Another Shooting

Another mass shooting doesn’t surprise us.   A mass shooting in a newsroom surprise some of us. Then they have the strength to put out the next edition of the newspaper. How do they do it? Unbelievable!

I really don’t think we need to start a conversation about arming editors.

Then we move on.

Everyone knows that the national Dem leadership doesn’t listen to Commentary. It probably has to do with the fact that Commentary doesn’t listen to them. I do have some advice for them. Give the NY CD 14 Dem nominee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a huge budget and let her start traveling the country engaging young voters. It would be by far one of the best political campaign investments of 2018. Young voters will respond to her rather than to the recycled wannabees. Just saying.

Royko sent me the following after my take yesterday:

The political clout of unions had been in decline for decades now. And since 99.9% of the union dues TAKEN from workers, with many required to join unions in “closed shop” Democrat States, was donated to Democrat politicians, that money seemingly was wasted as the House, Senate, and President are Republicans.

Paid vacations, workplace safety, 40-hour work week for starters.

Let me say why I am not a fan of Megyn Kelly. Earlier this week, she was kind of calling out actor Seth Rogen for not taking a photo with GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan and Ryan’s kids. Kelly said, “Ryan hasn’t done anything?” I’ll leave it at that.

This is from a Jenny Dial Creech Chron sports column the other day:

The Dash, who are part of the National Women’s Soccer League, were among many teams in the league that held an official “Pride Night” during Pride Month.

And this:

Most teams in the NWSL hosted a pride night this month. Every WNBA team scheduled one, and 23 MLB teams (the Astros not among them) officially promoted one on their June calendars.

Here is the entire column: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/columnists/dialcreech/article/Outreach-to-all-fans-is-point-of-pride-for-Dash-13028900.php.

What is up with the ‘Stros on this? It is not as if they’ve never put on rainbow colors?

The owner of the Texans is a huge Donald Trump supporter. 55% of white folks in Texas have an unfavorable opinion of the NFL according to the Trib poll. 49% of African American folks in Texas have a favorable opinion of the NFL. Got it?

The Yankees host the Red Sox this weekend. That is good for us if we stay with our winning ways.

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Insulting and Janus

We are 54-28. Once again, what was our record last season after 82 games?

Let’s see. New York’s 14^th Congressional District is made up of 77% people of color and folks are saying the National Democratic Party has been turned on its head because the 14^th Congressional District elected a person of color? In this case Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Please help me out on this?

Commentary finds it a bit insulting that some folks think the Dem Party is imploding of sorts because this Congressional District elected someone who looks like them. Sometimes this stuff happens, so just shut the you know bleeping what up!

Commentary was watching when this would come out. I am talking about yesterday’s SCOTUS ruling on Janus v AFSCME. Yeah, this is big news too! See this from the Chron:

Some of the nation’s largest and most powerful unions are bracing for an exodus of members and a substantial financial hit after a Supreme Court decision that threatens their ability to collect fees, a ruling expected to severely diminish organized labor’s political strength and undermine its capacity to represent worker interests.

The court’s 5-to-4 ruling Wednesday applied to public-employee unions, such as those representing teachers, state workers and police officers. The court said states could no longer compel the payment of union fees by workers who don’t want to join, even if they benefit from the union’s activities, such as contract negotiations. The court ruled that the fees are unconstitutional because they infringe upon workers’ free-speech rights. Across the country, about two dozen states have laws that permit unions to require fees.

The decision could hinder the role of public-sector unions in elections. Organized labor has typically backed Democratic candidates and progressive policies for workers and battled measures such as merit pay for teachers and private-school vouchers.

Public-sector unions had been preparing for the ruling at least since the conservative-leaning high court decided in September to take the case. Before Neil Gorsuch was confirmed, the court had deadlocked on a similar case, with the four conservative justices ruling against unions.

The case attracted attention from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose efforts to expand school choice have put her at odds with teacher unions, which she has called “defenders of the status quo.” She has been critical of teacher movements – backed by unions – that swept several states this year, when teachers shut down schools to draw attention to their paltry pay and deficient school funding. And she has battled the union representing employees in her department, with union leaders accusing the department of steamrolling the collective-bargaining process. She was in the audience at the Supreme Court when the case was argued in February.

The National Education Association – the nation’s biggest union, with more than 3 million teachers – said it fears losing about 200,000 members this year and possibly 100,000 more next year. It, along with other public-sector unions, has worked to aggressively recruit and retain members, sometimes by having them sign pledge cards and providing professional development for new teachers.

Lily Eskelsen García, the union’s president, said her union is preparing to cut about $28 million from its budget and about 40 people from its 400-person staff. That has led to in-house tensions: The unionized staff of NEA Today, the union’s newsletter, threatened to strike over stalled negotiations with the association.

Here is the entire article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Unions-brace-for-loss-of-members-and-fees-in-wake-13030993.php?src=hp_totn.

