Burnt Orange Report

I'm a minority, and I'm feeling hipper already.

Kuff: Non-hispanic whites are no longer in the majority in Texas.

Gosh darn it to heck!

Looks like I'm gonna have to endorse Barack Obama after all.

They're giving me no choice.

At least in high school they had an "election" so nerds like Alan Keyes (and me) could get trounced by the popular kids the old-fashioned way.

Yet another fountain of undiluted foolishness

No, I'm not talking about Bob Jensen, who (regardless of your politics) is a pretty nice guy.

Rather, I'm talking about another UT Journalism prof who Josh Marshall has caught acting like (a) a grade-A hack and (b) an anti-Catholic.

True, said prof has (so I've heard) been a wonderful educator, although I've never taken any of his courses. But I'm waiting for Faulkner to, you know, treat other goofy faculty members the way he's treated Bob.

Annoy Zigzag Zell

The good folks at Zellout spell it out for anyone who isn't already convinced that Zell Miller has turned into a not-so-closeted Republican. His office staff should have done what Rodney Alexander's office staff did when he switched parties, and resigned. They didn't, so take this opportunity to annoy his office staff by flooding Zell's email account in response to his nomination of George W. Bush.

Ben Barnes Got Bush in the National Guard

Then, Texas Lt. Governor Ben Barnes speak out in this video that he helped pull strings to get Bush in the National Guard. The video is at: Austin4Kerry.org. It's up on kos diaries and Drive Democracy right now. We'll see if this gets any traction.

Update: Well, Jim beat me to it by three minutes (see below). I guess I'll have to quicker next time.

You Drop the Bomb on Me

Texas Nate: Ben Barnes allegedly says he pulled strings to get Bush in the National Guard.

Pick the Picks

Which newspapers in Texas will endorse Kerry? Which papers in Texas will endorse Bush?

My predictions here.

There really is no end to this, is there?

A DailyKos diarist reports that at least one International Olympics Committee member was so angry about the Bush-Olympics flap that he'll be voting against New York's bid for the 2012 summer Olympics.

Really, if America loses the 2012 bid due to presidential petulance, that ought to be the definitive sign that all of the good will which the rest of the world felt for New York City and the USA after 9/11 has been totally squandered on behalf of the president's domestic political ambitions.

Shameful.

Reminder

The Presidential Prayer Team (as noted by Belle Waring) requests prayers for Attorney General John Ashcroft this week.

You know, a strict reading of 1 Timothy doesn't say you have to pray for your leaders to keep on doing what they're doing, but rather that "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." So you know, if you're cranky (as I am), about the utter dishonesty and abuse of power in Washington, you might want to consider praying even harder.

At the very least, consider a humble request that the door not smacketh their ass on the way out.

Try the salmon.

Brad DeLong presents us with a socratic dialogue at a buffet with the ghost of Daniel Webster (need I say more?).

And I ran... I ran so far awaay...

Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas) on why he loves New York City:

Favorite NYC Memory: "Going to see the band Flock of Seagulls in 1983 for only $1.00. After the concert we saw David Bowie walking down the street. It was a great night and great memory."

Via TAPPED.

UPDATE: The Stakeholder notes something a little more interesting about NYC-loving Republicans Rep. Richard Pombo (Calif.) and Gov. Linda Lingle (Hawaii).

If it Smell like a Rat...

Two days ago, I posted that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed a Freedom of Information Act Request in order to find out if Karl Rove is lying when he said that he hasn't spoken with major Bush and Swift Boat Vets for Truth donor Bob Perry. Not surprisingly, the White House claims that they are exempt from the FIOA request:

Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) received a letter from the Executive Office of the President denying CREW's Aug. 24 request for records detailing White House contacts with individuals connected to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT). As grounds for the denial, the White House claimed that it was exempt from having to disclose the information.

CREW had asked the White House to release information regarding contacts between the Executive Office of the President and members of SBVT and others associated with the group, including public relations, advertising, detective and fundraising organizations.

CREW decided to file the FOIA after learning that President Bush's political advisor Karl Rove had claimed not to have spoken with his longtime friend and primary SVBT donor Bob J. Perry, in over a year. Yesterday, Rove had changed his tune, telling FOX news: "I don't want to leave any misimpression. But he's (Perry) not somebody that I've had, you know, any extended conversation with in years . . ." Rove denied, however, speaking with Perry about SBVT.

