Memorial Day

I think I have told this story before.  After the World War II flick “Saving Private Ryan” came out on DVD, I gave it to my Dad for Christmas.  Weeks later I asked him if he liked the movie.  His response was it didn’t have any Latinos in it.  He was correct.

Documentarian extraordinaire Ken Burns caught some flack when he came out with his documentary series on World War II because he didn’t highlight the major Latino experience in World War II.  PBS later added a Latino chapter. 

61 Latinos have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

The photo that I highlight on my Commentary tweet today is of the gravesite of Juan Guzman who died on June 13, 1944, in Normandy, France.  He is buried at the American Cemetery in Normandy.  He was from Bexar County.

That’s why we have Memorial Day.  To honor those like PFC Guzman.

I have to credit my niece, Veronica Garza, yes, that Vero, from “Siete Foods” fame, for getting my Dad, and her grandpa for opening up about his World War II experiences. Vero was a UT Austin student at the time who was part of a project to get Latino veterans to be interviewed to discuss their wartime experiences.  My Dad agreed to do an interview.  That was the first time my Dad had ever really discussed in detail his service during World War II.

During World War II, he jumped out of a plane as a paratrooper behind enemy lines, taking on incoming fire from the enemy.  That’s badass.

I have in my possession the paperwork from the military that spells out his service, unit, what he did, where he was deployed, the works.  I am so proud of him.

It’s politics. I know it well.  I really can’t blame GOP members in Congress for voting against the January 6 Commission.  They have become pretty gutless and cowardly since Donald Trump became their nominee in 2016.  Don’t kid yourselves.  Their vote against isn’t about the January 6 Commission being an issue in 2022.  What happened on January 6 is going to be an issue in 2022 commission or no commission.

Those voting against just don’t want a commission going after their base.  Their base supports the insurrection. Their base believes Donald Trump won on November 3, 2020. Their base was at the insurrection.  Their base was the insurrection. 

Did you really expect them to sign off on a commission that goes after their voters?

Texas Democratic State House members last night staged a walkout and broke a quorum, killing the racist voter suppression legislation backed by the GOP.  The racist voter suppression legislation was on the national news for this entire Memorial Day weekend.  Now the entire country knows about the racist voter suppression legislation that is supported by the GOP Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Texas House Speaker and GOP legislators. At least we are exposing on a national level this racist voter suppression.

Commentary said this a week ago:

On Saturday, about 50 or so anti-vaxxers held a protest outside of our window 12 floors below.  They were employees of Methodist Hospital who were protesting Methodist’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for all employees.

The employees are now suing Methodist.  Their lawyer is Jared Woodfill.  That’s all you need to know.

It’s Memorial Day.  I am sure the there will be a number of war flicks on the flat screen today.  Which is your favorite?

World War II has probably had the most.  Like “Saving Private Ryan”, “The Longest Day”, “Tora, Tora, Tora”, “Battle of the Bulge”, “Dirty Dozen”, “Where Eagles Dare”, “Kelly’s Heroes”, “Patton”, “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, “The Great Escape”, “Stalag 17”, “Midway, “Guns of Navarone” and “Dunkirk” to name a few of my favorites.

World War I has fewer choices and l enjoyed “Sergeant York” and “Fighting 69^th.”

Korean War I can only think of “Pork Chop Hill” and “M*A*S*H.”

The Vietnam War has to include “Apocalypse Now”, “Platoon”, “Full Metal Jacket”, “Deer Hunter” and “We Were Soldiers.”

The Iran and Afghanistan War movies include “The Hurt Locker”, “Three Kings”, “Courage Under Fire”, “American Sniper” and “Lone Survivor.”

Of the flicks mentioned, only two I can think of have Latino characters.  Lou Diamond Phillips in “Courage Under Fire” who turns out to be a cowardly arsehole and Trini Lopez in “Dirty Dozen”, who plays Jimenez, one of the dirty dozen, but dies when his parachute lands in trees and he breaks his neck just as the mission gets started

Hollywood could do better.  Correct me.