Sigh.

Folks, we don’t have any choice but to look at the bright side. Janus, SCOTUS, snatching Brown kids away from their parents, anti-GLBT bakers, voting rights, for starters, if that doesn’t get us riled up for November 6. Commentary is thinking something huge is going to happen then.

Last season after 82 games, we were 55-27 of course.

Carol Alvarado tweeted this after Alex Bregman’s walk-off dinger yesterday

Can I just say how AMAZING our @astros are? What a win! I wasn’t worried at all because our guys always come through! Yes, I wasn’t worried at all, no sweat here! @robertreidryan @MarcCommentary

Commentary was watching the game here on the flat screen and I was not a bit surprised at the outcome. #NeverSettle.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Last season, Cleveland led MLB with a plus 254 run differential. Care to guess their run differential this season?

Last night, when I returned from The Yard, I flipped on the flat screen and watched as CNN introduced me to our newest national Latina political leader, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. How about that!

Don’t argue with me, please. She is part of a movement within the Dem Party. She knocked off a high ranking and well known national Dem. Cong. Joe Crowley was part of the DC Dem leadership team. Not anymore. They don’t get it. Adios.

Check this from a Politico story:

A Crowley insider said the campaign underestimated the “volatility” of the electorate.

“About two weeks ago, three weeks ago, we had our last poll which had Joe up by about 35 points. So the electorate’s really volatile,” the insider told POLITICO. “Crowley campaign had a huge field program, but it’s still a district where Bernie [Sanders] got almost 45 percent of the vote. We took it seriously, I mean we spent $1.5 million dollars on it. … It was a bloodletting of Washington Democrats.”

Commentary certainly hopes Ms. Ocasio-Cortez embraces her role in national politics. Her voice is certainly welcome. Her voice is certainly needed. Congrats!

This is kind of a goofy story in Politico today. You decide here:

Texas officials are fuming over the tab for the upcoming special election to replace former Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold.

The cost of the June 30 election to replace Farenthold, who resigned in April amid reports he had used $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit, is expected to be at least $157,000 — and many of the 13 largely rural counties holding the election say they can’t afford their share of the bill.

Worse, they argue, the special election is a pointless and needlessly costly exercise since the contest is likely to go to a September runoff — meaning the eventual winner will likely serve in Washington for less than 90 days.

“We’re all not happy,” said Wharton County Elections Administrator Cynthia Richter. “It is what it is, it’s just crazy.”

After announcing the special election date, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott wrote the millionaire former congressman to request that Farenthold pay for the special election costs himself. Farenthold had originally said he would pay back the $84,000 he used to settle the harassment claim; the governor asked that he apply that money to the local counties to cover the costs of the special election.

Farenthold’s response? No.

“In my opinion, as well as many other county officials I have heard from, a special election was not warranted and should not have been called,” wrote Farenthold in a letter addressed to Abbott. “However, that was your decision based upon the advice you were given. Since I didn’t call it and don’t think it’s necessary, I shouldn’t be asked to pay for it.”

And this:

“The governor shares the frustrations of the District in having to pay for a special election for a disgraced ex-congressman whose final act was to stick taxpayers with the bill at the worst possible time,” wrote Abbott’s deputy press secretary Mac Walker in an email. “Texans in the 27th Congressional District deserve better representation, something they have severely lacked in Washington D.C. for far too long.”

Here is the entire article: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/blake-farenthold-election-texas-674865.

If the 27^th Congressional District lacked representation for far too long, why didn’t Gov. Abbott go after him like he went after State Rep. Sarah Davis. That’s chickens__t if you ask Commentary.

The state should also have to cough up the funds for a special election. Just saying.

Commentary hasn’t been to Memorial Park in a while, so this doesn’t really impact me. Here is from Bill King:

In its never-ending quest to nickel and dime Houstonians out of every last dollar, the City of Houston recently announced that it will begin charging for some of the parking spaces at Memorial Park. The City has said that the revenue will help maintain the park. This is absurd on so many different levels that I hardly know where to start.

Go check out the rest of Bill’s take here: http://www.billkingblog.com/.

Cleveland has a plus 57 run differential this season

At the halfway point of the season, the ‘Stros are 53-28. Not bad at all.

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Milking It

Commentary has to hand it to the ‘Stros. They sure know how to milk it. I am talking about giving away World Series replica rings for the third time this season. The first time was back in April on a weekend for the first 10,000 fans when the Padres were in town. The second time was last Wednesday against the Rays and all of the 43,000 SRO and change who showed up got a ring. Well guess what? The ‘Stros announced yesterday that the Wednesday, July 11 game against the A’s will also be a World Series replica ring giveaway night with all fans getting a ring. The ‘Stros also decided to kick in dynamic ticket pricing. What did you expect?  The secondary ticket market is also into the dynamic ticket pricing thing for the July 11 game.  Ouch!

