I met Scarlett P. when he was at CC3. Not at all what I expected, but in a good way. Quiet, understated.
Cool pics of anti-Bush signs in Texas if you follow the link. I wonder how long those signs lasted. Imagine the scene that probably too with them being found by a car full of rednecks. yikes!
Digby examines the pundit class’ Pathological Fear Of Hippies
The political issues were just a small part of why people voted for Nixon both times and why the political establishment moved to the right (as the culture itself grew ever more liberal.) Broder and his pals’ facile rendering of that history has pretty much crippled liberalism for almost 40 years and it’s long past time that we ignored those who persist in perpetuating it.
My conservative Texas neighbor still uses “hippy” as a generic term of disdain for anything he doesn’t like — generally political stuff, but not exclusively. Anything out of his scope of experience, dirty, eccentric, contrary to his idea of middle America — which he thinks is personified in the Waco atmosphere, apparently. It really pisses me off.
You really shouldn’t vote for the Kinkster no matter how funny you think it would be to have a guitar-playing “Jewish Cowboy” for Gov. Enough with the damn cowboys already. Let’s let someone who believes in government run things for a while. M’kay?.
Van Taylor wants you to know
Van is mad at Murtha for something he didn’t actually say. The Miami Sun-Sentinel misquoted him and no one checked the quote (sounds like bloggers have taken over, doesn’t it?) before running with it.
Van Taylor, the Republican candidate for the District 17 House seet, and the only R candidate who is an Iraq vet, is joining the swiftboating of John Murtha for his poistion on the war.
Of course the whole campaign is politically motivated and fueled by lies and distortion — else it wouldn’t be “swiftboating” but of course we can’t count on the media to clarify things for voters.
Fortunately, there’s a local blogger who takes on this task for the district. Nate Nance publishes the blog Common Sense, and tirelessly covers this race. If you live in this area, you should bookmark Common Sense and check it regularly. If you have local news that Nate might be interested in writing about, he’s got his email posted. And of course, use his comments to get a local dialog started — a civil, respectfull one, of course, regardless of your political persuasion..
This area has been going through a period of reflection and reassessment in the past few years about its rather dark racist history — well some folks in these parts are frantically resisting any reflection and reassessment, but they are the usual suspects who are always on the wrong side of history.
This interview with, Patricia Bernstein, the author of one of the two recent books that looked at this issue was inteviewed by the Waco Trib and, though much too brief a discussion, it does reveal quite a lot about local attitudes and in/action on the matter.
From Q and A with Patrica Bernstein: Of Waco, lynchings and the need for community healing
[…] it’s pretty amazing it took this long to get the whole story told and somebody didn’t do it sooner. One of the sources I used was a master’s thesis written at Baylor University in the 1970s by a gentleman whose aunt actually witnessed the Jesse Washington lynching. He had been interested in it ever since he heard her story, and his professors tried to discourage him from writing the thesis because they thought it was too negative and too inflammatory and they just didn’t see the point. But I think this is a story that long needed to be told, not just because it is an atrocity but also because of the heroism involved.
We also learn that a screenplay is being written from the book, which I would love to see be produced into a film. It would be a great vehicle for an actress to portray a relatively unknown heroine, suffragist Elisabeth Freeman and bring more attention to her life of activism. Freeman’s anti-lynching organizing with the NAACP is described here.
Dmoz is just the greatest thing on the web; if you like Wikipedia, you will love the Open Directory Project!
Now it has expanded and includes Chef Moz, a open-directory dining guide. Very cool.
But, again, the Waco area is sorely in need of some content. McGregor blogger Nate needs to add a review of Texas Coffee and Tea, since he loves the place. But, this is precious, Crawford is listed with it’s one real restaurant, which has 10 reviews.
Yikes! If you want to know how lame and uncool Waco is, check this out.
Update: I may need to lighten up; it looks like the Waco list only just started this month. Someone probably made an effort to get it going, so kudos to them, whoever they are. If you are in or around Waco, sign up and post stuff. It’s a great community resource for info, is free and, once it gets going with content, a lot of fun. The rants are the best — check out the best of links, which will remedy your boredom.
