS/Tascosa will be a quaint notion.

Bush Republicans are killing America with Iraq war lies, Patriot Acts, and "economic" initiatives.

I'm not saying go out and put a Republican in the hospital.

Write the paper. Stand up. Be Heard. Be loud. Be furious. Smash the liars where they stand. Don't EVER back down anymore.

If politics come up at work, you tell 'em like it is. With a smile on your face.
____________________

Hey, if we can't show that we can stand up for ourselves, how can Americans believe we will stand up for them?

'Scuse me while I go take my blood pressure meds . . .

-Prodigal Son

Karl Rove says that Liberals Want Our Troops to Die

Americablog has the lowdown. CLICK HERE

More importantly . . . Does Sen. Hutchison and Sen. Cornyn agree with Rove?

ASK THEM TODAY! CALL RIGHT NOW!


SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON
284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4304
202-224-5922

Senator John Cornyn
517 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-2934

Ask them if they will publicly denounce Rove or ask for his resignation. Be nice, but firm.

Don't know about you, but we have had enough of that sheeet about Liberals.

-Panhandle Truth Squad

Governor Good Hair Update

The Guv, who likes to sign legislation in churches, who goes on and on and on about morality signs off on an interview with "Adios MoFo" CLICK HERE
(Crooks and Liars gets the catch)

Guv's office: 1-800-843-5789

-Panhandle Truth Squad

AG-R Gets One Right

In this editorial today, the Globe-Republican gets it right. CLICK HERE

There are many unseen heroes out there. They don't get noticed in today's "missing white person of the week" media.

They struggle, and have tremendous ups and downs.

We hit the AG-R pretty hard for it's wingnut bias, but last Sunday's column is a don't miss. CLICK HERE.

It would be a logical follow-up to see how Mr. compassionate conservative Bush's cuts in funding effects those who need it the most.

But this IS the AG-R after all . . .

That said, well done Karen Smith, Steaven Dearinger, and AG-R.

-Prodigal Son

Hey, Ms. McCartt / What a coup! / You got us a party. / Now how 'bout something new?

The new mayor won her first battle.

Several weeks ago, Debra McCartt announced plans to hold a public swearing-in, free for the entire city. It was to be a festive occasion—with entertainment that represented the alleged “diversity” of Amarillo—as well as a unifying event, taking the time to honor previous city officials.

What was left of the last city commission—Robert Keys—expressed skepticism that anyone would show up.

"It would be pretty neat with respect to the old commissioners and mayors coming back," he said. "But I don't know how well it would be attended. You'd hate for something like that to be planned and not very many people show up."

New commissioner but old-guard power-broker Jim "What a Coup!" Simms was also hostile to the idea:

"I'm not real big on ceremonies," said Jim Simms, elected to Commissioner Place 4. "Let me take the oath, swear me in, and I'll go to work."

Tonight, the swearing-in was held. 400 seats were set up in the Grand Ballroom of the Civic Center. I found one of the last seats available, and when I quietly tiptoed out just before the “Tribute to Trent Sisemore,” I had to force my way through a SRO mass of people gathered in the back of the ballroom. I’d already watched Trent “It’s all about me!!!” Sisemore pressing the flesh before the event, and didn’t think I could stomach much more of the now-thankfully-former mayor.

The ceremony itself was a microcosm of my hopes and fears for this mayor and her new commission. Points for good intentions: entertainers performed who represented the Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Old Codger communities. But the city’s Community Relations Coordinator, Lyndy Ohayon, who played at being Master of Ceremonies, announced the various entertainers in a how-white-can-I-be chirp that laid waste to the best of intentions. The Lao dancers were from the “Lay-YO” community. The Hispanic dancers were “performing the Ballet Folkloria”.

Am I being overly picky, an English teacher and writer who quaintly thinks words matter?

I don’t think so. Pronouncing a name correctly is a sign of respect—and even Old White Men can get prickly about it. Just ask the Globe-Republican what happens when they print a news item about “Stanley Marsh III”.

So, two points: When it comes to diversity, you have to talk the talk and walk the walk. City Parents are starting to talk the talk . . . but they haven’t even got that completely right, yet.

Secondly, Robert Keys and Jim "What a coup!" Simms suffered the indignity of being sworn in before a lot of people they had dismissed as being uninterested in city government. We’ve turned out to vote. We’ve come to your party. We’ve written letters. What else do we have to do? Mayor McCartt and new commissioners: it’s time to make the city commission meetings accessible to average working citizens, as you promised you would. Any time other than weekdays between nine and five will do just fine. We’ve demonstrated that we’ll show up. You have no excuses left.

SPACEDARK

what about bob?

The S.O. and I travelled to Denver this weekend to attend a Jewish wedding. I'd never had to wear a yarmulke and I learned "Havah Nagila" in a Presbyterian Vacation Bible School, so it was a cultural experience for me. Especially since the bride (one of the S.O.'s closest friends) was in the eye of a storm that might be referred to by unimaginative Hollywood writers as "My Big Fat Jewish Wedding."

The night before the wedding we talked with "Uncle Bob" at a dinner for the out-of-town guests. When Uncle Bob learned we were from Amarillo, he all but said "Oy!" Bob knew a little about Amarillo. He had travelled there on weekends when he was a young serviceman stationed in Clovis in the 1950s. What he remembered—and was still shocked by—was that Amarillo had separate black and white drinking fountains.

Not that Clovis had been any better. Bob told us a story about how he and his friend, a black serviceman, had gone out one night to go to a movie at the theater in Clovis. The usher had informed them that Bob's friend would have to sit upstairs in the back. Bob was appalled and demanded their money back. He went straight back to the base and told his C.O. about the incident.

Bob's C.O. sent out a memo to the base the next day: no one serving in Clovis would be allowed to attend movies at that theater so long as the policy stood.

Giving Bob a story to tell at weddings half a century later.

He smiled as he advised us that the theater's racist policy was changed immediately.

I repeat the story here because sometimes, in times like these when we struggle under the oppression of the dark Emperor, it's good to take a moment to remember the fights, small and large, that were won a long time ago.

SPACEDARK