Rove's comments were made the same day CREW discovered that a Republican party Committee website in Collier County Florida was soliciting donations for SBVT and showing the group's ads, something clearly not allowed under the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Upon receiving the denial of the FOIA request, CREW's Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated "If the White House really had nothing to do with SBVT or its ads, then there was no reason for it to deny CREW's request. The White House could have released the records and silenced its critics. Its refusal to respond suggests that there is information the White House would prefer not become public."

If it smells like a rat...

Republican National Covention Schedule

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION SCHEDULE

New York, NY

6:00 PM Opening Prayer led by the Reverend Jerry Falwell

6:30 PM Pledge of Allegiance

6:35 PM Ceremonial Burning of Bill of Rights (excluding 2nd Amendment)

6:45 PM Salute to the Coalition of the Willing

6:46 PM Seminar #1: Katherine Harris on "Are Elections Really Necessary?"

7:30 PM Announcement: Lincoln Memorial Renamed for Ronald Reagan

7:35 PM Trent Lott - "Re-segregation in the 21st Century"

7:40 PM EPA Address #1: Mercury: It's What's for Dinner

8:00 PM Vote on which country to invade next

8:10 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh

8:15 PM John Ashcroft Lecture: The Homos Are After Your Children

8:30 PM Round table discussion on reproductive rights (men only)

8:50 PM Seminar #2: Corporations: The Government of the Future

9:00 PM Condi Rice sings "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"

9:05 PM Phyllis Schlafly speaks on "Why Women Shouldn't Be Leaders"

9:10 PM EPA Address #2: Trees: The Real Cause of Forest Fires

9:30 PM break for secret meetings

10:00 PM Second Prayer led by Cal Thomas

10:15 PM Karl Rove Lecture: Doublespeak Made Simple

10:30 PM Rumsfeld Lecture/Demonstration: How to Squint and Talk Macho Even
When You Feel Squishy Inside

10:35 PM Bush demonstration of trademark "deer in headlights" stare

10:40 PM John Ashcroft Demonstration: New Mandatory Kevlar Chastity Belt

10:45 PM GOP's Tribute to Tokenism, featuring Colin Powell & Condi Rice

10:46 PM Ann Coulter's Tribute to "Joe McCarthy, Great American Patriot"

10:50 PM Seminar #3: Education: A Drain on Our Nation's Economy

11:10 PM Hilary Clinton Pinata

11:20 PM John Ashcroft Lecture: Evolutionists: A Dangerous New Cult

11:30 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh again

11:35 PM Blame Clinton

11:40 PM Newt Gingrich speaks on "The Sanctity of Marriage"

11:41 PM Announcement: Ronald Reagan to be added to Mt. Rushmore

11:50 PM Closing Prayer led by Jesus Himself

12:00 PM Nomination of George W. Bush as Holy Supreme Planetary Overlord

History Repeating Itself All Over Again

Let's face it, these have been incredibly slow news weeks. True, the Olympics are fascinating, we had a hurricane hit Florida, and there has been serious news abroad (in Iraq and Russia). These are all very serious for the people involved. But they're not really moving "stories" that capture the attention of the whole country.

The Campaign Desk hits political journalists for focusing so heavily on the Swifties, which is only a notch above Kobe Bryant, and various human interest stories.

Three years ago, I was working down in The Daily Texan basement, and I got a great kick out of reading a comic strip that was tacked up on the wall bemoaning the lack of real news the summer before (it was all shark bite stories and bear maulings, if I remember correctly). It was funny because it was true. Nothing really "big" had happened.

This was two days before 9/11.

Normalcy doesn't last long. I start to get skittish when the CJR starts bemoaning the reportage of silly stories like the Swifties, because it's usually not too long before the press corps have real news to report.

Hard Science is Easy

From CNN, we learn that a 4 inch telescope discovered a new extra-solar planet.

You know, you can get a four-inch scope for a few hundred bucks, and all the necessary equipment to replicate this observation for a few thousand.

The truth is out there, eager beavers.

DFA Recap of Dean Rally in Austin

Austin SDEC member Fran Vincent has a post (along with photo) of the Dean rally on Sunday on the Democracy for America blog, so check it out.

DeLay Embarrassed, Heckled

You'd think it were Austin. The protesters for the DeLay event outnumbered supporters. Kuff has all the details.

Of course DeLay tried to make it a successful event, but no one really wanted to see him, except the protesters that is. Taking on Tom DeLay reports:

What an embarrassment for Tom DeLay. After sending 7500 invitations paid for by the University of Houston, for a reception honoring Tom DeLay, less than 100 attended, 50 of which were staff or worked at the university.

