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September 30 - On October 30th, the second to last day of early voting, Fort Bend Democrats will be feverishly knocking on doors and ringing telephone lines to turn out the vote for change. On the same day, Fort Bend Republicans will be.....wait for it......

wait for it......

     ON THE GOLF COURSE, OF COURSE!

     However, in all fairness, here's their candidates ----

     They do, in fact, look like the golf team from Shady Lanes Retirement Village and Get Off My Lawn You Damn Kids Rotary Club.

---

September 29 - Okay, I have some interesting numbers for you that were given to me yesterday. 
     At the March primary this year, Fort Bend County had 245,414 voters.  Last numbers I saw, we had 289,000 voters.  That's an increase of 43,500 voters.  These is either first time or new voters to the county.
     Look at it this way, almost a fifth of the voters in Fort Bend County this November will be either first time or new voters.  That's unbelievable.
     Something is happening that the polls aren't showing.  I'm convinced of it.
     One other thing, Colorado County - just north of here and very rural - went in with us to buy Obama yard signs so we could get a better price on them.  Less than a week later, they called and asked if they could get more.
     Colorado County.  Obama signs.  I keep thinking I just dreamed that.  I didn't. 

---

September 29 - Okay, I promised you pictures of the Fair Booth that some of you donated to fund.
     First the Republican booth, which followed the same theme as their float - Dispirited.
     They're having trouble staffing it.  It's small, no design, just yard signs and campaign materials for fluffy white boys tossed haphazardly about.  Kinda like their idea of government. 
     They get two grumpy old guys to sit behind the table.
     We, on the other hand, got a doublewide booth this year and divided it into three sections - one to register voters, one to sell tee-shirts and caps, and one to have your picture taken with Barack Obama.
     It takes a team of three people to staff it and we haven't had any problems doing that.  Here's a Fort Bend Democrat at the booth before the Fair opens - raring to go!
     And, we also had live music at our both, with Albert Hollan (in the back), our candidate for the 434th District Court, playing some great Americana music.
     We're registering about 50 people a day and having a ball doing it. 
     I also wanted to show you our big banner on the side of the booth.  We invited a few dollars in this sign but felt it was a good investment for 4 years from now!

    

    

 

 

 

 

     Thank you all for your support at this year's county fair.  We couldn't have done it without you!

---

September 29 - All give some, some give .... a fractured hand.
     Yeah, y'all, it's Bubba.
     Fell yesterday afternoon and fractured his hand while putting out our 4' by 4' Obama signs. 
     Wasn't even drinkin'.  Bubba ain't had a drink in 27 years, which, by the way, kinda explains why he's a little cranky all the time.
     He and Charles were on the eastside of the county and they didn't want to come back home until they finished, so the fools put out three more signs after Bubba fractured his hand.
     No, I'm serious.  They kept putting up Obama signs.  That ain't sane.  I looked it up. 
     The good news is that, with time, Bubba's hand will be fine. The bad news is that even with time there's nobody around here who is gonna let Bubba forget that he's getting too old to be doing this stuff, and when you fracture your hand, you fool, you get to quit for an hour or two.
     I tried like the dickens to get Bubba to come up with a better cover story than, "I fell down."  I mean, the least he could do is say, "That damn old Pete Olson pushed me." 
     The doctor gave Bubba some happy-go-lucky pills so he's feeling a tad less cranky than usual this morning. 
     Now, look, here's the deal:  Ole Bubba is gonna take a hellva lot of teasing about this incident for many years to come.  Please don't make it worse by having Obama lose Texas.  Like I said, Bubba is cranky enough already. 
     Bubba's friends can call him at the office today or send him an email.  He won't be sending many emails himself for a while, which I'm sure is a great relief to many a rightwinger, but he will enjoy the "How many lawyers does it take to put up an Obama sign?" jokes. 

---

September 28 - From my friend Carl Whitmarsh --

POSSIBLE SERIOUS VIRUS!!! 

 

If you get an e-mail with "Nude Photos of Sarah Palin" in the subject line, do not open it. It might contain a virus.

If you get an e-mail with "Nude Photos of John McCain" in the subject line,  do not open it. It might contain nude photos of John McCain.

---

September 28 - County Fair weekend continues in Fort Bend.  Hal has great pictures of our float and David took this one from the other side as it passed the headquarters

     Both of them were too nice to show the Republican float, with the theme of "Dispirited," but I will show the most telling thing.  Their county chairman, Rick Miller, wouldn't even ride on their float with them.  He had his own car ---

     That's plenty sad.
     I'll have pictures of the Fair booth later.

---

September 27 - I was darned proud of my Democratic Club in the belly of the beast kicking off this weekend.  We kept two headquarters open, functioning, and productive. 
     We entered a fine-looking float in the county fair parade yesterday for all our candidates to ride on and be seen.  I'm talking fine-looking here, Folks.  Then we hosted a reception after the parade.
     We paid for, decorated dandily, and opened a double-wide booth at the County Fair to promote all our candidates from the courthouse to the White House, register voters, persuade people to vote Democratic, and give away Barack Obama wristbands starting last night and running all week long.  We put the pitiful one-space undecorated Republican booth to shame.  Shame, I'm telling you.  They performed about as poorly as John McCain.
     We put up about 30 of the 4 foot by 4 foot Obama signs all over the county, and will do another 20 today.
     We registered voters at the local community college.
     We hosted two debate-watch parties to packed houses with lots of brand new folks showing up.  We fed them hot dogs and apple pie, and everybody driving by the main street headquarters saw a former car dealership room full of Obamaians cheering for new leadership. 
     We also gave Bubba a birthday party before the debate.
     And, most importantly, we sold out of pink Barack Obama tee-shirts. 
     I'll have pictures by tomorrow.  But, if you want to help be a part of all this excitement ... you know what to do.

     Is it just me or is John McCain a grumpy old man who won't look you in the eye when he's throwing rocks at you?  And, Good Lord, even his pen was old.
     Oh, I guess it's not just me.

     And thank to Alfredo for the heads-up on the GOP bailout plan.  Buncha clowns.  No, really, a bunch of damn clowns.

If you worked at Saturday Night Live and had to construct a parody of what Republican wing nuts might come up with as a solution to the current financial crisis, you simply couldn't do better than the loopy plan served up by House Republicans this week.
 

---

September 26 - As my friend Vicki says, "Welcome to the schadenfreud express!"

Capitol Hill sources are telling me that senior McCain people are more than concerned about Palin. The campaign has held a mock debate and a mock press conference; both are being described as "disastrous." One senior McCain aide was quoted as saying, "What are we going to do?" The McCain people want to move this first debate to some later, undetermined date, possibly never. People on the inside are saying the Alaska Governor is "clueless."

     Now, there are those who are suggesting that the GOPpers are just trying to lower the bar and keep expectations down for the Veep debate.  I'm sorry, Honey, but you can't go lower than a snake's belly. 