From the Wishful Thinking Dept:

Matthew Dowd‏Verified account @matthewjdowd

If a hateful person makes you hate, they win. If a bully makes you bully, they win. If a vulgar person makes you vulgar, they win. Let us meet hate with love. Let us meet bullying with an embrace. Let us meet vulgarity with civility. This is how our country and world win.

And this:

Arne Duncan‏Verified account @arneduncan

My personal opinion: No matter how much we dislike or disagree with someone, we should not deny them the chance to have a meal. The history in our country of denying people access to restaurants, to water fountains and even bathrooms is too raw, too real. We can’t keep dividing.

Here is the headline of a piece that Commentary likes:

We have a crisis of democracy, not manners

What happened with Donald Trump’s mouthpiece being asked to leave a restaurant, with the Miller fella who works for him who was shouted at in a restaurant, with the Florida GOP AG getting yelled at outside of a movie theater, and with the Homeland Security Secretary getting a verbal once over in a Mexican restaurant wasn’t planned, organized, or part of some grand strategy. It happened because folks are pi__ed off – period.

 

The NY Times has a piece about some of the national Dem leaders are worrying about how folks are going after and confronting key Trump supporters. Get out of the way then. What is happening out there is a response that some folks think is long overdue.  They are not waiting for national Dem leaders to give them their marching orders, nor should they.

Thousands of Brown children are being traumatized and emotionally scarred before our eyes.   And they know who is to blame.  What do you expect folks to do?

The grassroots folks throughout the country certainly don’t need national Dem leaders to tell them how to resist. They are not interested in operating with the national Dem leaders’ talking points.

National Dem leaders would be wise to start paying attention to how grassroots folks are handling business and learn a thing or three. Don’t mess with something that is starting at the grassroots level.

Here is the NY Times piece by Jonathan Martin

June 25, 2018

WASHINGTON — For more than two years, Democrats have struggled with how aggressively to confront Donald J. Trump, a political opponent unlike any other: Should they attack him over his hard-line policies; his inflammatory, norm-breaking conduct; or some combination of both?

In recent days, as institutional Democrats wring their hands, those deliberations have started to give way to furious liberal activists and citizens who have taken matters into their own hands beyond the corridors of power.

Progressives have heckled the homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, and the White House aide Stephen Miller at Washington restaurants; they have ejected the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, from a Lexington, Va., eatery; and they have screamed at one of Mr. Trump’s leading cable news surrogates, Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, at a Tampa movie theater.

“Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up,” Representative Maxine Waters, Democrat of California, said Saturday at a rally in Los Angeles. “And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”

The attempts at shaming have delighted many on the left, particularly in the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents, and many progressives feel that the president’s incendiary messaging and actions must be met with something far stronger than another round of news releases from politicians.

But the confrontations have opened a rift in the party over whether stoking anti-Trump outrage is helping or undermining their prospects in the coming midterm elections. Many younger Democrats believe that conventional politics are insufficient to the threat posed by a would-be authoritarian — and that their millennial and nonwhite base must be assured that the party is doing all it can to halt Mr. Trump.

Older and more establishment-aligned party officials fear the attempts at public humiliation are a political gift to Republicans eager to portray the opposition as inflaming rather than cooling passions in the nation’s capital.

“Trump’s daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable but unacceptable,” Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, said Monday, rebuking Ms. Waters, a veteran flamethrower who is enjoying something of a renaissance in the Trump era.

This sort of talk infuriates the new guard of liberal leaders, who warn that Washington Democrats risk dampening enthusiasm among anti-Trump activists if they continue denouncing direct action.

“It’s completely tone deaf to discourage this type of activity,” said Quentin James, 30, a founder of the Collective PAC, an organization dedicated to electing more African-American people. “They’re acting as accomplices.”

Mr. Trump did appear to relish the decision by a Virginia restaurant owner to ask Ms. Sanders to leave her establishment, the Red Hen, over the weekend.

“The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders,” he taunted on Twitter.

Nor did he let Ms. Waters’s broadside go unanswered.

Ms. Sanders used the moment to put Mr. Trump forward as an exemplar of civility against the braying hordes of Democratic activists, whose “calls for harassment” are “unacceptable.”

“America is a great country, and our ability to find solutions despite the disagreements is what makes us unique. That is exactly what President Trump has done for all Americans,” she said.

But it was not just the White House that was tut-tutting the public shaming.

“I think civil disobedience has had an important role in the sweep of history, but when it is done well, it has always been done strategically and with the high ground,” said Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, who has used his Twitter account to urge activists to stay focused on the policy issues that he think move voters. “We have to be careful not to pick every battle in every place, both literally and figuratively.”

We lost last night and there is no MLB question today.

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Not Surprised

Name the MLB club with the most roadie wins this season?