We won yesterday despite the fact that Brantley, Yordan and Yuli are all out with injuries.

The Red Sox are in town for four starting at 3 pm this afternoon.

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Goofy Danny

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants a special legislative session called and here is how Gov. Greg Abbott responded:

“That’s pretty goofy because everybody knows there’s only one person with the authority to call a special session, and that’s the governor.”

What a putdown. The sooner this session is over on Monday, the better.  The last thing we need is more Goofy Danny.

I wake up every morning, turn on the flat screen and watch Channel 2 news.  I especially pay attention to Britta Merwin’s weather forecasts.  Britta put this out today:

“I have tried to write this post so many times and it has become very obvious that there is no easy way to break this news… After 7 wonderful years I will be leaving KPRC2 on June 4th.

It is bittersweet to say goodbye to Houston but I am accepting a job (stay tuned for details) that will allow us to move back east to be by our family. I am excited for my kids to have their aunts and uncles at their games, to be by their grandparents and for their great-grandparents to have the opportunity to hold them often.

Thank you to my amazing team! It has been an honor to work alongside my coworkers who are honestly dear friends. We have gotten through the darkest times like Harvey and celebrated the best of life welcoming our babies and raising our children. Thank you for being my family away from home.

To all of our viewers, thank you for allowing me into your home every morning. It has been my greatest honor and an opportunity that I have held close to my heart.  Houston, a piece of you will always be with  me!”

Aww.  I will certainly miss her.

There is new book out on the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates that says Sen. Bernie Sanders demanded that his hotel room on the road have a king-size bed.  If that’s the promoted excerpts of the new book, it won’t land on my bedstand.  Every time I go online to reserve a room, I try to get a room with a king-size bed.

I saw this story a few days ago on the internet:

In honor of Pride Month 2021, which is June, Kellogg’s and GLAAD have come together to introduce a new cereal. The Together With Pride variety aims to celebrate everyone having a seat at the table and show support to the LGBTQ+ community.

Kellogg’s first partnered with GLAAD in 2019 to create the All Together Cereal. The pride-fueled box was filled with six cereals, including Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Rice Krispies, Frosted Mini Wheats, Raisin Bran, and Corn Flakes. You might not have had the chance to try it, however, because it was only available online. This new version has wider accessibility so more people can enjoy it.

The limited-edition Together With Pride cereal looks like Froot Loops, except they’re in the shape of hearts. The colorful pieces are berry-flavored and topped with edible glitter for an extra special touch. You’ll be able to find the cereal at select major retailers nationwide beginning in mid-May, press materials confirmed. The 7.8-ounce box will have a suggested retail price of $3.99.

Commentary doesn’t eat sugary cereal.  Why don’t they do something with raisin bran or shredded wheat?

On the fight at The Yard a couple of nights ago, here is from the Chron:

Those involved were escorted out by MMP security and received citations from HPD for fighting in a public place. KPRC reported that those involved were also banned from MMP for a year.

They got off with a slap to the wrists. 

The Padres are in town for the weekend.  The Padres have the best record in MLB.

I will be spending the Memorial Day weekend with my Dad.  Stay safe everyone.

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P is for …

P is for Pendejo. Enough said.

Commentary said this last Friday:

Commentary would say the P in George P. Bush stands for, but I won’t.  The guy is a total joke.

How does the General Land Office award zero dollars of Hurricane Harvey federal funds for flood projects to the two hardest hits entities – H-Town and Harris County? 

I guess George P thinks sticking it to Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo scores him points against AG Ken Paxton in the 2022 GOP Primary.  I don’t think so. That’s not a smart political move.

Clear Lake, Kingwood, West Houston, and Spring Branch are in H-Town and provide a ton of votes in a GOP primary. These communities also took major hits from Harvey.  They need flood project dollars.

These aren’t funds that were awarded by the Joe Biden Administration.  They were awarded under Donald Trump.  They are Trump dollars.

Dumb move.