---

September 26 - Y'all, this is such a coincidence!
     Two things happened today and I thought would never happen - Momma got electricity and John McCain decided to debate.
     So, Momma called me about five minutes ago and said, "Baby Girl, I got electricity!  Now I can watch John McCain not debate tonight!"  I let her know that McCain changed his mind and decided to debate.  Momma pondered for a minute and replied, "I've been waiting for electricity for two weeks for THAT?" 
     I thought that was pretty funny.

     And the Fort Bend County Fair Parade was today.  Fort Bend Democrats had a float designed by the lovely and charming Wanda Harris and built by Wanda and dedicated volunteers.
     Goofy here forgot her camera, but I got a shot with my camera phone.

     Hal brought his camera and I'll let you know when he gets his pictures posted.

---

September 25 - Okay, so I saw Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin and one thing just hit me upside the head:  Palin says that the comment about seeing Russia from her doorstep gives her foreign policy experience because, and I'm quoting here, "our next door neighbors are foreign counties."
     Well, listen up, Honey.  So are mine.
     I've got Mexico on the South and Louisiana on the East.  And let me tell you something, Lake Charles is far more foreign than Vancouver. 
     And if Palin is right, that makes my friend Connie in Del Rio a real foreign policy expert, although Connie once tired to convince me that Margarita was the capital of Santa Fe. 

---

September 25 - Okay, I'm not going to try to lie. 
     Yesterday, I got to spend the day with someone I love and adore and don't get to see near often enough, so I left my cell phone in my top desk drawer and took off to spend the day with her.  We didn't turn on the radio or hear the news all day long.
     Then we get home and stand around looking at each other saying, "Huh?  What?  Wait, wait, something's not right here.  You can't call Time Out in the middle of the most important campaign in our lifetimes.  We must have missed something real important."
     Come to find out, we didn't miss diddle squat.
     John McCain is whacked.  And coming in at the end of his trip into Wonderland didn't matter much because everything else was pre-programmed by the Mad Hatter and we've already read that book.
     No, y'all, something ain't ticking right in McCain's thinker assembly.  The poor dear man has it floored in neutral. 
     I mean, war hero stuff aside, you can't elect dotty Uncle Pete and Thelma from over at the pool hall as President and Vice President of this country.  I mean, as much as you might like them and find them very entertaining in that "what the dickens are they going to do next?" kind of way, you just can't elect them to run the free world.  Or, what's left of it after you voted for Bobby Joe over at the bait camp four years ago.

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September 24 - We get email ---

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September 24 - Girlfriends, this is the Best Written Piece on Sarah Palin that I have read yet.  Goldie Taylor sits at her keyboard and puts forth for all of us.

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September 23 - When Fox News turns on her, you know it's serious, Bubba.

FOX News Producer Shushannah Walshe just lashed out at the McCain campaign for denying access to reporters who wanted to witness Sarah Palin's U.N. photo ops earlier today. Walshe said the McCain campaign's restrictions on press coverage were "just unprecedented."

"There's not once chance that Governor Palin would have to answer a question. ... They're eliminating even the chance of any kind of interaction with the candidate -- it's just unprecedented."

Walshe noted that the McCain campaign eventually did relent and allow a reporter in the same room as Palin -- but only for just 29 seconds.

     Aunt Clara thinks Sarah Palin is a werewolf.  She read all about it over at the beauty shop in one of those magazines.  According to Aunt Clara, when exposed to daylight (or teevee cameras) Palin turns into a blood-sucking monster in 30 seconds.  That's exactly why they have to limit it to 29 seconds.  One second later and ---- well, you don't even want to know what would happen.
     Heck, even I'm beginning to wonder what's wrong with Palin.  It's got to be more than a case of stupid.  Hell, they even let Dan Quayle talk to the media.  Republicans are proud of stupid.  They kinda parade it around and elect it President. 
     No, it's gotta be more than stupid and uninformed. 
     Aunt Clara may be on to something.

---

September 23 - Well, alert the media, dammit!
     You know the click-the-little-one drill.
     Well, so Governor Rick Perry is gonna get himself a "briefing" about the "conditions throughout Fort Bend County" from County Judge Bob Hebert. 
     Only Bob Hebert would feel the need to issue a press release with "I get to meet the Governor and you don't" as the major subject being covered.  Cripes, two Republicans meet, one is stoopid beyond words and the other one is cranky.  Big deal.
     Hell, they could invite Sarah Palin and have a trifecta - stoopid, cranky, and scardy-cat.  Sounds like a lobbying firm, huh?
     Somehow, and I'm just guessing about this, the condition that the entire county is being run by developers probably won't come up during their conversation.  Well, unless they start comparing campaign contributions.
     And the fact that we're getting a dump the size of 14 football fields stacked on top of each other with two Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders' ta-tas thrown in for good measure.    
     And the condition of a stinkin' Republican adored toll road cutting the county down the middle won't be considered unless the chortle that they won't have to drive their fatcatmobiles on the same road as the riftraff like me. 
     Conditions, my patootie.  They're gonna play golf and send the bill to Joe B. Allen.  Probably drive by Tom DeLay's house and honk the horn a few times, too. 

---

September 23 - Rene sent us the latest email going around --

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully,
Minister of Treasury Paulson

---

September 22 - Okay, I'm not saying who but somebody at the courthouse borrowed this printed email off a bulletin board at the courthouse.  (Click the little one to see the big one.)

     The press release email was sent by our Mr. Chamber of Commerce County Judge, Bob Hebert, with an exuberance apparently not well-received by the rank and file, as noted by somebody's handwritten commentary. 
     Yes, it is day 10 of no power for some folks in the county and day 9 of there's-a-heap-o'-crap sitting in my front yard attracting snakes, varmints, mold, and I dunno what else but it smells powerful awful, and it doesn't appear that anybody is being very peppy about coming to haul it off.
     And if anybody thought for one second that the county judge is doing this "for the kids,"  they are in a delusional state unmatched even by Brittany Spears and alcohol abuse.
     But, "the show will go on" and Bob Hebert, our County Judge, will once again throw out the first kolache.
     Do not get between Bob Hebert and the turkey legs, Honey.  That's just a little free friendly advice from someone who has seen first hand how the county fair can bring out the worst in Hebert. 
     So many old goats, so little time.

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September 22 - Oh hell, this ain't even American anymore. 

A critical - and radical - component of the bailout package proposed by the Bush administration has thus far failed to garner the serious attention of anyone in the press. Section 8 (which ironically reminds one of the popular name of the portion of the 1937 Housing Act that paved the way for subsidized affordable housing ) of this legislation is just a single sentence of thirty-two words, but it represents a significant consolidation of power and an abdication of oversight authority that's so flat-out astounding that it ought to set one's hair on fire. It reads, in its entirety:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

In short, the so-called "mother of all bailouts," which will transfer $700 billion taxpayer dollars to purchase the distressed assets of several failed financial institutions, will be conducted in a manner unchallengeable by courts and ungovernable by the People's duly sworn representatives.

