The Texas Progressive Alliance prefers tote bags for its deplorables as it brings you this week’s roundup.
Off the Kuff encourages you to read the Houston Chronicle’s story about how special education services have been systematically denied to Texas families.
Libby Shaw at Daily Kos is not in the least bit surprised to know TX Governor Greg Abbott threw his hat into the ring with the The Grand Wizard of Birtherism.
On Sept. 11, Socratic Gadfly looked back at 9/11 and reminded readers of many repeated, recurring causes of death that kill almost as quickly as 9/11, some with political connections, that still don’t get truly addressed.
Political polling wizard Nate Silver tells Democrats they can start to panic this week, as passed along by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.
Neil at All People Have Value took the Harris County Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar class this past week. It takes a long time to really be able to register anybody after you take the class because the Republicans who run the county don’t want you to register anybody. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.
The gap between the lived experiences of White Americans and Americans of color is significant. With this in mind,Texas Leftist offers a viewpoint on and justification for Black Lives Matter. Most that have lived the experience of being unlawfully detained (or worse) by police see the movement as not only valid, but necessary.
===============
And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.
Better Texas Blog has a bit of good news in the fight against food insecurity.
The Lunch Tray packs up six years of lunch packing advice.
Grits for Breakfast interviews Rebecca Bernhardt, executive director of Texas Fair Defense Project, which is one of the plaintiffs suing Harris County over its bail practices.
Streetsblog wonders why TxDOT doesn’t believe its own data that show Texans are driving less per day on average than they were a decade ago.
Eileen Smith has a few questions about those charitable Trump portraits.
The TSTA Blog sounds the warning about school vouchers again.
Even as it continues to urbanize and become increasingly diverse, it’s doubtful that anyone familiar with American politics considers Texas to be a harbinger of Progressivism. Thanks to many factors like voter suppression and mis-education, the Lone Star state is expected to once again skew Conservative for the upcoming election.
Though the constraints of America’s often challenging two-party system would want voters to think otherwise, the terms “Progressive” and “Conservative” do not belong to exclusively to Democrats or Republicans. In fact 2016’s two major party candidates are causing many American voters to look outside of the traditional “big tent” status quo.
This week, a major player in a Progressive politics is taking over Houston, as Mihir Zaveri of the Houston Chronicle reports…
The odds seem long for the Green Party of the United States. In a presidential election, it never has won more than 2.7 percent of the popular vote.
Right now, its presumptive candidate is slated to be on the ballot in only two dozen states.
Still, members say the November election could provide a unique opportunity for the progressive party, now in its fourth decade, to capture voters who will not vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump.
That will be one of the central themes as the Green Party kicks off its three-day national convention Thursday at the University of Houston, where delegates are expected for the second straight election cycle to nominate Jill Stein, a Lexington, Mass., physician, author and environmental advocate, for president.
“I think we’re trying to take advantage of something this year,” said party spokesman Scott McLarty. “That is the widespread realization by a lot of people, among non-voters, among independents, and, interestingly this year, among a lot of Democrats and Republicans, that the two-party status quo is failing us.”
It’s been something of a ‘Powerhouse’ Political year for the University of Houston, whom not only welcomes the Green Party this week, but also played host to a Republican Debate earlier this year.
Spoiler Alert: at this point it is unlikely that Dr. Jill Stein, or her running mate Ajamu Baraka will win this years election. At present, they have reached the General Election ballot in 24 states and the District of Columbia. But that situation in the Presidential race doesn’t discount the real successes that its membership has garnered elsewhere. The party currently has 134 elected officials serving in 15 states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, and yes, Texas.
Per the schedule of events, convention activities begin today August 4th, with the highlights of Keynote speaker Dr. Cornel West, the roll call of states, and the official Presidential Candidate nomination and acceptance all slated for August 6th. There’s even a special welcome for Bernie Sanders supporters.
Will the Green Party’s mission be advanced by their time in Houston? At this point it is uncertain. But Texas Leftist plans to find out. Look for more Green Party Convention coverage right here.
The Texas Progressive Alliance is gathered here today to get through this thing called mourning the loss of Prince as it brings you this week’s roundup.