Outside in the hot sun were 150 enthusiastic protestors chanting "Don't DeLay. Indict today!" and "Tom DeLay has got to go". Three times as many protested Delay than those that honored him.

[...]

On the inside there were 3 large tables filled with food for 400-500 people that was left untouched. Name tags of about 100 people were left on the table, from those who didn't bother to attend after making reservations.

And DeLay only spoke for about 3 minutes including taking time to address students who were distrubed his speech by singing.

This was to be an event to "introduce DeLay to his new district" according to an email sent from the University. Many believed this was a misuse of state funds and will be filing a complaint tomorrow in Austin.

Instead it turned out to be an embarrassment for DeLay. He later went to Deer Park where again there were more protestors than those attending the event.

Meanwhile, while Tom DeLay was heckled by his new constituents, according to friends in Dallas, there were 2000 people at Gilley's last night to support Martin Frost.

Heflin talks one way, and votes the other

I'm pleased that State Rep. Talmadge Heflin (R-Houston) has cared for an African-American child from a home that couldn't care for him. But why does Heflin lament over the problem of the shamefully high incarceration rate of young Black males, but votes against programs to help remedy the problem?

The Austin American Statesman has the story for you:

Just as Rep. Talmadge Heflin, R-Houston, is running for re-election in a district that is increasingly minority, he got into an adoption battle over a youngster the Heflins felt they cared for more and better than his parents.

And it produced a comment in court from Heflin that drew some stinging remarks from people who indicated that if Heflin was right, he’s part of the reason.

“We all know the terrible problem that black male children have growing up into manhood without being in prison,” Heflin told the judge in the court hearing, as he and his wife fought for custody of the American-born son of African immigrant parents.

Heflin’s Houston House colleague, Democrat Garnet Coleman, who is African-American, said he felt for the parents and the child, and the Heflins – to a point.

“I hate to see anyone go through an emotionally wrenching situation like the one that the Heflins and their former employee are dealing with,” Coleman said in a press release. “Clearly, everyone involved cares deeply for the child.

“However, Rep. Helfin’s paternalistic remarks about black males clearly contradict his record as a legislator. If he truly wants to do something to keep young people out of prison, why did he pass a budget that cuts at-risk youth prevention programs by more than $27 million? Rep. Heflin’s actions do not match his words and his testimony can only be viewed as hypocritical grandstanding.”

Coleman went on to list a litany of other programs that had been cut as a result of the tight budget overseen by Heflin, in the face of Gov. Perry saying he’d veto any new taxes.

Typical Republican hypocrisy. They do a lot of talk about the problems that the poor, the downtrodden, racial minorities and working class families face, but their votes don't back up their talk.

Give the people of House District 149 representation in the state house that will back up the talk. Donate to Hubert Vo today.

How to be Popular on Campus

The Reliable Source column of the Washington Post weighs in on what I blogged the other day - the intent by the College Republican National Committee to exploit the 9/11 anniversary to sign up Republicans and bring conservative speakers to campus:

How to be popular on campus: Despite claims from both sides of the political fray that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks should never, ever be politicized, the College Republican National Committee hopes to build membership in the new school year by promoting 9/11 observances. "You can ensure your CR chapter starts the new year as the leading group at your school," the group's Web site states, "by becoming involved with Young America's Foundation's 9/11: Never Forget Project." Past participation with the nonprofit conservative organization has helped chapters "boost [their] standings" and get better speakers, such as conservative loyalists Bay Buchanan and Dinesh D'Souza.

Young America's Foundation suggests, among other things, holding a moment of prayer at home football games to mark the anniversary and will provide free posters, buttons and other materials. But it's in no way, shape or form political, Patrick Coyle, director of campus programs, assured us.

"We're using this in a way to get the members active," he said. "The reason why we started this program in the first place is that a lot of schools weren't doing anything for the anniversary."

This year, the foundation Web site says, its 9/11 speakers include Dave Bossie, a certified Bill Clinton antagonist who has written a book called "Intelligence Failure: How Clinton's National Security Policy Set the Stage for 9/11." A nonpolitical title if we've ever heard one.

Of course, the other side has rushed to defend the CR's, calling me a hypocrite for condemning the CR's, but not F 9/11. I'm sorry Chris, but that's about the silliest argument I've ever. Chris Elam managed to twist my words, because of my conclusion in my original post:

If either the UT College Republicans or the UT Young Conservatives of Texas chapter exploits 9/11 for partisan political purposes, I'll be there with a lot of others to call them out on it.