Probably the best line of this past weekend. From the owner of the restaurant who asked Donald Trump’s mouthpiece to hit the road:

“I would have done the same thing again. We just felt there are moments in time when people need to live their convictions. This appeared to be one.”

The mouthpiece knows she works for a racist. It is not surprising that this is where we are at in June of 2018. We have a press briefing room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue where huge lies that the entire galaxy knows are lies are dime a dozen on a daily basis. Where promoting hate is the norm. Bullying, name calling, is how they run. This has been going on since January 21, 2017. We have never seen anything like this before. Never!

Then this related tweet:

Time’s Carcass‏ @_Jack_Graham_ Jun 23

If Sarah Huckabee Sanders came to *my* restaurant, I’d show her to a table, take her order, wait an hour, and then bring her the bill. I’d then insolently insist, in an aggrieved tone, despite all evidence to the contrary, that she’d been served a meal. See how she likes it.

Sounds right to me.

According to an article I read on Friday, if you are young and work for the Donald Trump administration, getting a date is kind of tough. I am not surprised. Here is the article:

Young Trump administration staffers are having a hard time dating in Washington — one of the most Democratic cities in the country — according to a new Politico feature.

Both current and former staffers say they’re often berated by prospective dates online, or simply denied when someone finds out where they work or that they voted for the president.

“You do the small-talk thing, and you have a very good conversation, and then they might say, ‘You didn’t vote for Trump, right?'” one 31-year-old female administration official told Politico. “As soon as I say, ‘Of course I did,’ it just devolves into all-caps ‘HOW COULD YOU BE SUCH A RACIST AND A BIGOT?’ And ‘You’re going to take away your own birth control.'”

In one recent online exchange, a potential date asked her, “Do you rip babies from their mothers and then send them to Mexico?”

Another match on an dating app told her, “Thanks but no thanks. Just Googled you and it said you were a mouthpiece for the Trump administration. Go f— yourself.”

Many young staffers have turned inward — dating exclusively within the administration.

And some go on intra-administration double dates with staffers like Madeleine Westerhout, President Donald Trump’s executive assistant, and her boyfriend, Ben Schramm, who works at the Pentagon. Another popular double-dating couple is Giovanna Coia, a White House press assistant and cousin of Kellyanne Conway, and her boyfriend, John Pence, Vice President Mike Pence’s nephew who is also the deputy executive director for Trump’s campaign committee.

Ultimately, staffers say the allure of a White House or administration gig — and the power and access that come with it — means they retain some social appeal.

One Trump staffer told Politico, “At the end of the day, if they are part of the establishment and living in D.C., they usually want or need something from the White House, which can be kind of nice.”

And some go on intra-administration double dates with staffers like Madeleine Westerhout, President Donald Trump’s executive assistant, and her boyfriend, Ben Schramm, who works at the Pentagon. Another popular double-dating couple is Giovanna Coia, a White House press assistant and cousin of Kellyanne Conway, and her boyfriend, John Pence, Vice President Mike Pence’s nephew who is also the deputy executive director for Trump’s campaign committee.

Ultimately, staffers say the allure of a White House or administration gig — and the power and access that come with it — means they retain some social appeal.

One Trump staffer told Politico, “At the end of the day, if they are part of the establishment and living in D.C., they usually want or need something from the White House, which can be kind of nice.”

Hate to sound crass, but they can f themselves, so to speak.

Commentary walked in Saturday night’s Pride Parade in Downtown H-Town and there were a ton of folks along the parade route and they were fired up. It is where we are. I am not surprised.

This isn’t surprising either. It happened on the TV network that fosters hate. Here:

Former top Trump campaign official David Bossie apologized on Sunday after telling a fellow Fox News panelist who is black that he was out of his “cotton-picking mind” during a discussion about the bellicose rhetoric in U.S. politics.

“During a heated segment on Fox & Friends today, I should have chosen my words more carefully and never used the offensive phrase that I did,” Bossie wrote on Twitter. “I apologize to Joel Payne, Fox News and its viewers.”

Bossie — who served as a deputy campaign manager and is still close to the White House, joining President Donald Trump for events in Nevada on Saturday — grew increasingly agitated during the Sunday morning segment, which included discussion of Democrats and others who have described the Trump administration’s policy toward separating families that cross the border illegally as akin to Nazi actions during the Holocaust.

“Michael Hayden posted a picture of Auschwitz,” Bossie said of the former director of the National Security Agency and frequent Trump critic.

Joel Payne, a former aide to then-Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and other top Hill Democrats, interjected as Bossie appeared ready to list others who had made similar comparisons, causing Bossie to exclaim, “You’re out of your cotton-picking mind.”

“Cotton-picking mind?” Payne responded. “Brother, let me tell you something, I’ve got some relatives who picked cotton.”