     What the hell have you Republicans done to my country? 
     You lost all the money Bill Clinton gave you and now you're putting my great-grandchildren in debt. 
     I have no idea how John McCain can come out of his houses in the morning.  He and his buddy Phil Gramm better start running like a prairie fire with a tailwind before some of us real Americans come after them with intent to bar-be-que. 
     You know, Verdelia and I took note just yesterday that even though we live in Tom DeLay country, we haven't seen even one McCain yardsign or bumper sticker.  Not even one.  It kinda restored my faith in local Republicans - at least they have the good sense to be embarrassed.
     The rule of law AND the elective representation are gone?
     Nah, on second thought, being embarrassed ain't good enough.  They need to look for a hole to hide in.

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September 22 - Maybe I'm not understanding this right because it makes no damn sense whatsoever.
     It's been 9 days since Hurricane Ike and Momma is still without electricity.  Momma is 85 years old.  She lived through the great depression and it was easier than this.
     However, Momma is gonna have to pay higher electric bills because CenterPoint Energy is taking longer than Christmas to do their job.  What's she supposed to do?  Hamsters and a wheel?

If Hurricane Rita is any guide, Houston-area customers could be paying higher electricity bills for years to cover the cost of repairing the battered Gulf Coast power grid in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The reason: Under deregulation, ratepayers are responsible for the expense of maintaining and expanding the power grid in Texas.

     Deregulation, the Republican dream come true. 
     Anybody who votes for any Republican this election should be required take a dip stick to the polls with them because they are a quart low on good sense. 

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September 21 - We get emails with great ideas ---

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September 21 - She's baaaack.  And she'll make you laugh.

     Honey, you really need one of these.

     Betty Bowers has all the best buttons. 

 

 

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September 21 - Patrick reminds me that there are folks who have it much harder than I do ---

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September 20 - Okay, maybe this is a dumb question, but if we can socialize the financial markets, why can't we socialize medicine?
     I just don't get it.  But then, I've been real confused for the past 8 years.

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September 19 - And the real women keep on comin' --

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September 19 - We get email calling all real Texas women!

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September 19 - Most of y'all remember me telling the absolutely true story that due to both my Grandpas I was a full grown woman before I knew that Damn Hoover were two separate words.  In fact, I remember studying about Hoover Dam and thinking somebody got it backwards.
     Well, my Grandchildren will feel the same way about Bush.

“Bush runs a real danger of going down as a Herbert Hoover in this scenario,” said Beverly Gage, a presidential historian at Yale University. “He could be seen as the man held responsible for what is happening who stood by and didn’t forge a clear direction at a moment when a clear direction is what was needed.”

     And the helluvit is that the darned man seems almost gleeful lately.  I mean, have you seen Bush lately? Have they drugged him or something?
     You'd think he'd be as desperate as an Aztec witch doctor without a virgin on sacrifice day (okay, I stole that from John), but there he stands, grinning from his butt to his eyebrows.
     I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Anybody who voted for Bush the second time should NOT be allowed to vote in this election.  They've proven they can't be trusted with a ballot.

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September 19 - Still no phones at my house and no electricity at Momma's.  It's getting hot again and people are getting irritable. 
     We had a guy with his pre-teen son in here at the Democratic Headquarters this morning who was snarking around at everything, then tried to walk out with buttons and bumper stickers.  Our office worker asked him for a donation for the materials, since we pay for them ourselves.  The guys hollered, "You have GOT to be kidding!"  The office worker replied, "No, sir, we have to pay for those things."
     "Even for a school project?" the guy asked.
     Okay, this was the first tip-off.  There's no school right now and hasn't been for 8 days.
     "Yes," replied the office worker, "but we do have some free materials ....."
     Before the office worker could finish, the guy threw - no, seriously, in front of his son, he threw - the buttons at our office worker.
     And Mr. Wonderful spit gravel all over the parking lot taking off with his giant W bumper sticker.
     Y'all, they are raising their kids badly.  You just need to be warned.

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September 18 - Karen Rose has been my friend since high school.  She now lives and works in DeeCee, but sent me some really cool pictures from Alaska. This is a rally in Alaska.

     Now you would be hard-pressed to find two more feminist women than me and Karen Rose -- we were on the debate team before women did that kind of thing -- and we both think Sarah Palin is a shiver looking for a spine to run up.

       This is our first best chance to say out loud that being a woman doesn't make you intelligent, ethical, or wise.  Nor does it exempt you from answering questions.

     So join me and Karen Rose in saying, "if Palen is the first, she'll be the last."

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September 18 - Thank you all for your generous donations to help Fort Bend Democrats.  I am overwhelmed with your kindness and generosity.  Checks and small cash donations can be mailed to Fort Bend Democrats, PO Box 785, Richmond, Texas 77406.  You can also donate here.
     Again, thank you.  And I promise not to bother you for money for Democrats again.
     Warning:  helping Chris Bell is excepted from this promise.

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September 18 - Thank you, David Horsey

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September 18 - Hot dangit!  You go Joe!

Biden, voice raised, said “If I sound angry it’s because I am angry. I am sick and tired of this.” At various times, he turned that anger towards Republicans who still say they can manage money — “Who are these guys? Where do they come from? What possible right do they have to say to anybody, particularly to us, that they know how to manage our money and manage the economy?” — and Hedge Funds, which he said need to be more transparent.

     Hey Joe, I'm sick and tired of these Republicans, too. 
     If you ain't angry, you ain't paying attention.

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September 17 - My girlfriend Lynn sent me the absolute coolest website about Obama.  Work warning - the music is the best part.

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September 17 - Okay, I'm back at the Democratic headquarters using their wifi because now we're now being told that we won't have phone line and DSL until September 29th at Bubba and my place.
     You guys go buy something and donate because our order of new Obama / Biden tee-shirts didn't arrive because of the storm and we need money to keep going.  We gave away all our block-walking water bottles and the refrigerator is empty. 

     Okay, so last night I distinctly heard John McCain say that he was against deregulation.  He was drunk.  I'm sure of it.
     John McCain is a deregulation machine set on overdrive.  He would deregulate your butt if he could. 
     You know, there's a saying around here about the Mustang Lounge - everybody there is either drunk or lost.  I think that's John McCain right now.

     And Carly Fiorina just made my day yesterday.  Wasn't it Republicans who said we should run government like a business?  But now that they have a woman on their ticket who couldn't run an active PTA group without causing infighting, gossip, and power grabs, it comes to this ---

Yesterday, Carly Fiorina told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that Sarah Palin could not run a major corporation, but nor could John McCain or Barack Obama, for that matter. Running a business is different than running a country, Fiorina said.