From the Trib:
Scnes from movie about ’70s drug smuggling operation to be shot in McGregor
This is kinda cool: A town a few miles from Crawford will be in a movie starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duval. The story is about the biggest marijuana smuggling operation in US history. One of the pilots, who was unaware of what he was involved in, wrote and self-published a book on the story, which made it to the NYT bestseller list (I love to see that happen).
I think I’ll try to contact Jones and Duval about doing a fundraiser for the Peace House. Jones, I’m pretty sure is liberal; he was Al Gore’s college roommate and they’ve remained friends — or so I read back during the 2000 campaign. Worth a shot.
In many campaigns across this country this year, you hear of candidates running as fast as they can from the disaster in Iraq and the president who got us into it. But not in Bush Country.
Van Taylor, a Iraq War vet who wants to unseat Democrat Chet Edwards, must not have got the memo, or doesn’t think the folks around here are feeling the way Americans elsewhere are. He’s running hard on his vet status, and says he will be a War Senator, so sorely needed to help Bush, the War President. This rather curious stategy is probably his only recourse, though, since he has no other discernable qualifications for office and isn’t even from around here — apparently something pretty important to the locals (I’m new myself and that’s what I hear — I think it has something to do with college football).
Today’s Waco Trib included the following guest editorial by Waco resident Hal Ritter on Taylor’s battle plan for getting elected in George W. Bush’s congressional district. Ritter doesn’t seem to think Taylor’s paying attention either.
Interestingly, though the Trib found the piece worthy of publishing on their editorial page, they did not think it quite worthwhile enough to make available on their web site. Since their guest column is basically a long letter to the editor that got promoted, and all the lte’s are printed — even the absolutely idiotic ones that blame CBS for the death of their Iraq crew — this makes no sense whatsoever. But then this is Waco; they do things there own damn way down here, in case you haven’t heard. At any rate, I paste in full, with no link, and no apology to the Trib.
So now warriors are needed?
Why is Van Taylor’s military past more important than others? (more…)
I finally got new glasses today. I’ve needed them for a long time, but couldn’t afford to get them. It got to the point of emergency, as I was getting headaches added to the annoyance of not being able to see much of anything close up.
But I got progressive bifocal lenses, and I’m now thinking I made a big mistake. Only a small area in the center of my line of sight is in focus. Everything else is way worse than it was with my old glasses. They say it takes time for your eyes to get used this arrangement, but I’m feeling very anxious about my decision.
Historical perspective: I was nearsighted for years and started wearing glasses when I was 10 or so. As I got older, my eyes gradually became farsighted. Nearsighted is way better.
Oh, and though I like the frames, they don’t fit right. I had the woman work on them for 15 minutes but she didn’t seem able to adjust them properly and I didn’t want her to keep bending them if she didn’t know what she was doing.
Shit, now I’m really depressed. I can only see in a tiny pinpoint. I feel like my world just shrunk by about 90%. And for a progressive living in Waco, Texas, this is not a good situation.
Texas is raising the speed limit to 80 mph on some roads because that’s what 85% of drivers are going anyway.
Many Texans are all over this immigration debate, outraged that folks from countries south of us are coming into the US without papers, or “illegally.”
So, I suggest that instead of creating yet more fuel inefficiency (among other disadvantages of faster driving), that these “illegal drivers” be returned home, forced to stay there, have their vehicle taken away, and be stiffly fined.
I started getting the Waco Trib this week (well, the weekend editions anyway) and will try to write about more local issues on this blog. There are not too many lefty blogs in the Heart of Texas, so it’s a necessary public service.
Today there’s an article about the local MCC church, a gay/lesbian friendly denomination that, in conservative towns like Waco, are usually the core of the GLBT community.
I’m not Christian, or even religious, but I appreciate what MCC does for gays and lesbians, giving them a place where they can express their spirituality without shame or guilt, and of course it also provides social activities, resources for community service and even on occassion a political nudge. It’s a black eye on the rest of the Christians that this ghettoization was necessary in the first place, but overall it’s been a good thing for gays and lesbians by changing the focus of the community’s attention, to some extent, from the bar scene (and other even less productive venues).
The Waco church is having a celebratory reception for MCC founder Troy Perry — whom I met in Florida a few years back — even as I type this, and a dinner tonight which I will try to get to.