The Oxford English Dictionary describes “cotton-picking” as an expression used for emphasis, though it’s considered an offensive one, given the racial connotations and connection to slavery. The NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder suspended a play-by-play announcer earlier this year for using the phrase in connection with player Russell Westbrook.

A Fox News spokesperson distanced the network from Bossie’s words, saying his use of the phrase was “wholly inappropriate.”

“David Bossie’s comments today were deeply offensive and wholly inappropriate,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “His remarks do not reflect the sentiments of FOX News and we do not in any way condone them.”

Fox News chief national correspondent Ed Henry, who was anchoring the segment, also addressed Bossie’s comments shortly after he made them. Henry said the phrase was “obviously offensive.”

“David Bossie used a phrase that clearly offended Joel Payne, and it offended many others,” Henry said. “I don’t know what David meant by it. It went back and forth between the two of them. I’ve known David a long time, I’ll let him address exactly what he said, but I want to make clear Fox News and this show, myself, we don’t agree with that particular phrase.”

In case you didn’t know, Robstown High School in Nueces County still has the “Cotton Picker” as their mascot.

This is interesting. Check this from the Chron:

Bill Baldwin, a longtime real estate broker, volunteer and member of Houston’s planning commission, has launched a political action committee aimed at improving the city’s neighborhoods, schools and local governments.

The tenets of the nonpartisan PAC, called Your Houston, will center around issues of quality of life, resiliency, mobility and neighborhoods. It will focus on local elections and referendums.

Baldwin, founder of residential real estate firm Boulevard Realty, launched the group at an event Tuesday night in his historic Heights home.

The new PAC, he said, will work to support the efforts of local advocacy groups, many of which lack funding and influence.

“All of these groups are doing great advocacy work, but they don’t have money. They don’t have political power,” Baldwin said. “I’m going to add money and political power to advocacy, and elect amazing officials that think of our city as a 21st century city.”

I wonder if it will have staying power. Let’s see who gets involved. Only time will tell if they will develop into a major political player locally.

Commentary said this about the ‘Stros on June 7:

Here is where we need to make our move. We have the 4^th best record in MLB and 5 ½ games behind the Red Sox, the team with the best record. We have 36 games before we reach the All Star break. 16 are roadies. 20 are at The Yard. 29 are against MLB clubs with records below .500. The other 7 are with an MLB club playing just 1 game about .500. We have to make our move as we start a 4 game series in Arlington this evening.

Since then, we have gone 14-2.   The Yankees are 50-25. The Red Sox are 52-27. The ‘Stros are 52-27. Those are the three best records in MLB. Pretty good, if you ask Commentary.

The ‘Stros of course have the most roadie wins this season – 29.

The Blue Jays are in town for three. #NeverSettle

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Take Me Over, Please!

We have played 76 games, are 50-26, and have a 3 ½ game lead over the Mariners. How were we looking after 76 games last season?

State Rep. Carol Alvarado had a get together at 8^th Wonder Brewery last night and guess who attended? Former H-Town First Lady Elyse Lanier made an appearance. It was good to see her.  She supports Carol for State Senator.

Last night folks were talking about the jacket Melania Trump was wearing on her trip to McAllen. Tone deaf? Intentional? Regardless, totally inappropriate! But then again, we should not be surprised.

The Chron hard copy headline that says it all this morning.

Chaos confronts efforts to reunite migrant families

This my friends, is owned by Trump and the GOP.   Don’t let folks forget!

Take me over, please! That is the message that TEA might be getting from HISD after the recent posting by an HISD Trustee. Check this from the Chron:

Houston ISD Trustee Jolanda Jones publicly aired personal attacks and allegations against fellow school board members in online posts this week, chipping away at the board’s efforts to present a more collegial front in the face of administrative upheaval and potentially major state sanctions this year.

In three Facebook posts, Jones alleged a newly elected trustee called a longtime board member a “thief” and a “crook” with “no moral character,” and she accused a fellow trustee of misleading her during the process of electing a school board president. Jones also claimed five trustees who rejected HISD’s proposed budget last week will be responsible for employees losing their homes — even though board members are expected to pass the budget next week, with no adverse impact on staff members.

The posts, which Jones also linked to on Twitter, come as HISD trustees have sought to foster greater community trust and an improved public image after years of squabbles that have eroded confidence in the school board of Texas’ largest district. The board’s image has taken on greater importance lately given that the Texas Education Agency could replace HISD’s trustees if four of its longest-struggling schools fail to meet state academic standards this year.

And this:

In her first post, Jones claimed the five trustees who voted against the budget proposal will be responsible for HISD shutting down at the end of the month. Her unedited statement read, in part: “When our lowest paid HISD employees lose their homes/apartments & cars & everything else because they can’t afford missing any paychecks, much less A paycheck, it’s their fault!”