     And then there's this grand irony - Fiorina couldn't run a major corporation either.

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September 16 - Hey Sarah, don't blink.

Explaining how she felt when John McCain offered her the Vice-Presidential spot, my Vice-Presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin, said something very profound: “I answered him ‘Yes’ because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.”

Isn’t that so true? I know that many times, in my life, while living it, someone would come up and, because of I had good readiness, in terms of how I was wired, when they asked that—whatever they asked—I would just not blink, because, knowing that, if I did blink, or even wink, that is weakness, therefore you can’t, you just don’t. You could, but no—you aren’t.

     Go ahead, read the whole thing.  Ibie sent it to me and you'll laugh out loud. 

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September 16 - Alfredo lets us know that karma is a charming thing.  Gabriel Nathan Schwartz was a hot shot GOP delegate to the national convention. --

In an interview filmed the afternoonof Sept. 3 and posted on the Web site LinkTV.org, Schwartz was candid about how he envisioned change under a McCain presidency.

"Less taxes and more war," he said, smiling. He said the U.S. should "bomb the hell" out of Iran because the country threatens Israel.

Asked by the interviewer how America would pay for a military confrontation with Iran, he said the U.S. should take the country's resources.

"We should plant a flag. Take the oil, take the money," he said. "We deserve reimbursement."

A few hours after the interview, an unknown woman helped herself to Schwartz's resources.

The theft happened at the Hotel Ivy, a luxury hotel in downtown Minneapolis. (The Colorado delegation was housed at the Four Points Sheraton, several miles away on Industrial Boulevard Northeast.)

The theft occurred early on Sept. 4, hours after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gave her speech accepting her party's vice presidential nomination. A police report said Schwartz told officers he met a woman at the bar and took her to his $319-a-night room.

     Monique the Pavement Princess extracted a little old fashioned justice.  Honey, you gotta hand it to Monique - that girl can pick her victims!
     There's more ---

A police report notes the crime occurred between 4:22 and 5:46 a.m., and Palmer said investigators believe Schwartz was drugged, although he declined to discuss details.

Aside from the watch, ring, necklace, earrings and belt, Schwartz also reported a $1,000 purse or wallet, a $1,500 cell phone, $500 in cash and a couple of rings worth $50 had been taken.

     Who else but a big mouth not shot Republican lawyer would have a $1,500 cell phone?  I'm real proud that Monique is turning tricks on a damn fancy phone now. 

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September 16 - Thank you, Steve Breem ---

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September 16 - If I've learned nothing else, I've learned just how fragile our lifestyle is. 
     Now we can't get gas.  So, there's no newspaper delivery.  Electricity is sporadic and phone service even less reliable.  The wait at distribution centers in Houston for food, ice, and water is three hours, if you have the gas to get there. 
     The weather is a little cooler, and that helps tremendously.
     The President arrived this morning to tell us how wonderful everything was going.  Listen up --

"It's a tough situation on the coast," Bush said. "I have been president long enough to have seen tough situations and have seen the resilience of the people dealing with the tough situations."

     Yeah, I guess so.  We survived you, jerk.

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September 15 - I have email now so y'all help me catch up before it goes out again.  I've seen the SNL skit online (they were covering the hurricane here) and this wonderful thing from Alaskan women and a few good men. 
     I have been given to understand that Palin's charm is fading fast.  I'm sorry this happened while I was distracted with rising water and heavy winds, but I'll take it anyway.

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September 15 - Well, it didn't take long --

The Federal Emergency Management Agency came under fire Sunday as emergency workers were left undernourished and dozens of trucks of water and food had yet to be set up at distribution centers around Houston and surrounding communities.

And no sooner had the agency — widely condemned for its glacial response to suffering after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — drawn sharp criticism as its leaders and spokesmen began to say it was someone else's fault.

Earlier in the day, a FEMA spokesman said delays in setting up staging points to hand out needed provisions had been caused by blocked roads.

By the evening, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said it was the fault of state officials who handed his department the "unexpected challenge" of having to prepare distribution points in addition to delivering supplies.

     And Congressman Nick Lampson was on teevee yesterday being outraged ---

U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Houston, said he was told before the storm by FEMA officials that there was food and water already staged at the Ellington Air National Guard base.

"Now it's on the way? That doesn't make any sense to me," he said. "I don't know what happened ... The storm's been over for 30 hours.

"I hope some heads will roll in this," he said later, adding that the efforts of local mayors, judges and emergency responders should be applauded. 

     And a valuable lesson was learned all week by local politicians --- do not attempt to get between Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and a teevee camera.  She blows harder than a CAT 5 storm, Hon.  I know about 20 elected officials who have Sheila elbow bruises to their ribs.

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September 14 - What Bubba, Jr. did while waiting for the storm to pass.

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September 14 - Okay, the phones are down again so I don't have DSL at home. 
     The misery index is high and everybody on teevee is complaining about FEMA again.  People in the community - you know, community organizers - are getting food out to people because FEMA doesn't have a distribution center yet. 
     The news is saying there was "an organizational foul-up between FEMA and the State," meaning Republican Governor Rick Perry.  I'm shocked, flat shocked, I tell you.
     Now, the big story is this - they will not let reporters into Bolivar peninsula.  They won't even let reporters fly over in helicopters.  Governor Perry is trying to blow it off, but everybody here is pretty damned sure that they don't want more Katrina pictures coming out of Bolivar. 
     And then FEMA is telling people to get information on the internet.  Uh, there's no stinkin' electricity, and the damn hamsters are getting tired of running the modems, too.  Heckfire, cell phones don't even work because the towers are down and everybody is trying to use them all at once. 
     FEMA sucks.  Republican suck.  We knew this was coming for a week and FEMA still can't get ice and water in.
     Folks, this was a CAT 2 hurricane.  What's gonna happen when the CAT 5 comes?
     I kinda suspect that both power and phone service will be sporadic for the next couple of weeks.  So, if you don't hear from me, blame Governor Rick Perry.

---

September 13 - Well, I got just a tad cocky.
     About an hour after I posted this morning, the phone lines and DSL went down. 
     As karma would have it, the Democratic headquarters in Rosenberg made it just fine and has both power and wifi.  We spent a couple of hours uncovering the windows and putting everything back on the shelves.  Now we're resting and watching the big screen teevee.
     I thought I'd share a few pictures with you.
     Remember Jesus Is Lord Used Cars I told you about a few months ago?
     Well, I think Jesus expressed his opinion about that marketing system ---

     And Jesus threw in Republican Judge Cliff Vacek for a little extra enjoyment.
     And my favorite ingenuity came from this home ----

 
     "Cletus, what did you do with the table, Hon?  We've got family coming for dinner tonight." 
     And here's was the most popular spot at lunchtime after Ike.  Jamie's Hamburgers in Richmond has never seen a crowd like this.