Now check this from the Chron:

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Wednesday he would ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to directly send Harris County $750 million in flood mitigation aid related to Hurricane Harvey, days after his agency declined to award the county any money for their proposed projects.

The snub sparked an intense and immediate backlash from Houston-area Democrats and Republicans, who demanded that Bush revise the General Land Office’s metrics for doling out $2.1 billion in federal relief for flood projects. The officials noted that Houston bore the brunt of the historic hurricane, yet had failed to secure one cent from the initial $1 billion round of funding.

In a statement, Bush blamed the situation on federal “red tape requirements and complex regulations” that he described as a “hallmark” of the Biden administration. He said the Land Office, which administers Texas’ federal disaster relief, had been delayed in distributing the Harvey funds by the U.S. Housing Department, which did not publish rules regulating the use of the money until two years after Harvey. That happened under the administration of former president Donald Trump.

Let’s see. He orchestrates this and bangs his chest. It goes all wrong for him and now this.

Pathetic and sad.  The fella got to where he is because of his last name.  Now his last name could be a problem and he is trying to go full Donald Trump.

He bungled handling the Hurricane Harvey disaster relief funds. Big time.  He is trying to blame President Joe Biden when President Biden didn’t have anything to do with it. He is a pendejo for sure.  On full display.

There was a fight at The Yard between Astros fans and Dodgers fans last night.  I hope someone got arrested.  It is all over social media.

The Astros got back to winning last night. We have today off.

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Lids

We’re number one! We’re number one.

This should not surprise anyone.  I wonder if our cowardly Gov. Greg Abbott will go on twitter to tout and boast that Texas leads the nation in insurrectionists.  See this from today’s Chron:

Texans lead the nation in the number of arrests for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as supporters of former President Donald Trump violently disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify President Joe Biden’s election.

Months later, the U.S. Department of Justice is still investigating and arresting accused rioters, including Adam Weibling, a Katy area man the FBI arrested on Tuesday. Congress may launch its own independent investigation into the insurrection through a 9/11-style, bipartisan commission, though the measure’s prospects in the Senate appear dim.

What an embarrassment.  That’s the product of the Texas GOP. 

Speaking of Texas GOP embarrassments.  Texas Land Commissioner George P is a doozy of a chump.  Chron columnist Erica Grieder called him out today.  GOP State House legislators from Harris County signed a letter assailing his move of not awarding Harvey dollars to Harris County.  The Chron E-Board also took P on today.

All while P tweeted that he had a conversation with Donald Trump yesterday, the same Donald Trump who called P’s dad “low energy Jeb” for well over a year.  Did I say embarrassment?

I brought my Dad home from the hospital yesterday and today I have to spend most of the day taking him to one of his doctors for an appointment.  How is your week going?

New Era, who makes lids for MLB, came out with team lids yesterday which kind of signaled that we have too many lids.  We have the homie lid, the roadie lid, the BP lid, the Spring Training lid, the cancer awareness pink lid and blue lid, the camo lid, the Memorial Day lid, the All Star game lid and the Fourth of July lid.  I am sure I am leaving out some lids.

The latest New Era lids that have since been pulled, had the team’s area codes and local flavor emoji looking like stuff.  Ours included area codes, a cowboy hat, the Lone Star State flag, the 2017 World Series Champ patch, something that looks like a steak, and the space shuttle.  From top to bottom the zip codes listed were 713, 281, 346 and 832.  Didn’t 832 come before 346?  I would not have included the space shuttle because we only got awarded the fake shuttle and not the real deal.

I would have replaced the shuttle on ours with an astronaut on the moon holding the Stars and Stripes.  The Astronauts were trained in H-Town. I would have ditched the steak and inserted a taco image just to let our fans in Austin and San Antonio know that H-Town has the best tacos in Texas.  More folks in H-Town eat tacos than steaks.

The lids were roundly ridiculed on social media.  The kicker was leaving out Kansas City’s area code on the Royals’ lid.

There is a huge photo on the front page of today’s Chron Sports Section of the fans at The Yard last night.  I counted maybe a couple of handful of folks wearing masks.

We lost last night.