And this:

In a second post, which she titled “AS THE BOARD TURNS: Episode 1,” Jones said she would start airing behind-the-scenes board machinations. Jones then wrote that newly elected Trustee Elizabeth Santos told her she would not support electing Trustee Diana Dávila as board president “because she said Diana was a thief/crook/no moral character.” Multiple trustees sought the board presidency but could not garner enough support from colleagues. Skillern-Jones, who was not in line to assume the presidency, ultimately was unanimously elected.

And finally, this:

In a third post, Jones alleged (Trustee Anne) Sung had solicited support for her board president candidacy, then misled Jones about her efforts. She also alleged Sung told her she “didn’t trust Diana either.”

Here is the entire read: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HISD-Trustee-Jones-blasts-fellow-board-members-on-13015802.php?src=hp_totn.

Here is kind of what has changed. The Chron, the Chron E-Board, others, and even Commentary have had takes on the HISD Board and how it can be dysfunctional at times. We have kind of hinted on which Trustee has been the most problematic, but we have refrained from naming the Trustee for whatever reasons. Not anymore.

Commentary has no idea why Trustee Jones is on this posting path, but it would probably be a good idea if the other eight Trustees put out a statement pushing back. TEA is watching. Failure to respond will probably move TEA one step closer to taking over. Just saying.

After 76 games last season, we were 51-25 with an 11 ½ game lead over the Mariners of course.

The Royals are in for three this weekend.

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No High Fives, Please

Name the MLB club with the most runs scored this season?

Yesterday’s action really doesn’t change anything. We still have over 2,000 kids separated from their families.

Commentary agrees with this quote from a GOP pollster:

“One reason that this story could become more than DACA ever was is that there are, and will continue to be, pictures of these kids. That takes it from an intellectual debate to an emotional one, and emotional messages can be game-changers.”

So major props goes to Time magazine for their kickarse cover they put out this morning.

Commentary said this yesterday:

We need to continue to be relentless against this inhumane and racist policy. Just how much racism and cruelty can the local, state and national GOP swallow before they choke. Stay on them!

Yesterday’s action by Donald Trump doesn’t change anything. Nada!   It is just beginning. No high fives, please. This is from Stace:

Nothing is more annoying than seeing liberal and/or Democratic activists  and politicians portraying Trump’s madman of a signature on a document that really does nothing about the current human rights crisis as some sort of victory.

Our friends at Mijente posted six things you should know about the Trump executive order:

1. DHS will receive more money to create new family prisons that will hold parents andchildren together, while the parents are being criminally prosecuted and while their deportation cases are pending.
2. Given that criminal prosecutions and deportation cases of parents can take long periods of time, and that children are supposed to be detained along with their parents, Sessions will try to get the courts to grant him the ability to detain children indefinitely.
3. Trump and Sessions will continue to implement their “Zero Tolerance” policy and prosecute everyone detained at the border.
4. The Department of Defense will help provide spaces, like army bases, for these family prisons, and build new ones as needed. Other cabinet-level departments are being recruited to do the same.
5. Sessions will be given more resources to deport families faster after they are prosecuted, and appropriate the funding if needed.
6. The order does not speak to any families that have already been separated — and existing policies place the responsibility on parents to find their children in HHS custody and seek to reunite with them.

Here is all of Stace: https://doscentavos.net/2018/06/21/kids-and-families-are-still-locked-up-stop-celebrating/.

This was so hilarious. A tweet followed by a kickarse tweet:

Ivanka Trump‏Verified account @IvankaTrump

Thank you @POTUS for taking critical action ending family separation at our border. Congress must now act + find a lasting solution that is consistent with our shared values;the same values that so many come here seeking as they endeavor to create a better life for their families

Ana Navarro Retweeted Ivanka Trump

Ana Navarro‏Verified account @ananavarro 4h4 hours ago

“Thank you”? For what? Your daddy single-handedly created a policy which caused endless suffering and grief to thousands of children. He lied about it. He reversed it only due to mass national outrage. Samantha Bee should have full-stopped at “feckless”.

Hard to argue with that.

It does not surprise Commentary that the RNC Chair is backing out of a previously scheduled speaking appearance at this week’s NALEO conference. What was she going to say anyways? Something along the lines that the GOP and the Latino community share strong family values?   Yeah, good luck with that!

The ‘Stros of course lead MLB with 394 runs scored and they also have the highest team batting average – at .267.

Over 43,000 showed up last night to pick up their rings.

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Just the Kids, Again

The H-Town Mayor made it clear yesterday that he opposes the facility that will house the kids from the separated families. I guess if all other cities and states took similar action, and there was no place to house the kids, Donald Trump might change the policy.  Maybe.

We need to continue to be relentless against this inhumane and racist policy. Just how much racism and cruelty can the local, state and national GOP swallow before they choke. Stay on them!

I read where folks were looking for leadership out of the Texas State Capitol. Stop looking! Given a choice between Donald Trump or the separated families. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick are sticking with Trump. It doesn’t surprise Commentary and it shouldn’t surprise you.