Apparently, that's hypocritical, because I haven't criticized Michael Moore for doing the same thing. Perhaps, I should have spelled it out for Chris and said:

If either the UT College Republicans or the UT Young Conservatives of Texas chapter exploits the 9/11 anniversary for partisan political purposes, I'll be there with a lot of others to call them out on it.

Ok, so I should have included those two words in the original post, even though I thought that it should have been assumed, given the title (and thrust) of my post, "College Republicans to Exploit 9/11 Anniversary". Hello. If Michael Moore exploits the 9/11 anniversary to increase his book or F 9/11 sales, I think that would be inappropriate. If conservative groups use the anniversary for political purposes, I'll also feel that that is inappropriate.

Both the left and the right has appropriately questioned the months and years leading up to 9/11/2001, and the actions by the Bush administration following that day. The left has attacked Bush for his failure to take our security threats seriously before 9/11, and his actions following 9/11 that have made America less safe and secure by dividing America and alienating our allies, whose help we need to fight international terrorism. The right has questioned President Clinton's approach to fighting terrorism, and the Bush campaign has run ads touting Bush's leadership following 9/11. Agree or disagree with it, but it's fair game. However, using the anniversary of 9/11 to advance a partisan political agenda is inappropriate for either side.

Conservative Student Paper to Begin in Austin

Because ya know, the Austin Review and Contumacy just aren't enough for the other side. They need a conservative daily to counter the liberal Daily Texan. Whether the Daily Texan is liberal depends almost entirely on that year's editor. I'm causiously optimistic about this year, but the past couple of year's the Texas has had libertarian or conservative-leaning editors. Calling the Texan liberal when they had assinine editorials supporting third-party candidates against Elliott Naishtat and Lloyd Doggett - both of whom have been champions for UT. They also endorsed State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos's Republican opponent that year, when Barrientos has been the leader in the state senate for a student regent.

Anyway, here's what the Austin Chronicle has about the new paper:

On Sept. 2, the ex-advertising director of The Daily Texan will launch a new weekly broadsheet newspaper called The Austin Student, which will go forth to do battle with the Texan and other area student publications. It will be distributed free on the campuses of UT, Austin Community College, Concordia University, St. Edward's University, and Huston-Tillotson College, according to publisher Evelyn Gardner, who spent 16 years pitching ads for the Texan. (Though the Texan editorial staff is made up of students, its business side is not.)

Gardner resigned from the Texan in May after butting heads with Texas Student Publications director Kathy Lawrence (who declined to comment on Gardner's departure). She was soon joined by Texan account executive Donna Settle, who is the advertising director of the new paper, which hopes to "offer advertisers a one-stop shop to reach the college students of Austin."

While Gardner emphasizes that the Student is not targeting the Texan or any other publication, she also makes it clear it will attempt to set itself apart from the political coverage and opinion, particularly of the left-leaning variety, that has long been a hallmark of student papers. "We're going to cover issues that relate more to students on a personal level," Gardner said.

That would include everything from first-person stories from students to a religion page, spotlighting features and columns by local religious leaders. Students are "begging" for a more conservative voice on campus, Gardner says. "UT has a reputation for being a liberal school, and I think that is unfounded."

To help emphasize the new choice for this underserved legion of Bush-loving free thinkers, the Student's red, white, and blue boxes with the Texas star will soon appear next to every one of the Texan's campus news racks. "We will cover every site the Texan has, all 70 locations," Settle said. By the end of September, Gardner says, the Student, between all its distribution points across Austin, will reach 35,000 in free circulation – which would, perhaps not coincidentally, push it past the circulation of the Texan, renowned as the most widely read college newspaper in the country.

At the very least, Gardner vows the Student will do a better job of covering student government, the Greek scene, and on-campus issues than does the Texan. The Student also won't rely on news wire services, an oft-touted criticism of the Texan, she says.

I'll be sure to check it out with a critical eye when it appears on the scene.

Personal note

Since basically, my time now belongs entirely to (in order), my civil procedure class, my contracts class, and my torts class, I will be blogging on such material since I really have no other frame of reference from which to blog. Feel free to read and to leave me helpful comments about why I should be pre-emptively barred from the Bar because I am an "evil-doer."

Although hopefully I will still regularly pop my head in here and say silly things.