     There hasn't been a line at Jamie's since 1964, but it was the only place open in three zip codes.
     Hal is sitting across the room from me and is posting about our favorite line from the day - FEMA calling in from Austin.  Check over at Half Empty later and read about it.
     And last, our friend Carlos showed up with a special gift for the Democratic headquarters ---

     I still don't have email because my server is down. 

---

September 13 - Bubba and I made it through the storm just fine.  Lots of tree limbs down and we're seriously considering stocking the swimming pool instead of cleaning that sucker, but we're safe and dry.  We are one of the few houses in the greater Houston area who have electricity.
     Momma is fine, too, although she got a tree in her house.  I told her to go ahead and decorate that sucker for Christmas, which she didn't think was near as funny as I did.  She's safe and my nephew is there with tarps and nails.  (Some men in Texas just live for this stuff!)
     My email server isn't working so save your emails for a while.
     Bubba ventured out and reports that the Democratic headquarters survived just fine.
     I'll post pictures later today.

---

September 12 - If you've never seen a hurricane band coming right at you, here's one.  I took this picture about 7:15 not far from my home.

---

September 12 - I swear this is the absolute truth.
     The local ABC affiliate was interviewing some dude from the Red Cross about what they were doing for the hurricane.
     The Red Cross dude said that the Red Cross needs money, and went on to add, "because we're having to borrow money."
     The reporter asked if the heard correctly.  "Did you say the Red Cross is having to borrow money?"
     "Yes," the Red Cross guy explained, "we're having to borrow money because the economy is so bad." 
     The reporter, me, and ole Bubba kinda just stood there for a second, stunned. 
     Surely somebody has a video copy of that.  It happened about 1:10 p.m. on Friday. 
     The damn Republican economic policies have even screwed up the Red Cross.  Ain't that something?
     So you know FEMA can't be counted on because they screwed that up, too.  And now they've screwed up the Red Cross. 

---

September 12 - Elizabeth just sent me the newest warning for  hurricane Ike.  Don't ya just love helpful people?
     It appears we're not going to get hit as badly as expected last night.  We'll probably be without electricity for a few days, so don't fret if you don't hear from me over the weekend.  If you don't hear from from me by Monday night, send Blue Bell ice cream.

---

September 12 - Last night I got an email from a rightwinger comparing Sarah Palin to Teddy Roosevelt because they both like to hunt, they both had lots of kids and they both were a 2 year Governor when selected for Vice President. 
     Amazing, huh?
     I added other amazing similarities to the email ---
     Roosevelt was a cum laude graduate of Harvard and so was .... oops.  Palin attended 5 colleges in 6 years.
     Roosevelt served as Secretary of the Navy under McKinley and Palin once road on a boat.
     Roosevelt was elected a popular assemblyman in New York, and Palin put a small town deeply in debt.
     Roosevelt was a progressive and Palin is ... well, not so much.
     Roosevelt distrusted wealthy businessmen and dissolved forty monopolistic corporations as a trust buster.  Palin thinks wealthy businessmen are the fourth branch of government.
     Roosevelt formed the Rough Riders at a bar in San Antonio and fought in the Spanish American War.  Palin could find San Antonio on a map if you gave her three tries, and may have heard of the Spanish American War at one of those colleges she attended.
     Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose Party and Palin killed the Moose.
     Yep - just alike.

---

September 11 - Kathy joins in the hurricane fun ---

Top 10 Reasons Hurricane Season is Like Christmas

10. Decorating the house (boarding up windows)

 9. Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season (camping gear, flashlights)

 8. Last minute shopping in crowded stores

7. Regular TV shows pre-empted for "specials"

6. Family coming to stay with you

5. Family and friends from out-of-state calling

4. Buying food you don't normally buy ... and in large quantities

3. Days off from work

2. Candles

 And the number one reason Hurricane Season is like Christmas...

 1. At some point you know you're going to have a tree in your house!

---

September 11 - My Fort Bend friend Kyle just sent me hurricane procedures at his office --

Office Procedures Concerning Storm and Office Closings

 As we watch the progress of the storm, the following are the firm's guidelines based upon the hurricane's intensity:

Hurricane Category #1

No excuse for being late. Leave earlier to give extra time to avoid fallen trees and limbs.

 Hurricane Category #2

 Due to the horizontal rain, you may wear jeans.

Hurricane Category #3

 Whereas most of the area will be flooded we suggest you  avoid wearing open toe sandals when coming to work. Canoes will be provided to get to the building safely without getting wet.

 Hurricane Category #4

More than likely there will be no electricity. Given that, we will have manual typewriters available to all staff members. Please take extra caution and wear water-proof make-up if Category 4 or above.

 Hurricane Category #5

Velcro will be provided to keep you attached to your chairs when the windows blow out. For those that survive, we will have chocolate cake at 3:00 pm in the kitchen

---

September 11 - Thanks to Nick Anderson ---

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September 11 - Thank you to all of you who've sent good thoughts my way during the storm.  I'll be spending most of today with rope and plywood, but I'll try to make it back here with some comments about the scandal at the Interior Department.
     Meanwhile, my friend Alfredo says that this report (PDF format) pretty much sums up history's final judgment on the Bush administration, when it describes on page three "a relatively small group of individuals wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to governmental ethical standards."  Yep, that's the Bush administration in a nutshell.

---

September 10 - As my friend David likes to say, it looks like we're hip deep in sheep dip.

     See the four lines in the middle?  That's my roof under there. 
     There's already some mandatory evacuations along the coast, but Bubba and I have decided to stay put this time.  Last time we spent 6 hours on the road to get 18 miles.
     Bubba gets real cranky when our Republican government is so damn set on proving that government doesn't work that they're purposefully useless as a milk bucket under a bull during emergencies.  Bubba is convinced they do it on purpose so they can say, "See, government doesn't work."   No, Honey, government works fine; Republicans don't work worth turkey poop. 
     Our county judge has already declared the county a disaster. (opens in PDF)  Heckfire, he should have declared it that about two days after he was elected, before he sold it to developers in exchange for campaign contributions. 
     Anyhowway, I'm filling up the hot tub and bringing in the bird houses and strapping anything that might take flight to Bubba's barbeque pit because that sucker ain't going anywhere.  Get me to show you pictures of Bubba's barbeque condo sometime. 
     We've got a generator, a first aid kit, a half gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, and two of those lounge chairs that float in the pool. So if you see Bubba and me floating down the Brazos River eating Blue Bell and pulling Truman on his own little inner tube, wave now, ya hear?

---

September 10 - In what has to be described as " oh crap!" for Republicans, Harvey Kronberg reports ---

Libertarian Party presidential nominee Bob Barr is asking Texas GOP Congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul to join his ticket as his running mate.

Barr, a former Congressman from suburban Atlanta, said in a press release that Paul is one of the "few American patriots" and asked that Paul "seriously consider this final offer as an opportunity to show true, lasting leadership beyond party politics."