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Constable Scandal

Happy Birthday to my sister Aida today!  She is younger than Commentary.  She also has one of the coolest names – Aida. How many Aidas do you know? I had one in my family most of my life. I always thought my parents got it right with her name and with mine with a C. I hope my sister’s Siete family gives her the special treatment today.

Commentary was shocked and disappointed to see this on the front page of today’s Chron.  I think we might need to go back and just let the constables serve papers and that’s it.  Let the sheriffs and the PDs chase the bad guys.  Here is how the Chron starts:

Untrained deputies picked for “undercover” vice assignments — only to be molested and traumatized by superiors. Prostitution stings devolving into “booze-fueled playgrounds.” And a concerned Precinct 1 Constable Office’s employee, fired after she reported the alleged misconduct to the department’s internal affairs division.

Those are among allegations laid out in a bombshell 40-page civil rights lawsuit filed Monday morning in federal court against Harris County, Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, and two of his top-ranking superiors.

Here is the story that you need to read: Harris County constable leaders used ‘bachelor party’ stings to exploit female deputies, lawyer says (houstonchronicle.com).

Here is part of Kuffer’s take on the scandal:

There’s more, and there’s a copy of the lawsuit embedded in the story. It doesn’t get any better, and at no point is the question “why did anyone think that ‘bachelor party stings’ was ever a good thing to expend law enforcement resources on” answered. I’m basically at a loss for words here. Constable Rosen’s office hasn’t commented yet, and I suppose maybe there’s something they could say in their defense that might mitigate some of this, but offhand I have no idea what that might be. Here’s what I think should happen, assuming there isn’t some clear evidence to suggest these charges aren’t true: Constable Rosen and the two other named defendants should resign, and the Harris County Attorney’s Office should decline to take any legal action in their defense, other than to negotiate a very generous settlement. The rest of us should once again wonder what the office of Constable is good for these days, and why we still have them as separate elected offices with their own organizations, instead of folding them into the Sheriff’s office.

Here is all of Kuffer: Time for a new Constable scandal – Off the Kuff.

I said a few weeks ago that my pal Constable Alan Rosen would probably run for sheriff if Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was confirmed to run ICE. Constable Rosen now has a lot of explaining to do.  This isn’t good. Dem Primary voters in Harris County won’t like this. There will be other Dem candidates for sure including a female. Just got more interesting.

Royko sent me this on my take on George P’s dumb political moves:

My view is that Bush already took away funds that the Mayor couldn’t manage regarding the Harvey recovery, and why waste time repeating incompetence. Then there is the matter of dealing with the pequeña Comandante. Bush has little to gain letting her spend it feathering more Democrat nests.

Royko missed the comments on P’s dumb moves by Judge Lina Hidalgo’s colleagues on Commissioners Court:

“absurd” and “sad” from GOP Commissioners.

Congrats to State Sen. Carol Alvarado on her bill.   See this Chron story:

Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation on Monday to help save Texas live music venues from the wrecking ball.

By approving Senate Bill 609, Texas will create a music incubator program to provide up to $100,000 in a year tax rebates to the small music venues that have given rise to countless pop, rock, country and hip hop stars in American music.

Starting in September 2022, dance halls, honky tonks and other live music venues will be able to apply for a portion of $10 million fund annually. The money will come from taxes on alcoholic beverages those places already pay the state.

“Great news,” said Randy Rogers, a Texas musician who is also the owner of Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos.

Rogers said too many legendary music halls have been turned into parking lots over the years and said this could help prevent others from joining them.

State Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, said the program is not just preserving an important piece of Texas culture, but also smart economics. More than 200,000 people work in the music industry in Texas and tourists are drawn to visit the places where music icons like Willie Nelson and Selena got their starts.

There is no restriction on what kind of music genres would benefit. Tejano clubs, honky tonks and hip-hop clubs would all be eligible.

To be eligible for funding, venues would have to have an audience capacity of 3,000 people or less. Music festivals would also be eligible if they held are in a county with a population of less than 100,000. Those venues and festivals have to have been operating for at least 2 years to be eligible.