Libby Shaw contributing to Daily Kos insists that something has got to be done about Houston’s serial flooding. Bold political leadership and action are woefully lacking. Houston: We really can’t do this every year.
The greater Houston area has received four ‘100-year” storms in the past twelve months. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs thinks it’s either time to find a new name for these apocalyptic floods, or perhaps address the various root causes (climate change, too much concrete, greedy land developers) of them.
If you haven’t heard of this week’s feature photo by now, you’re clearly not in #Formation. Texas native Beyonce is once again stirring things up with the release of her new album, Lemonade.
For many residents of Greater Houston, especially those still caught in the throes of disaster, the April 18th are likely still a very sensitive subject. Across wide swaths of the region, residents are enduring the terrible headaches of ripping up flooring, towing cars, trashing molded furniture, rewiring electrical systems and waiting for insurance companies to call. And those are the most fortunate. For the poorest citizens, the historic floods from this week have left many homeless, hungry and devastated.
But at some point, we must begin to question how and why such devastation can befall the region. If “historic flooding” can occur twice in less than a year, just how historic is it? According to Jon Erdman of The Weather Channel, the answer to these questions are more obvious than many Houstonians would like to admit…
If you’re unlucky, you may have dealt with major flooding perhaps once or twice in your life. But Houstonians, even transplants who have only spent a few years in southeast Texas, likely have experienced flooding multiple times —sometimes in the same year.
One could make a strong argument that Houston is the nation’s flash flood capital.
According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, there were 96 days with at least one report of flooding or flash flooding in Harris County from 1996 through 2015. This equates to anaverage of 4-5 days of flooding each year over that time period.
Of course, not all of these flood events are as severe as April 2016, Memorial Day 2015, or Allison in 2001. The fact that flooding happens with such regularity most years in an area just slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island is quite impressive.
These events have happened every time of the year, even in late fall and winter.
Apart from the prodigious rainfall from tropical cyclones and their remnants, thunderstorms and thunderstorm clusters tend to slow and stall near the Gulf Coast, especially from late spring through early fall.
In case anyone was in doubt, the data is clear. Floods will happen across Houston region and Southeast Texas. These “historic events” are not a matter of if, but when.
Realizing this as fact also means accepting that we cannot stop floods, but we must be prepared for them. So there’s the problem. But what, if anything can Houston actually do about it? Here are a few suggestions…
Close roads, save lives. As much of a tragedy as flooded homes and businesses create, they are not the predominant cause of death in these flood events. The far more dangerous situations occur when drivers get caught on flooded roads. But as Harris County Judge Ed Emmett knows, these deaths are preventable. Officials know which roads are most likely to flood in a significant rain event, because they are virtually the same ones that have flooded every time. Closing these roads would save lives. It’s also important to increase awareness for residents of just how Houston’s flood prevention system works. The central to this system in large flood event?? ROADS. Once the bayous and creeks fill up, the next place which water collects in Houston are the roads themselves. Ever wondered why sections of all major Houston freeways are trenches? It’s because they are meant to fill with water in a flood event.
Stop building “out” and start building smart. Some of these changes are already occurring in parts of Houston as a result of reaching critical density, but protecting this region from flooding means a full recognition that we cannot continue to build new developments in areas designated as part of the primary flood plain. Of course, such radical change isn’t really possible without more cohesive regulation (yes I said it… ZONING). But for those that are already in a flood plain, it’s time to seek some smart building strategies… flood gates, raising home and business levels, and massive flood protection work like Project Braysmust become one of the region’s top priorities. It would take a massive effort and lots of coordination between all levels of the public and private sector, but it can be done. Case in point? The Texas Medical Center.
Building on the example of the TMC’s innovative flood alert and prevention system, we know that mitigating flood damage in the area is possible. The only question that remains… Can we find the will to do work?
When Libby Shaw learned some of the drinking water supplies in the state well exceed the federal standard for arsenic, she asked how will small government, government loathing lawmakers react? What will they do? Nothing, of course. Pretend the problem does not exist. No Worries Texas. We Can Shoot the Arsenic Out of the Water.
Hillary Clinton admitted to Chris Matthews that she sold her vote to invade Iraq for $20 billion, to George W. Bush. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is glad that’s finally cleared up.