Should Paul take Barr up on his offer, it's safe to say that the electoral calculations in Texas and in several other states could be upset.

     Oh Happy Day.

---

September 10 - I will tell you one damn thing.  I am stinkin' tired of Sarah Palin making all women victims. 
     If she can't take the heat, she needs to go back to the kitchen.
    Remember the kids in the backseat whining, "Momma, he's looking at me.  Make him stop.  Owwwww, he's still looking at me," until you wanted to stop the car and sell them on a street corner to the first circus that passed by?
     Well, that is Sarah Palin.

The McCain campaign is asking for an apology after Barack Obama compared McCain’s call for change to putting “lipstick on a pig,” an apparent reference to an earlier comment by Sarah Palin.

     She's giving all hooter toters a bad name. 
     If she thinks that all references to lipstick and pigs are about her, then she has personal body image issues and needs to seek the help of a mental health professional.   Oh Dear Lord, wait until she hears about sow's ears and silk purses.  Somebody's gonna have to dump a pail of water on her.
     And why in fool tarnation does she need some man to come out and make statements like, "offensive and disgraceful?"  Good Lord, is she a quart low on estrogen?  Can't she speak for herself? 
     Honey, if she thinks Barack Obama is sexist, wait until she meets Fidel Castro, Prince Sultan, Alvaro Uribe or Ahmadinejad. 

---

September 9 - Now here's a great little gig if you can get it.

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

     It seems that Gov. Palin ain't so tough when it comes to actually acting on her ideals.
     And I have another question.  How come she keeps giving the same speech over and over?  I mean, ya gotta wonder - is her programming a tad static?
     And Mike sent us this little funny --

---

September 8 - Hal gives you an idea of what Fort Bend Democrats does with the money you send us.
     And thank you all.  It tickles me to know that John Healey, Milton Wright, and Elizabeth Howard are raising money for us.

---

September 8 - Well, I know that's certainly my expected standards for getting up in the morning ---

Rick Davis, campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., just told Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace that McCain running mate Gov. Sarah Palin won't subject herself to any tough questions from reporters "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference."

     Honey, I have been trying to get the world to treat me like that for years and I have had zero luck with it.  I get up in the morning and sometimes even Truman doesn't treat me with respect and deference. 
     Okay, so here's the deal.  None of us are leaving home anymore until everybody in the stinkin' world agrees to treat us with respect and deference.  I especially demand the deference part.  Bow down to me, you sons of motherless goats, for I am woman, hear me hide.
     Seriously, this Palin woman thinks she can face Putin and Ahmadinejad, but she's scared of Anderson Cooper?  There's something special crazy wrong with that idea.
     If somebody wants to haul Governor Palin's rump over here, my band, Bitchin' Betty and the Sequined Backhoes, have a little tune we'd like to sing in her honor.  We stole it from Aretha.
     Babe, even Aretha just wanted respect.  She didn't need no damn deference. 
     And, a word to Ms. Palin.  I know Aretha Franklin, and you're no Aretha Frankilin.

---

September 7 - Okay, you gotta help me, you just gotta. 
     The Republican Compadres have gone into the movie-making business.  The last movie they made wasn't bad enough to satisfy them.
     And, to the shock of no one, this one also stars the lovely Belle of Heaven Republican Women's Club Head Dongbelle, Elizabeth Howard.
     And, now Elizabeth has bookend incumbents to show off, bat her eyes at, and make you wonder if the poor woman owns anything with a neckline or even sleeves.  She rounded up Hamilton Burger and Barney Fife this time.
     Okay, look at this and know for yourself why you just gotta help me ---

 

     Y'all, THAT'S the elected law enforcement in my county.  Where I live.  Oh, cripes, people, help me.
     Go over here and donate something, for Pete's sake.  We gotta do better than this.  We gotta elect Democrats.  You know, people with brains and dignity. 
     I'll add some more stuff over there this week so you can keep checking back.  Meanwhile ---- help me on this, dammit.

     Oh, one absolutely true, got it on tape, wrote it in the newspaper story about Milton Wright, our sheriff. 
     About 6 years ago when he was running for sheriff, all his campaign literature had the word "conservative" all over it.  That was just about the only three-syllable word he could say, so I got suspicious.
     So, I called him on the telephone, back when he was still speaking to me, which is a whole 'nother story, and asked him, "Sheriff, what does conservative mean?" 
     He heeed and hawed a minute and then you could almost hear the lightbulb flicker in his head when he replied happily and proudly, "It means the opposite of liberal!" 
     So, being a highly trained professional reporter for a big-time newspaper, I followed up, "And what does liberal mean?"
     Stumped.
     I waited. 
     Then there was joy in his voice when he said, "The opposite of conservative!" 

     And then there was the time he put out a press release saying that 22 people in his department were African American so that meant his department was 22% African American.  Uh, not so much when you have 300 employees. 
     Help me, dammit.  Send the local Democrats some money.

---

September 7 - As Evelyn notes, The Seattle Times seems to be the only newspaper doing serious reporting on Sarah Palin's past governmental experience. 

Sarah Palin had turbulent first year as mayor of Alaska town

Sarah Palin's first year as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, could easily have been her last as she became embroiled in personnel challenges, a thwarted attempt to pack the City Council and a bitter standoff with her local newspaper. Her first months were so contentious and polarizing that critics started talking of a recall.

     It's an informative and good read.  I'm telling you - she's a corker.

---

September 6 - Oh yes ---

Susan-

  I kept asking myself, "who does Sarah Palin remind me of?" Then it hit me... 

  Oh sure, she can bag a moose...but can she bake a coconut cream pie?
 

 

                     
Kellybee
 

---

September 6 - For those of you on Carl Whitmarsh's email listserver, he's taking a week or two off to recover.  Somebody took the spark plugs out of his computer to make him stay in bed. 
     So, don't email him, fer-gosh-sake. 
     However, cards can be sent to 5910 Acorn, Houston, Texas 77092-3310  I know he'd appreciate it because everybody likes cards.

---

September 6 - Fenway Fran says you just gotta see this.  I agree.

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September 5 - M.B. gives us a Heads-Up-From-Hell.
     Will Texas be sitting out this election?

If it is true Wall Street favors Republicans, which is the traditional analysis, then here is a reason for share prices to be falling. John McCain might not carry Texas.

How could that be? Evidently a Texas law requires a political party, in order be on the ballot, to file the names of its presidential and vice presidential candidates at least 70 days before the election. This year, that fell on Aug. 26, before either Senator McCain or Senator Barack Obama was formally nominated.

Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, is demanding that the law be enforced, and that neither major candidate be allowed on the ballot. He did file on time.

     Oh hell, Bob Barr might win Texas.  Hey, he's 40 IQ points smarter than our Governor.