This is good. These tweets:

Steve Schmidt‏Verified account　@SteveSchmidtSES

I have spent much of my life working in GOP politics. I have always believed that both parties were two of the most important institutions to the advancement of human freedom and dignity in the history of the world. Today the GOP has become a danger to our democracy and values.

Steve Schmidt‏Verified account　@SteveSchmidtSES

This Independent voter will be aligned with the only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies. That party is the Democratic Party.

Usually, when someone quits their political party over stuff like this, they also take a parting shot at the other party to cover their arse so to speak. Not this time.

Don’t gloat, please.

Then this from yesterday:

Sylvester Turner‏Verified account　@SylvesterTurner 18h18 hours ago

 

Answering media questions at news conference: The irony of a detention center for kids 0 to 17 at 419 EMANCIPATION Street! While we observe #Juneteenth today! #KeepFamiliesTogether

Commentary said this the day before:

Talk about the ghost of Dick Dowling!

Remember when folks were celebrating a year or so ago when the City of H-Town City Council changed the street name from Dowling to Emancipation Avenue. Who would have thought that a facility on Emancipation Avenuewould now house incarcerated kids who were taken from their families? This is today’s America, folks!

This is my favorite retweet of yesterday. If you are a fan of the “Spartacus” flick, you get this:

John Bresnahan‏　@BresPolitico 15h15 hours ago

 

US Capitol Police on lookout for young white woman who yelled “Mr. President, f— you!”

　

Evan 20XX liked

your friend Helen‏Verified account  @hels

13h13 hours ago

I am Spartacus

That’s a killer.

This is certainly well deserved.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s plan for a quiet dinner at one of Washington’s upscale Mexican restaurants was foiled by a group of protesters who chanted and berated her until she left.

Nielsen, who has become the face of the Trump administration’s practice of separating children from parents who take them across the U.S. border illegally, was eating Tuesday evening at MXDC Cocina Mexicana when a group of 10 to 15 protesters entered the restaurant, The Washington Post reported.

The group, whose protest was streamed live on the Facebook page of the Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America, chanted “shame!” and “end family separation!” at the homeland security secretary as she sat quietly without acknowledging the group.

“How dare you spend your evening here eating dinner as you’re complicit in the separation and deportation of over 10,000 children separated from their parents?” one protester yelled. “How can you enjoy a Mexican dinner as you’re deporting and imprisoning tens of thousands of people who come here seeking asylum in the United States? We call on you to end family separation and abolish ICE!”

A handful of other diners in the restaurant clapped along with the protesters, who remained inside for 10-15 minutes until Nielsen paid her check and left, escorted by her Secret Service detail.

She will order takeout next.

I don’t know why CNN, NBC, ABC or CBS would have this arsehole on as a talking head on future shows. See this from yesterday:

Corey Lewandowski enraged a fellow panelist on Fox News on Tuesday when he derisively brushed off　reports of a girl with Down syndrome　being separated from her mother at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Lewandowski, a former campaign manager for　Donald Trump, was on the show to debate with Democratic strategist Zac Petkanas about the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy. Petkanas mentioned the report of a 10-year-old Mexican girl with Down syndrome who was separated from her mother when Lewandowski interrupted by saying, “Womp, womp.”

Did you just say ‘womp, womp’ to a 10-year-old with Down syndrome separated from her mother?” Petkanas responded. “How dare you. How dare you.”

He is a punk, arsehole, coward, pick your name.

The streak ended last night. Well, at least I had me a couple of dollar dogs.

Replica World Series rings tonight to everyone who attends.

No MLB question today.

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More on the Kids

Who leads MLB in base hits and the highest batting average this morning?

There are two things wrong with giving Sen. Ted Cruz run on his proposed bill to keep families together. Remember this from last week?

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is defending the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrants from their children when they are apprehended at the border, saying it can’t be avoided when people illegally cross the border. 

“There’s actually a court order that prevents keeping the kids with the parents when you put the parents in jail,” Cruz told the Dallas public radio station KERA on Monday, according to a report in The Dallas Morning News.

“So when you see reporters, when you see Democrats saying don’t separate kids from their parents, what they’re really saying is don’t arrest illegal aliens,” Cruz said. 

Also, he is one of the least respected and least trusted members of congress. He is the last fella that congress will get behind on an issue like this.

Cruz was for separating families a week ago. Now this? What a worm.

I have mixed feeling about folks not wanting to house these kids in their cities. These are not like metal recycling centers, halfway houses or trash dumps. These are children. We need to be careful on what kind of message we are sending. Every decent human being wants these kids back with their families. In the meantime, where do you want them to stay? Just saying.

Now I know what a TRE is. See this from the Chron:

As school districts work to finalize their budgets ahead of the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Klein ISD officials now must figure out how to cut an additional $22.2 million in spending after voters on Saturday rejected a plan to raise property taxes.