Soon to be Published

Scott Goldstein is someone whom I have come to know through the Dean campaign. I met him at the National Convention in Boston as he was coordinating the Dean Delegates. He's asked to publish part of my original writings from the Winter Wanderlust in Iowa and such.

I'm sending in the permission for it to be used in his latest book "The Tea is in the Harbor" to be published this October. This from the letter explains how it will be used...

The format chosen was to tell the stories of some of the “New Revolutionaries” or the “Sons of Liberty” following chapters or sections in the book. Your stories are interspersed throughout the writing.

So keep an eye out. This is Scott's Second Book, the first having been written about the 2000 election which is available here. It's an interesting feeling being published in a book, granted it's not My Life by Bill Clinton but hey, you try where you can. :)

Sadun on the Ballot

It'll be nice to have a congressman to vote for, even if only as a write-in. Lorenzo Sadun is turning in his signatures to get on the ballot today:

At 2 p.m. today, Lorenzo Sadun, professor of mathematics at the University, will deliver the 500 signatures needed to place him on the November ballot as a write-in candidate for the 10th Congressional District of Texas. To celebrate this success, Sadun held a gathering for supporters Monday at his recently acquired campaign office on Cameron Road.

I'm one of those 500. I signed Sadun's petition back at our Travis County Democratic convention back in April.

Sadun Blog.

Donate to Sadun.

Does Cheney Support his Daughter or his boss?

Or does he just flip flop?

He couldn't seem to make up his mind today:

Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, spoke supportively about gay relationships on Tuesday, saying "freedom means freedom for everyone."

At a campaign rally in this Mississippi River town, Cheney was asked about his stand on gay marriage - an issue for which his boss, President Bush, has pushed for a constitutional amendment to ban such unions.

"Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue our family is very familiar with," Cheney said. "With the respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone ... People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.

"The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that's been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage," he said.

[...]

Last month, Lynne Cheney said states should have the final say over the legal status of personal relationships, a comment that came just days before the Senate failed to back the ban.

Cheney said the amendment did not have the votes to pass, but he also said the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which President Clinton signed into law in 1996, may be enough.

"Most states have addressed this and there is on the books the federal statute, the Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1996, and to date, it has not been successfully challenged in the courts and may be sufficient to resolve the issue," the vice president said.

[...]

During the 2000 campaign, vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney took the position that states should decide legal issues about personal relationships and that people should be free to enter relationships of their choosing.

Addressing Bush's position on the amendment, Cheney said, "at this point, save my own preference, as I have stated, but the president makes policy for the administration. He's made it clear that he does, in fact, support a constitutional amendment on this issue."

Why won't Dick Cheney just say point blank, "I disagree with the President on this issue, but he makes the decisions for this administration, so his position is our policy"? Ok, well Bush doesn't really make the decisions, but that's beside the point. He didn't say that, so all the modifying rhetoric is meaningless. Dick Cheney has constantly refused to back up his support that he expressed for states rights on the marriage equality in which he expressed in the 2000 Vice Presidential debate. "Freedom" doesn't mean "freedom for everyone" when he remains silent when his boss wants to write into the constitution of the United State an amendment saying that his daughter's family is of lesser value than the families that President Bush's daughter's might choose to have. Dick Cheney can't have it both ways.

Is Karl Rove Telling the Truth?

Karl Rove says that he hasn't spoken with major Bush fundraiser and major Swift Boat Vets for Truth financier in a year. Is Karl Rove telling the truth?

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed a Freedom of Information Act Request in order to find out:

Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) with the White House asking it to detail its contacts with individuals connected to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT).

CREW asked the White House to release information regarding contacts between the Executive Office of the President and: any member of SBVT; SBVT donors Harlan Crow, Bob J. Perry [...]

The White House has claimed no involvement with SBVT or the group’s anti-Kerry campaign ads, a claim undermined by recent revelations that Mr. Cordier, who appears in one of SBVT’s advertisements was on the Bush campaign’s veterans steering committee at the time he made the ad, and by the fact that a Kerry campaign volunteer picked up a flier for SBVT at the Bush-Cheney ‘04 campaign offices in Gainesville, Florida.

CREW’s executive director Melanie Sloan stated “Despite evidence to the contrary, the Bush Administration has repeatedly claimed that it has nothing to do with SBVT or its ads. If this is true, then the White House should have no qualms about releasing information regarding any contacts between White House officials and those connected with SBVT.”

This could get interesting...