I do have one small criticism of CenTex MCC, though. They should have named themselves HOT (Heart of Texas, as the greater area around Waco is known) MCC, because that would be a lot more fun than CenTex, which sounds like a type of stretchy fabric or a condom brand. Seriously, it sounds very corporate, not religious. I’m betting the boys in the church have a much better, affectionate, nickname for their church. If I go tonight, maybe I will find out what it is!
Good story in the Nation about Cindy.
Her trajectory to activism is a morality tale she regularly relates, especially during her frequent speeches on college campuses. “What kept me from speaking out in the beginning was the sense that I couldn’t make a difference,” she says, noting that she saw millions of people around the world protesting the war in February 2003. “And George Bush responded by saying, I don’t have to listen to ‘focus groups,’ and marched into Iraq.”
Now she puts her apathy into a larger context. “I think the people in power want you to feel helpless, because if we all find our voice, our power, we really can make a lasting difference in this country,” she says. “I think we have almost two-thirds of Americans opposed to the war today, and these people just need to find their voices.”
Diane Wilson, An American Hero
KW: Everyone who reads your story is overwhelmed by your courage and boldness. For instance, it must not have been easy being the first woman to run a shrimp boat by yourself. Was it the feminist movement that gave you the idea that you could do that?
Diane Wilson: The feminist movement has not made it to the Gulf of Mexico. Never seen that movement. I became a boat captain because I loved the water and had been on a boat since I was eight. I captained the boat by myself because I liked being alone. Probably if I had a male deckhand on the boat he would have tried to gain control over the wheel. Running a boat isn’t that hard. Just takes doing. Most or all women I ever knew were discouraged from running boats, but it was too late with me.
DNA frees jailed man 18 years later - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com
DALLAS - A man who spent 18 years behind bars for allegedly attacking a woman in her home has been released after DNA testing excluded him as the attacker.
“I don’t know how to apologize. I don’t know where to start, but I’ll start with me and ‘I’m sorry,â€â€™ District Judge John Creuzot said Monday as he released Gregory Wallis, now 47. Creuzot was not involved in the original trial.
Wallis was a 29-year-old warehouse worker when he was convicted in 1988 of burglary with intent to commit sexual assault and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
[snip]
At some point these DNA exoneration stories are going to reach a critical mass, one would hope, and changes will be made in the system, including the elimination of the death penalty altogether. But in the meantime, we can all wonder just how many innocent people are sitting in prison, their lives and families irrevocably harmed.
While wondering, hop over to Amnesty or NCADP and show some love.
Hattip to JMBZine.
News on the Kinky Friedman for Governor campaign, a fairly positive profile in the Austin Chronicle, and a rather disconcerting report in the Dallas Morning News (see BugMeNot to bypass compulsory registration in both papers) , in which the Kinkster is quoted as saying that he rarely goes to the polls, but managed to vote for George W. Bush in 2004.
I’ve been somewhat queasily supporting Kinky, because I think his independent candidacy can help raise awareness about the grossly unfair ballot access laws in Texas, but his going for W in 2004 indicates a real lack of moral fiber, not to mention decent judgement of people (note the “humorous” quote about how Bush is a good man trapped in a Republican body). I appreciate honesty, and I think Kinky is refreshingly honest, but being honest, and being committed to justice, are very different things. He should have sat out voting in 2004 as well — or refrained from making a selection in the presidential race.
I will try to get a fuller version of his statement on this, since it’s possible that it’s out of context, or miscontrued, or simply wrong — or disinformation from the Democratic camp or elsewhere. But I cannot responsibly support him if this is confirmed by his campaign. There may be little chance of him winning and becoming governor, but I’d like to know that the person I vote for, if elected, is a member of the “reality-based community” and no one who willfully voted for George Bush, a known quantity, in 2004, can claim to be one.
This is a hoot!
Willie Nelson Releases Gay Cowboy Song
“Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)” may be the first gay cowboy song by a major recording artist. But it was written long before this year’s Oscar-nominated “Brokeback Mountain” made gay cowboys a hot topic.
Available exclusively through iTunes, the song features choppy Tex-Mex style guitar runs and Nelson’s deadpan delivery of lines like, “What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?” and “Inside every cowboy there’s a lady who’d love to slip out.”
The song, which debuted Tuesday on Howard Stern’s satellite radio show …
Ok, my head just exploded!