The venues and festivals would also have to show that artists are being compensated with a percentage of ticket sales or a guaranteed amount set in advance of a performance.

There are a number other restrictions for the funding to ensure that rebates go to true music venues and not just bars trying to cash in.

“This bill is an absolute game changer,” said Rebecca Reynolds, president of the Music Venue Alliance which has been advocating for the legislation for years. “We could not be prouder of all of the hard work that went into this first-of-its-kind legislation.”

jeremy.wallace@chron.com

I have spent 4 out of the last 5 days with my Dad at Methodist Hospital at the Medical Center. How is your week going?

The cry baby Dodgers are in town.  I hear there will be a lot of fans at The Yard this evening. Most without masks.

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Dumb Move

Let me start out by saying that I was rooting for Lefty to win the PGA Championship this past weekend.  It was exciting down to the final hole.

Commentary said this Friday about the bonehead decision from Land Commissioner George P. Bush on disbursing Hurricane Harvey flood dollars:

I guess George P thinks sticking it to Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo scores him points against AG Ken Paxton in the 2022 GOP Primary.  I don’t think so. That’s not a smart political move.

Clear Lake, Kingwood, West Houston, and Spring Branch are in H-Town and provide a ton of votes in a GOP primary. These communities also took major hits from Harvey.  They need flood project dollars.

Here is a word in response from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat:

“unconscionable”

From H-Town Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat:

“unfathomable”

From Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle, a Republican:

“absurd”

From Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, a Republican:

“sad”

Here is all of Comm. Cagle’s statement:

Dear Friends:

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) made the shocking decision this week to reject requests by Harris County and the City of Houston for approximately $900 million each in federal flood mitigation funding tied to Hurricane Harvey.

The GLO decision mocks common sense. I believe those flood relief funds should go to those of us who bore the brunt of the second-most costly storm in our nation’s history. Hurricane Harvey caused more damage in the Harris County region than in any other part of Texas. Dozens of our neighbors were killed, and many thousands of our friends and family lost their homes and businesses. It affected all of us, and we all continue the work toward recovery.

And yet we received NOTHING.

This absurd decision by the GLO prompted me to reach out personally to Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the elected official who oversees the GLO. Mr. Bush told me that recent changes in the application process and interpretation of criteria for awarding these funds forced the agency’s hand. I made it very clear to Mr. Bush that this decision created a gross injustice to my constituents and to our region as a whole. In response, Mr. Bush said that he could do nothing about this first batch of funds, but he promised he would not oppose Harris County and the City Of Houston receiving a direct allocation of other federal payments already headed to Texas.

Rest assured, I will continue to work with other city and county officials to recoup our region’s appropriate share of needed federal funds, and I will hold Mr. Bush to his commitment regarding future funding as well.

From the Chronicle this past weekend:

A General Land Office spokeswoman said the agency was required to use the criteria developed by federal officials at the Housing and Urban Development Department.

HUD disputed that Friday evening, laying the blame squarely on Bush’s team.

“HUD has not prevented Texas from awarding CDBG-MIT funds to Houston or Harris County,” agency spokesman Michael Burns said in a statement. “The formula for allocation was created by the state of Texas. They have full responsibility and jurisdiction over who gets the money that was allocated to the state for flood mitigation.”

George P is looking pretty stupid.  Pardon the pun – bush league. Both Ds and Rs called it a dumb move. Pathetic.

Commentary has pretty much called out Gov. Greg Abbott on his cowardice.  It is on full display once again.  His Secretary of State Ruth Hughs is resigning at the end of this month because she didn’t get confirmed by the GOP controlled Texas State Senate this session. 

She didn’t even get a hearing.  Why not?

In a confirmation hearing she would have disrupted the GOP’s racist voter suppression agenda this session.  The State’s Chief Elections Officer would have had to admit that Texas ran a fraud free election in Texas in 2020.  She would have had to say that the Secretary of State’s Office approved of drive-thru voting and 24-hour voting during early voting and it worked in an exemplary fashion.  She would have had to explain why the Secretary of State issued the April 2020 COVID Election Advisory that nudged voters to vote by mail using the disability excuse.