---

September 5 - Andrew Sullivan is all over this like skin an a sausage.
     First there's Troopergate with ABC news.
     And then there's oh so much secrecy.
     You see, this is what happens when you don't have candidates check their baggage before getting on the train.

---

September 5 - Thank you, Steve Sack --

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September 5 - You know all the GOP corruption in DeeCee?  Well, Honey, it goes so deep that I wouldn't trust a Republican dog catcher.

Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole said Thursday that he expects to be forced from office by an FBI investigation into corruption allegations that appears to be centering on the design of his home by a prominent retired architect.

The Precinct 4 commissioner said FBI agents have interviewed many of his friends, some as recently as this week. He said he expects to be called in for questioning soon and would not be surprised to be indicted, though he insists he is innocent.

"I guarantee they can take that information that they've got and the friends that they've talked to and they can make a case on me," said Eversole, who volunteered the update regarding the investigation when asked about recommended ethics changes at the county. "That's why I say my days are numbered. There's no doubt about it."

     Yep, he's playing fast and loose with his untaxed campaign account funded by county vendors, like getting favors from them. 
     Can our Commissioner Andy Meyers and his party planners be far behind?

---

September 5 - Okay, so I spent the evening watching McSame's speech with Democrats so maybe my viewpoint is a little skewed.
     I'll admit that.
     But thank goodness there were couches at the headquarters because some of us fell asleep.
     Uh, why the fool tarnation did they put him in front of a lime green screen that made him look ... well, I'm just gonna say it .... reptilian? 

     And where the hell is his flag pin?  Did they have to hock it to buy his wife's outfit?

     And our friend Mike sent us this ---

---

September 4 - Jack Abramoff gets 4 years and cries like a little girl.

Choking back tears, Abramoff delivered a highly emotional plea for the judge to exercise leniency, but readily admitted he had done wrong.

"I stand before you a broken man," he said during the two-hour sentencing hearing. "I am not the same man."

     Four years.  Four stinkin' years.  Ho boy, he's a common thief.  If he had robbed a convenience store with a gun instead of the taxpayers with his fancy friends, he'd be serving 40 years.

---

September 4 - Bow down to the king.
     Momma, don't click that.  It's one of the finest Jon Stewarts ever, but he says some  --- oh, let's call it rough --- things. 
    I'll tell you about it so you don't have to watch it.

---

September 4 - Just in case you missed it ---

ST. PAUL, Minn. – As Texas Republicans gather for their national convention, GOP members back in Dallas are preparing to bolt the party.

Monday, Dallas County Court at Law Judge Mark Greenberg plans to announce at a Democratic Party Labor Day picnic that he's leaving the Republican Party, said people from both parties familiar with his decision. The judge, who next faces re-election in 2010, could not be reached.

At least two other judges are expected to leave the GOP before November.

Last week, Dallas County Republicans lost another when county Criminal Court Judge Elizabeth Crowder said she's switching to the Democrats.

     Yep, the party's over.

---

September 4 - Get get email from one of the Belles.  The ISP is from Sugar Land, but there is no person by this name registered to vote in the county. I'm leaving the last name off because the Belles have been known to steal other people's names.

---

September 4 - Woo, woo.  A Palin Smack Mouth Attack.
     What you saw last night was the oratorical equivalent of a drive-by shooting. 
     I know these women.  I have lived among them for forty years.  The Belles of Heaven Republican Women's Club members, like Ms. Palin, are a smug and callous bunch who praise Jesus while looking down their noses at everyone else. 
     Ask yourself one question.  After hearing Ms. Palin last night, would you trust her with your closest secret?
     Me neither. 
     That, for me, is all I need to know. 
     Without expressing an iota of compassion, help, or empathy about anyone other than her own family, Ms. Palin dismisses those who are trying to survive in tough times created with Republican economic policies by offering haughty quips and smart-mouth attitude. 
      So Palin plans on spray painting her gang signs all over America, and thinks we won't mind because she's using lavender paint with a little glitter. 
     Honey, as my friend David says, she's hip deep in sheep dip if she thinks for one minute that she's off-limits for criticism but everyone else is fair game. 
     I still do not have a clue about her stand on any major issue facing this country.  And I suspect that's the plan.

     Take the time to read conservative media elite Roger Simon this morning. 

---

September 3 - A heads-up from Alfredo.
 

Former Officer and Director of Global Engineering and Construction Company Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery and Kickback Charges

Defendant Participated in a Scheme to Bribe Nigerian Government Officials to Obtain Contracts

WASHINGTON – Albert "Jack" Stanley, a former officer and director of a global engineering, construction and services company based in Houston, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by participating in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud as part of a separate kickback scheme, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion.

Stanley, 65, a U.S. citizen and resident of Houston, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Houston before U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison. Stanley pleaded guilty to a two-count criminal information charging him with conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Stanley agreed to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in the ongoing investigations.

     So Jack Stanley is taking the fall in the massive Nigerian bribery case.  Note that the entire bribery scheme took place while Dick Cheney was at Halliburton. 
     Now back in 2004, The Nation did a story about this case.  The way Alfredo and I figure it, Stanley might have ratted on someone for this plea.  Is Dick Cheney going down? 

---

September 3 - We get email with great ideas ---

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September 3 - Okay, so tell me we don't rock!
     This is Brian.  He emails here fairly often from his work-station in Hawaii.  Poor Brian works in paradise.  He reports, "This is in front of the Haleiwa branch of Fort Bend 
Democrats."

          

     Now we know how to find him for our next meeting.  We're expecting dinner on the beach!
     Yes, you, too, can join Fort Bend Democrats from anywhere on earth. 

---

September 3 - Oh cripes, there's gonna be heck to pay.  Hey, it's one thing to cancel an appearance on Larry King in a testy little conniption whine, but now they've really done it. 
     They dissed Phyllis Schlafly.
     Nooooo ....... Not The Phyllis.  She's gonna catch you, tied you up with some kind of Biblical Sampson velvet chains thing, and whip you with a cat 'o nine tails until you recite the books of the Old Testament in order. 
     Trust me on this, I know how the Belles of Heaven Republican Women's Club operates.

Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly lashed out Tuesday at the McCain campaign after it suddenly canceled an appearance by vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin at an event sponsored by Schlafly’s Republican National Coalition for Life.

“I think this is clearly somebody in the McCain campaign who doesn’t understand where the votes are coming from,” Schlafly told ABC News. McCain had been given lukewarm support by social conservatives before he picked Palin to join him on the Republican ticket.

Schlafly blamed McCain campaign staffers who used to work for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the disrespect given to her group.

     Oh, Honey, there's gonna be vengeance running ta-ta deep in the streets of St. Paul. 

---

September 3 - I cannot swear to this myself, but my friend Kathy reports, "This is said to be an undoctored photograph of the Wasilla movie theater." 