Update:
Towleroad has some more info, which makes the story all the more interesting. Seems an old friend and employee of Willie’s came out to him, prompting him to dig out the song and release it. What a nice gift and public statement of support. Love ya, Willie! Texas needs more native sons like you.
Update 2:
Via Pam’s House Blend, see Law Dork’s full history of the song, which did not, in fact, just fall out of the “closet.”
Jane at FireDogLake points to a story about another Texas hunting accident. Seems the name of the hunter in this case was Hispanic, and guess what? They threw the book at him.
She also recounts how MSGOP’s Dan Abrams is the all knowing judge and jury on Cheney’s “incident.”
Donna Howard was the candidate supported by the lefty blogs in Texas. I don’t know much about her, but her opponent is indirectly tied to the Delay scandal. So hopes are strong that her 58-42 win Tuesday is a precursor to more liberals/progressives taking office in Texas this year. But this district is in west Austin, so hard to tell.
The bad news is that the Texas House is still 85-64 in favor of Republicans. Good luck, Donna, you’re gonna need it.
Report from the Austin Statesman:
Howard wins House race
Howard, 54, is a former Eanes school board member and critical-care nurse. She stressed her Austin roots, which trace back to childhood, and her work with various organizations on education issues. Howard showed a keen interest in school finance questions by twice sitting through Senate hearings on the issue, even in the height of the runoff.
She played up her opposition to vouchers that would send students to private schools with public dollars, and she plainly stated that intelligent design, which holds that life is so complex that it must have been guided by some outside intelligence, should not be taught in public schools. She called on the state to pick up a much larger share of the burden of paying for public schools, specifically through an expanded business tax.
Grabbed a late lunch today at an established chinese buffet, Chinese Kitchen, on Valley Mills, and after doing some shopping (including food and supplies for my new canine companion) had a quick dessert and coffee at a new coffeehouse, the Coffee Grinder, at 824 Hewitt Dr.
Chinese Kitchen has a cozier atmosphere than the Summer Palace, which I have also been to a couple of times now. Both have a good variety of entrees, including non-chinese items. Chinese Kitchen had warm, fresh servings, even in the middle of the afternoon, unlike Summer Palace.
During my first visit to Chinese Kitchen, I liked the fried oysters, but today, they were made special for our party, perhaps in a rush, and I actually didn’t enjoy them due to the oysters being a bit slimy. But their Lo Mein Noodles are really fantastic — I could really just have that each time and be happy. The rice noodles are also excellent. I also had Pepper Beef (?) and while it was a tad spicier than I prefer, it was tasty. The Sesame Ball was an odd thing, and I took one bite and left the rest. Not bad, but not for me (what’s in there anyway?)
I had Vanilla Cake for dessert — not really a cake, more like a firm pudding — which I really recommend. It’s a light, not too sweet confection that is appropriate when you’ve really already eaten too much.
At Coffee Grinder I had to ask what a gelatoria was and the young, friendly staff answered my question without making me feel like an idiot; I appreciate that since I guess I’m the last to know about this particular food treat. It’s Italian ice cream. But they didn’t have any, as the place is new and the freezer isn’t working. Probably better for a warm day, anyway. So, today, I had a slice of key lime pie, which was really perfect, very smooth, not too tart, not too sweet. I got a cup of Moka Java (yes, that’s how they spell it), one of the daily featured blends, but wasn’t impressed with it. Could have been smoother and mokier.
The prices for the coffee drinks here are quite reasonable, so I’ll definitely be back by there, as the Hewitt area is where I do most of my Waco shopping.
By the way, these reports of my food experiences should not be interpreted as anything but personal accounts of where I’ve eaten and how I felt about it. I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a food critic, or even especially adventuresome.
Steve’s take on a MSM Wall-Street-themed take on blogs. You can count on him for a reality check. To the writer (of the NY Metro feature), blog readers are simply consumers, and blogdom is designed by Christof.
He references the dotcom disaster (and before that, I remember all the hoopla about the Japanese business model, that was going to leave us all in the dust), and all the CW about where that was going, as a cautionary tale. So have no fear about the Wal-Martization of blogs.