Don’t think for a second that the Secretary State ran the 2020 election on her own without the Governor’s Office’s knowledge.  Consultations were running between both offices when discussing and approving what I just mentioned as well as moving the primary runoff to July and extending the early voting period.

Now Gov. Abbott is hanging her out to dry.  That’s an act of a coward.  I don’t think any other former Texas Governor from Briscoe to Clements to White to Richards to Bush and to Perry would act in such a cowardly manner when it came to their Secretary of State.  Abbott didn’t have her back and that’s what is called cowardice.

My 97-year-old Dad had a fall over a week ago and bruised up his leg. I had to check him into Methodist Hospital at the Medical Center Friday night.  They put him up on the 12^th Floor of the Fondren Tower.  It turns out that floor used to be called the VIP Floor.  Why? They are the biggest hospital rooms I have ever seen. I think it is mostly older patients on the floor from what I can see.

We have a view of the Red Line on Fannin Street.  On Saturday, about 50 or so anti-vaxxers held a protest outside of our window 12 floors below.  They were employees of Methodist Hospital who were protesting Methodist’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for all employees.

My Dad’s medical care people said today my Dad could probably go home tomorrow.  Let’s hope so.

Huge crowds of maskless folks for the PGA Championship, MLB games, restaurants and so forth.

Methodist Hospital requires them.

We had a bad roadie in Arlington. We have today off.

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New HISD Superintendent

Today is my Mom’s BD. She left us back in 2017.  I still think of her a lot.

From today’s Chron:

Houston ISD trustees plan to name Millard House II as their lone superintendent finalist Friday, tapping the leader of Tennessee’s Clarksville-Montgomery County School System to guide the district past a tumultuous period of instability, according to sources familiar with the selection.

A board member in Clarksville-Montgomery County, Jimmie Garland, told the Houston Chronicle that House informed him of the impending move during a phone call early Friday. A second source with knowledge of the search confirmed the pick.

Congrats.

Commentary would say the P in George P. Bush stands for, but I won’t.  The guy is a total joke.

How does the General Land Office award zero dollars of Hurricane Harvey federal funds for flood projects to the two hardest hits entities – H-Town and Harris County? 

I guess George P thinks sticking it to Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo scores him points against AG Ken Paxton in the 2022 GOP Primary.  I don’t think so. That’s not a smart political move.

Clear Lake, Kingwood, West Houston, and Spring Branch are in H-Town and provide a ton of votes in a GOP primary. These communities also took major hits from Harvey.  They need flood project dollars.

These aren’t funds that were awarded by the Joe Biden Administration.  They were awarded under Donald Trump.  They are Trump dollars.

Dumb move.

The voter suppressors targeted Harris County. I guess this P idiot is jumping on the attack Harris County wagon.

The Astros are back in first place.  It helps that five starters are batting .300 plus.  Let’s hope we stay in first as we play the next three in Arlington.

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Sighs

Greg Shaw sent me this on my Aunt Esther:

“Esther Campos is a Texas Treasure.”

Hey, she is my Aunt! Not going to argue with that.

Yesterday, 35 U.S. House GOPers rebuked Donald Trump and GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on the January 6 Insurrection Commission. I love seeing the GOP infighting. I love seeing that punkarse McCarthy get dissed big time.

The City of H-Town and Firefighter pay raise issue is front and center again.  This should have been handled years ago. Sigh. Here is from the Chron:

Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he would ask city council to raise the salaries of Houston firefighters by 18 percent over three years, circumventing the collective bargaining process typically used to negotiate fire department contracts.

Under Turner’s proposal, the firefighters would receive a 6 percent raise effective July 1, the start of the next city fiscal year. Houston’s surplus of federal stimulus funds would cover the initial cost of the raises, which Turner said would amount to $115.3 million across three years.

First-year firefighters, who currently make $43,528 a year, would see their salaries rise to about $51,000 by the third year, Turner said.