---

September 3 - Okay, you guys are going to love this.  The Fort Bend Republicans had the grand opening of their headquarters this past weekend.  Okay, so it wasn't so grand.  It was just an opening. 
     Texas Senator John "Slick" Cornyn showed up to speak.  Hearing Cornyn speak is kinda like watching a kindergarten talent show - so adorable when they remember all the words.
     Anyway, I managed to get a picture.  Count the people there.  No, seriously, look at the reflections in the windows of the audience - I'll bet my best pair of pink boot that there were 50 people there.  Tops.

      Of course, that's 90% of all the old white people in the county, so they've got that going for them. 
     Ho boy, if I ran into that group, I'd hold on to my purse real tight because they're gonna steal you blind with government contracts for their friends and family. 

---

September 2 - You know what ever better than Sarah Palin on the ticket? 
     Tom DeLay taking hold of the reins.
     Yep, where there's money, lobbyists, cigars, wine and women, there's Tom DeLay.  No hot tub, though, so he had to settle for a gold limo.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tom DeLay, the former House GOP majority leader whose connections to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff brought scandal and disgrace to the Republican party, returned to the spotlight in Minneapolis last night, helping to host a private party that drew hundreds of delegates and Republican officials.

"He's the man, he's the man," said one guest leaving the party.

And then --

DeLay arrived at the Minneapolis night club for his party last night in a gold mini-van, no longer traveling with the Capitol police detail that used to protect him from reporters and other perceived security threats.

     Good Lord, he's become a rap star!
     ABC News named it right ---

Money Trail: He's Baaaack! Tom DeLay Hailed as GOP Hero

Despite Scandal, Indictment, 'The Hammer' Big in Minneapolis

---

September 2 - Wooo, wooo, lookie here.  I just happen to have a copy of the Democratic opposition research on Ms. Palin from 2006.  Have fun, campers!  (It's a pdf file)
     It's nice to have high friends in low places, huh?
     You'd think that someone would have given John McCain a copy of this.  If I can get it, he can't?

---

September 2 - When I was a little girl, my Grandpa didn't ever cuss.  Instead, he said "Hoover!"  If he hit his thumb with a hammer, he'd holler, "Hoover!"  I was a full grown woman before I knew Hoover wasn't a cuss word.
     My grandchildren will tell a future generation about Grandma hollering "Bush!" when she trips and falls over a rock in the garden. 
     This did it.  They arrested Amy Goodman.  Amy Goodman.  Yeah, a 100 pound 50 year old threat to America. 
     Somebody tell me where I can donate to her defense fund.  I'm serious.  I've worked hard for my money but she can have some.

---

September 2 - Alfredo is back in town and gives us a heads-up.  According to TIME magazine, Sarah Palin is George Bush in drag - placing personal loyalty to her above the public interest.
     Oh, and she wanted to ban books from the Wasilla public library because they contained "inappropriate" language.

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

     Good Lord, she's a control-freak book burner! 

---

September 2 - Of all the breaking news about Sarah Palin and the rest of the gang from the Anchorage Trailer Park and Washateria, I decided that I had to pick one favorite this morning.
     Couldn't do it.
     You get two.
     First, there's this slight indication that Ms. Palin ain't operating on all four pistons.  Reminiscent of Gov. Ma Ferguson of Texas opposing bi-lingual education by saying that if the English language was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for her, Ms. Palin actually put into writing ---

Question: Are you offended by the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

Palin: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I'll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.

     And this is so danged funny that I cannot quit looking at it, and neither can John McCain for that matter --- (If you're at work, turn off the sound.  The background music is "Getting To Know You.)

 

     Oh Good Lord, this whole thing is a Maury Povich show just waiting to happen.
     And, yes, we have sent Ms. Palin an application for the Belles of Heaven Republican Women's Club. 

---

September 2 - Okay, so Deb and I are looking at this sucker real close and we thing that's Tom DeLay hiding behind that pink boa.  No, serious, look at it closely - it sure looks like Tom. 
    And if you wait until 1:50, you can hear that Tom's friends were there.

 

     Republicans just wanna have fun, Dude. 
     However, I cannot believe that Republicans stole my favorite fashion accessory.  I mean, other than the quest to get me some Sarah Palin shoes.

     And speaking of Tom DeLay, something we never pass up an opportunity to do, we have this little tidbit from last weekend ---

A member of the state's 3rd Court of Appeals has questioned her colleagues' handling of a case that could affect money-laundering charges against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and two associates.

In a dissent unusual for its critical tone, Justice Diane Henson, a Democrat, wrote that three Republican colleagues first delayed the resolution of the case for years, effectively tying the hands of prosecutors, and then issued an opinion about 10 days ago that went too far when it concluded that the state's money-laundering statute did not cover checks at the time that DeLay is accused of laundering corporate money into campaign donations.

     Republican judges covering-up for Tom DeLay and potentially the biggest political scandal since Watergate?  Nooooooooo........

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September 1 - Okay, I've been getting emails all day about Sarah Palin and family problems.
     I do not believe for one second that Sarah Palin was fully vetted or that John McCain knew of her child's pregnancy. 
     I agree with Barack Obama that a person's family is off limits. 
     Unless, of course, you are extremely prideful about your family values.  Then your family becomes important in the same way that John Edward's private life ceased to be private when the hypocrisy of what he was doing overwhelmed the words he was saying. 
     If Ms. Palin opposes sex education, then the result of her beliefs is certainly open to discussion.
     Additionally, Ms. Palin was fully aware of her child's pregnancy when Ms. Palin made the decision that her own political ambition was more important than her daughter's privacy in a delicate time.
     Personally, I feel horrible that Ms. Palin's 17 year old daughter and someone else's adored 17 year old son are being forced into a marriage simply to affirm Ms. Palin's political ambitions. 
     Ms. Palin mocks a mother's devotion to her child, and then hides behind that child trying to have her cake and eat it, too.
     That how I feel about it. 
     But more importantly, I just gotta get me some of these shoes ---

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September 1 - The Fort Bend Democrats fundraiser yesterday was a delightful success and we'll be posting pictures soon.  Plus, I'm gonna have some real cool things to pry you away from your hard-earned money to help Democrats and get something cool in return.
     Check back later this week when I have time to scan some stuff.  I'm talking really, really cool.

My name is Susan DuQuesnay Bankston.
I live in Richmond, Texas, in heart of Tom DeLay's old district.  It's crazy here.  No, seriously, it's triple z crazzzy.

I used to be an independent voter, but that all changed when I got to know a few local Republicans.  They are meaner than 10 acres of snakes and have the ethical compass of a bank robber. 

So, I decided that they could just Kiss My Big Blue Butt.

A lot of what I post here has to do with local politics, but you probably have the same folks in your local government.

This ain't a blog.  Blogs are way too trendy for me.  I've been doing this since 1992, so I'm used to it even if you ain't. 

Email me and I'll find a place to put it if I like it.