As one of his commenters stated:
What makes Gilliard solid, in my opinion, is his ruthless allergy to bullshit, his eye for creative abuse and his ability to caption his abuse (the better shots of the ongoing Stop Snitching “portraits” deserve framing IMO.) If Gilliard turns into a whiner or a panderer we will all leave his whining, pandering ass in the dust. He probably wouldn’t have it any other way.
What non-bloggers don’t understand is how time-consuming and difficult blogging is. Those who make it to the so-called A-list, usually do so because they work extremely hard and take it very seriously.
This is a new medium still in its infancy, but it has already changed the way information is produced and distributed. It has the potential to spread democracy in a viral way in which no tank, bullet or bomb can come close.
I am perfectly content to be a C-list (more like Z-list, but the NY Metro writer assumes only three levels to his heirarchical flowchart) blogger. My blog will not have advertising, unless it’s for items like books or films that promote my bigger agenda. It is an adjunct to my organizing work, and I think at this point I can safely say I won’t be selling out to on that score.
Right now, this blog is about progressive politics and the greater Waco, Texas, area known as “The Heart of Texas,” with a little science, food and personal diversions thrown in for seasoning. Not really a recipe for “success” as defined by Blogshares.
Update:
Peter Daou surveys the left side of blogland.
The attempt to marginalize progressive bloggers as part of an angry, unwashed, irrational mob is in full swing, but truth-telling has a self-sustaining power. Bloggers will continue to cut through the fabricated storylines, providing clarity, sanity, honesty, and an abiding loyalty to the Constitution and to the principles our country is founded upon.
History will look kindly on them.
And Reddhedd at FireDogLake takes the next logical step:
It seems to me that we have reached a point where things are moving up to a whole new level of discourse among progressives around the blogoverse. The question is: what direction do we take things from here? Now that is a question worth pondering, isn’t it?
In searching for death penalty info in Texas, I cound about about the brutal attack on Jesse Washington, a black man, possibly retarded, by whites in Waco — a story most of the locals apparently would rather forget.
But a couple of recent books and newspaper articles feature the story of the lynching, and there seems to be a movement afoot to get the event memorialized, as a symbolic gester of reconciliation, seems not too much to ask.
If I wasn’t already committed to going to Oklahoma next week, I’d probably go to this geeky extravaganza.
I’m new to Waco, and can barely find my way from one end of town to the other, but I will remember the way to Mama Baris, an Italian restaurant that opened in Hewitt on Jan. 10.
This is my first restaurant review, and it won’t be anything fancy. But I’m working now, and able to go out to eat occasionally, so will be on the prowl for good, but inexpensive, food.
I had the Eggplant Parmigiana the fist time I went to Mama Baris. It was fantastic, with the eggplant cooked just right, and a perfect balance of eggplant, pasta, cheese and sauce.
Last night I had eaten dinner, so after catching a movie, my companion and I stopped by. He had a meal, Fetticini Alfredo with chicken, which he got with a side of sauce. Apparently he really likes sauce; it really had enough to start with. At any rate, he said it was excellent.
I saved myself for a sinful dessert, but couldn’t resist the Garlic Bread with Cheese and Tomatoes. This was good, but some of the tomatoes were quite green and I had to remove them. I was sorry that there was no bread sticks to have with some of the Baris family secret sauce.
I also enjoyed the Tiramisu (sp?), although it did not come up to the dessert I remember from The Garden Restaurant in St. Petersburg. It was basically ice cream.
The staff is very friendly and helpful at Mama Baris, though all I saw were quite young. I did have to get a little over the top to get my coffee cup refilled the first time by an employee talking on a cell phone, but after that, had no complaints.
The bill was under $20 for the two of us. I also like that the place was open until 10 pm (on Friday, at least), making it a good place to go after an early evening movie, without being rushed.
I have no qualms about recommending Mama Baris to anyone who loves Italian.
The Waco Trib Review: Mama Baris brings sizzle of Italy to Central Texas
I moved to the Waco area from the Oklahoma City Metro, home of “the worst newspaper in America“(CJR).
The Waco Trib is slightly better, which instead of a failing grade of 20 on the journalism test, it gets a failing grade of 40.
The star student in the class who skews the curve is editorial columnist John Young, and of course, the local no-nothings rail at every turn against him and his even having a job at the Trib.
Here’s an example of why Young drives the Bush ite fanatics over the edge: A million little evasions
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