Asked what would happen to the firefighters’ pay once the stimulus money runs out, Turner deferred to the mayor who succeeds him after his term ends in 2023.

“Well, the next city council and the next mayor will have to balance their budget,” Turner said. “Do you not want us to give them a pay raise now?”

Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton characterized the proposed raise as merely a “bonus” for firefighters that is “not even close” to making them whole for their stagnant pay.

I am sure the H-Town Mayor didn’t mean to say that.  Nobody says that.  Nobody actually says I am kicking the can down the road.

Here is the entire article: Turner proposes 18 percent pay raise for Houston firefighters over three years (houstonchronicle.com).

Commentary will say it again. The Mayor doesn’t win in 2015 without Firefighter support.  This should have been worked out before he took office in January of 2016. We should not be in this position. Sigh.

More on the GOP clown show that is running our Texas state government.  Another sigh. Here is from a Chron article today:

Ten years ago, Texas power plants froze during a fast-moving winter storm, causing rolling electricity blackouts across the state. Outraged Texas regulators and lawmakers, vowing to crack down, debated requiring energy companies to protect their equipment against extreme weather to ensure reliability.

But they didn’t.

Nine years ago, two state agencies that regulate utilities and the oil and gas industry warned that natural gas facilities that lost power during outages couldn’t feed electricity generation plants, creating a spiral of power loss. The agencies jointly recommended that lawmakers compel gas suppliers and power plants to fix the problem.

But they didn’t.

Eight years ago, economists warned that the state’s free-market grid left companies with little incentive to build enough plants to provide backup power during emergencies. With the support of then-Gov. Rick Perry, legislators and regulators considered increasing power rates to encourage the construction of more power plants, so that Texas, like other states, would have sufficient reserves.

But they didn’t.

What a state GOP clown show. Another sigh.

MLB now has 6 no-nos this season.

Cleveland, the Mariners and the Rangers have been no-no victims twice this season.  Now you know.

We won last night and are back to a half game out.  We have a 2:30 pm start today.

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Enough

Enough with this mask BS.  Gov. Greg Abbott showed himself to be the state’s biggest fool, again.  He came out with another executive order under the public health emergency authority he has and says local governments can’t order mask mandates.  So much for the public health emergency we are under.

What a fool.  Folks ditched the mask mandates a while back.  That’s why the CDC sort of ditched them.  Abbott’s just trying to curry favor with the wackos in the GOP. Here is what the fool said:

“Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities.  We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans’ liberty to choose whether or not they mask up.”

This guy is a big dumbarse.

And this from the Chron:

OAKLAND, Calif. — News that Minute Maid Park will open to maximum capacity for the Astros’ next homestand excited Dusty Baker, but the veteran manager maintained a plea for better adherence to mask wearing for those who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Astros will not require masks for fully vaccinated fans starting May 25. The team said it “encourages” non-vaccinated fans to wear face coverings, but said nothing in its announcement about providing proof of vaccination upon entrance.

“It looked like it was 75-80 percent last week (at Minute Maid Park),” Baker said Tuesday. “I was marveling at the energy that was there last weekend. There was tremendous energy in there. You think back on last year, there were cutouts and noise machines. It feels good to have people back in the stands. 

“I still would like to see people wear their mask a little more, be a little safer. The pandemic isn’t over.”

Masks were required at Minute Maid Park for the Astros’ first 24 home games, but there was next to no enforcement of the policy. Photographs from the games show scores of unmasked patrons enjoying themselves. The Centers for Disease Control recently updated its guidelines to allow all people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to do away with masks during most gatherings both inside and outside.

Not going to happen, Skipper.

I talked to my ticket rep yesterday. We are going to talk again next month to discuss my return.

Here is the deal for all those who say President Joe Biden doesn’t want bipartisanship.  GFO.

Just look at the January 6 Commission. Congressional Democrats want it to happen.  Donald Trump doesn’t want it to happen and many GOPers in Congress will vote against.  That is the same thing with other big items.  Any GOP member in Congress looking to work with the Biden Administration will be skewered by the Trumpers. It is that simple.  Don’t blame President Biden.  Blame the sore loser Trump.