Klein ISD had proposed raising it’s maintenance and operations tax rate from $1.04 per $100 assessed value to $1.13. For a home valued at $200,000 with a $25,000 state homestead exemption, the tax increase would have amounted to about $13.13 more each month.

About 55 percent of 9,199 Klein ISD voters cast ballots against the tax ratification election, or TRE, which would have injected about $28.8 million additional dollars into the district’s coffers.

And this:

Fiscal conservatives have argued that property taxes, the majority of which are collected by local school districts, are unsustainable high. Empower Texans, a conservative political organization, urged voters to reject Klein ISD’s TRE because the district had not done more to cut its deficits before calling the election.

“The district is asking taxpayers for more money when they haven’t demonstrated any effort to address their mounting debt,” the organization wrote on its website.

Here is the entire article: https://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Klein-ISD-tax-ratification-election-fails-13005224.php?ipid=happening.

I was not paying much attention to this election. Maybe I should have.

Speaking of El Tri, since the USA doesn’t have a team in the World Cup, can some of us root for El Tri, for old times sakes? Oh, well.

My nephew Dave is with Telemundo and they are carrying the World Cup matches, so I will root for Dave and Telemundo to have a successful World Cup.

Jose Altuve of course leads MLB with 102 base hits and a .342 batting average.

I was at The Yard last night and you know things are hopping when AL Player of the Week Evan Gattis was loudly cheered when he pinch hit. I also wanted to be there last night to see if they could keep the streak alive. They did. Let’s go for 13 this evening!

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419 Emancipation Avenue, The Ghost of Dick Dowling

Talk about the ghost of Dick Dowling!

Remember when folks were celebrating a year or so ago when the City of H-Town City Council changed the street name from Dowling to Emancipation Avenue. Who would have thought that a facility on Emancipation Avenuewould now house incarcerated kids who were taken from their families? This is today’s America, folks!

Here are some statements from folks who represent 419 Emancipation:

State Representative Carol Alvarado:

On this Father’s Day, my heart goes out to the children and families who have been separated because of a cruel and inhumane policy implemented by the Trump administration. We are a nation of compassion. We are better than this.

My legislative district has now been selected as a site where many of these children will be placed. Years from now, when these children have grown up, some of them will ask how Houstonians responded during their time of confinement here.

These children need our support. Stay strong.

State Senator Sylvia Garcia:

Now is the time to gather together to stop this baby jail before a single child seeking refuge is locked up in our city. The Trump administration has made it clear that it will rip children away from their parents despite legal and child development experts telling them that it is unnecessary and known to cause lifelong harm. No law requires this. Humanity demands compassion. We must say as a community with one voice that jailing children away from their parents is wrong, it should not happen anywhere, and we as Houstonians will not allow it to happen here. Not now. Not ever.

Houston City Council Member Robert Gallegos:

While the City was not involved in the decision or notified beforehand, we will advocate for these children and do all we can to ensure they are cared for with compassion and dignity. Children should be with their families, not warehoused in a detention center hundreds of miles away from their parents. The Trump administration’s inhumane policy of separating families is shameful and goes against the very values our nation was founded on. Congress has failed on immigration reform so many times before. But now, more than ever, lawmakers must seize this moment to pass legislation to end this unnecessary policy and protect children.

Here is from former First Lady Laura Bush Sunday’s Op-Ed:

Recently, Colleen Kraft, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics, visited a shelter run by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. She reported that while there were beds, toys, crayons, a playground and diaper changes, the people working at the shelter had been instructed not to pick up or touch the children to comfort them. Imagine not being able to pick up a child who is not yet out of diapers.

Here is all of First Lady Bush’s Op-Ed: https://www.chron.com/opinion/article/Laura-Bush-Separating-children-from-their-13002381.php.

I wonder what is the over/under on when Donald Trump will unload on former First Lady Laura Bush.

Commentary has been to more than my share of marches, vigils and protests. Yesterday’s gathering at 419 Emancipation was different. We’ve protested apartheid, for farmworkers, for civil and voting rights – you get the picture. Yesterday’s was a first. For kids being snatched from their parents. Somber doesn’t even come close to describing yesterday. It was downright sad and disgusting. Nobody seemed to be bothered by the pouring rain, that’s how bad it felt.

When I first learned Friday night that the children who were separated from their parents at the border would be housed in a facility down the street form The Yard, my first reaction was “What?”

Around ten minutes later, I thought well at least they won’t be in tents in 100 degree weather.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was inevitable that H-Town would be brought in to be front and center in this war against hate and racism. After all, we do have one of the largest immigration populations in the country and we are one of the more diverse cities in the world. Like it or not, it is our fight.

Remember, this Trump policy is wholeheartedly supported by Sen. Ted Cruz. What do the other local GOPers running for office have to say?

So here we are.

Don’t hold back.

 

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