And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.
The Texas Election Law Blog highlights what President Obama said about innovation in civic technological engagement.
Juanita contemplates the sheer awesomeness of a Trump/Carson ticket.
Grits for Breakfast wants to know why the Texas Rangers seem incapable of rooting out local corruption when they are called upon to investigate it.
Ty Clevenger complains about the State Bar of Texas’ refusal to take action against Ken Paxton.
Lone Star Ma focuses on the 9th of the United Nations’ new sustainable development goals: “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.”
Dan Solomon talks to Wendy Davis about Dawn Porter’s abortion law documentary Trapped, among other things.
The Makeshift Academic reminds us that Merrick Garland has a lot of company in the confirmation process.
Today’s feature photo is from the beautiful Harris County Coastline. Yes! Though we sometimes forget, the same Harris County which houses Houston is actually on the Texas Coast. This is taken from Sylvan Beach in the city of La Porte. Formerly known as The Grove, the historic beach front park has been in operation since 1893.
Long known for it’s natural beauty and idyllic setting in the Texas Hill Country, the state capital of Austin has been a favorite gathering place for many prominent music and arts festivals. The largest of them all is South By Southwest (SXSW)… over three decades strong.
In 2016 SXSW will enter a new level of prominence as it goes Presidential for the first time ever.
SXSW is honored to announce President Barack Obama will appear as part of a Keynote Conversation at SXSW Interactive on Friday, March 11 and First Lady Michelle Obama will be the opening Keynote at SXSW Music on Wednesday, March 16. This marks the first time in the 30-year history of SXSW that a sitting President and the First Lady have participated in the event.
On Friday, March 11, President Obama will sit down with Evan Smith, CEO / Editor in Chief of The Texas Tribune, for a conversation about civic engagement in the 21st Century before an audience of creators, early adopters and entrepreneurs who are defining the future of our connected lives. The President will call on the audience to apply their ideas and talents to make technology work for us – especially when it comes to tackling big challenges like increasing participation in the political process and fighting climate change.
[…]
On Wednesday, March 16, First Lady Michelle Obama comes to SXSW Music to discuss the Let Girls Learn initiative, which aims to break barriers for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school today, more than half of whom are adolescent. The SXSW Music Conference brings the global music industry together and offers the perfect platform to celebrate Women’s History Month, as the First Lady provides her call to action to support girls’ education.
Texas may be a decidedly Red State, but the “blue dot” that is Austin is buzzing about the President and First Lady’s upcoming visit. And from the tone of President Obama’s weekly address, the White House seems to be excited as well…
For more on the historic appearance at “South By”, check out coverage from The Texas Tribune.
With a heated Presidential Election in our midst, it is sometimes tough to keep up with important news surrounding other races. This is particularly the case in a state like Texas, which focuses so heavily on Republican/ Conservative media to start. But the March 1st Primary did prove to be an historic one for Progressives as well.
With over 78 percent of the vote, local politician Jenifer Rene Pool has garnered a decisive win in her Primary Race for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 3. The victory makes Pool the First Transgender Candidate to win an election in the entire state of Texas, and one of a precious few openly transgender candidates to have won elections across the United States. She now moves on to face incumbent Republican Steve Radack in the November 8th General Election. (For more information on the history of Transgender Elected Officials and candidates, see the 2015 Report by theLGBTQ Representation and Rights Initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, prepared by Logan S. Casey and Andrew Reynolds).
Prior to Election Day, Pool had earned many high profile endorsements from the Houston Chronicle, the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, and a host of other influential organizations.
Directly from Ms. Pool, here are some comments on this truly historic win…
I was gratified last night for the tremendous show of support. I am truly thankful that voters recognize me as a leader who can address the many serious issues facing Harris County, from our growing population to our copious infrastructure needs. I look forward to the campaign and General Election so we can build a better Harris County where it matters.
Pool has run previously for Houston City Council. Though she did garner over 17,000 votes in 2013, she did not move to the run-off for that election. However this week Ms. Pool was able to garner votes from over 24,000 Texans. In what is always assumed to be a very Conservative state, this victory is decisively Progressive.