Dems in Congress have to go at it alone.

Charles Grodin is no longer with us. I first came across Grodin in “The Heartbreak Kid” in 1972.   It is my favorite Charles Grodin flick.  I also liked him in “Midnight Run” with Robert De Niro and “King Kong” from 1976.

We lost last night and are now a game and a half back.

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Aunt Esther Campos

I don’t get it when the folks who have good paying jobs like Gov. Greg Abbott, eliminate the $300 dollars a week in unemployment insurance.  Abbott is a punk and a coward, and we all know it.

What do you expect when the next homie includes visits from the Dodgers and Red Sox? See this from the Chron today:

The Astros will open Minute Maid Park to “maximum capacity” starting with their next homestand on May 25, the team announced Monday.

Masks will no longer be required inside the ballpark for fans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The team said it “encourages” fans who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings. Nowhere in its announcement on Monday did the club specify whether proof of vaccination will be required.

The team said it will make its employees and game day workers provide proof of vaccination before removing their face coverings. All other health and safety protocols will remain in place.

Then there is this from the Chron:

Harris County finally will downgrade from its highest COVID-19 threat level, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday evening, after 47 weeks of urging residents to stay home.

Hidalgo said the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and improving local metrics were among several factors that convinced her to revise the threat level system the county debuted last summer. The U.S. Centers From Disease Control also told fully vaccinated Americans last week they may resume their pre-pandemic lives.

“We’re very much at a turning point,” Hidalgo said. “We don’t want to claim victory because there certainly there’s a possibility that amongst the unvaccinated, the virus gets out of control. But we do have reason for celebration.

Commentary believes that Judge Hidalgo has acted the most responsibly.  She has looked after my health and yours.  She has consistently listened to the medical experts.  Gov. Abbott listened to the medical experts like for a day and then he caved in. 

Folks are still catching COVID-19.  You can’t trust who is vaccinated and who is not.  We don’t know how long the vaccine will be effective.  Commentary will continue to wear a mask when appropriate.

On the Astros, I get that they want to make money.  They sent me another update on my ticket situation.  I guess I will talk to them in the next day or so to discuss my phasing back in sometime this summer.

My Aunt Esther is on the front page of today’s Chron.  I have to give credit to my cousin Olga for getting this done.  Here is from the Chron:

At 90, Maria Esther Estrada Campos knows the walk across the stage to receive her diploma may be a little much, even with a new pair of Reebok sneakers, a gift from her twin granddaughters.

But Campos, whether she walks or rides in a wheelchair, will be at University of Houston’s Fertitta Center on Tuesday to receive an honorary doctorate, 55 years after she started the doctorate program.

“I was a daughter, wife, mother and a student. So when it came to making choices, my family was the most important and school was always something in progress. I’ve been in progress for 55 years,” she said Sunday during a a virtual graduation celebration with family at her East End home.

And this:

Finishing her doctorate wasn’t on her birthday wish list, but her daughter Olga Campos Benz, a retired TV anchor in Austin, wanted her mother to have the degree she had worked so hard for.

Benz learned about UH’s honorary degree, which has been awarded to fewer than 90 people since the university was founded in 1927. The doctorate of humane letters, honoris causa, is given for exemplary service to the university or the community and is the highest honor the school can bestow.

In three weeks, Benz compiled letters of support from some of the state’s most noted Hispanic leaders, including Dr. Laura Murillo, president and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber, and U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who acknowledged Campos on the House floor last week, calling her a “trailblazer in education and a public servant and a champion for civil rights.”

Nice.  Aunt Esther was also on the HISD School Board.  That gets a mention in the article. Cool.

Just when we thought we were done with Albert Pujols.  He is now a Dodger, and the Dodgers visit The Yard a week from today.

The Astros are #4 in this week’s MLB power rankings and we are in Oakland for three.  We also trail the A’s by a half game.

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