Recently in Politics Category

For the first time, Brazil has elected a woman President. Dilma Rousseff  represents the left-of-center Worker's Party.(Above--Ms. Rousseff making a speech.)Here is a profile of Ms. Rousseff from the BBC.From the BBC---"Ms Rousseff has a somewhat brusque manner and is reputed to have a short temper - attributes that have, perhaps unsurprisingly, led to her being dubbed the Iron Lady. Dilma Rousseff was born in 1947 and grew up in an upper middle class household in...

Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was held today in Washington, DC and estimates place the number of participants at as many as 6 million, more than double those who attended President Obama's inauguration in January, 2009.  The two rallies drew the record crowds as inspired participants from all over the country were bound and determined to put the Tea Partiers in their place as also-runs with their lame "whites-only"...

Here are my endorsements for the 2010 general election.(Above--The red is the City of Houston within Harris County, Texas.  In the upper right is Harris County in Texas.)Where possible, I am voting the straight Democratic ticket.In the case of the office of the State Comptroller, I am voting for Green candidate Edward Lindsay. There is no Democrat in this race. If the Green gets 5% in this race, then Greens get automatic ballot access in Texas...

I've said many of these it seems like a million times, but it seems we always need to be reminded. Some of these are going to hit rather close to home and some will even punch me in the gut. We are all guilty of at least one or two of these general rules. I will try to come up with ten, but I can't make any promises.1. We all want what is best for...

Last night, a group of Rand Paul goons assaulted a Move-On supporter protesting Paul's support of the corporatization of the Republican party.  Paul was arriving at his debate with oppponent Jack Conway in Lexington, Kentucky when Lauren Valle approached his with a sign that said "RepubliCorp Employee of the Month".  She was either tripped or shoved to the ground by a large middle aged male supporter, who then stomped on her head before being called...

Loren Jackson is running for reelection to the position of Harris County District Clerk.(Above--Mr. Jackson with moon walking astronaut Eugene Cernan.)Here is the official web page of the District Clerk so you can study what this office does for the people of Harris County.Here is how the Houston Chronicle describes the office---"The duties of this office include summoning jurors for the district and county criminal courts, maintaining court records, preparing daily court dockets and receiving child...

Bear with me here as I use a tired sports analogy to describe the Obama presidency. The George W. Bush presidency could be easily paralleled by the Matt Millen era with the Detroit Lions. NFL insiders were literally laughing at most of Millen's moves as the Lions have enjoyed a decade of dubious performances. Recent drafts have improved the team since he has been gone, but it will be a long road back. The no...

Let's take a few recent news items and play a game called "Show Me The Change" or "What Would President McCain Have Done Differently?"The Obama administration is working on legislation to expand the government's wiretapping and surveillance capabilities. What would President McCain have done differently? Nothing.The Obama administration has asked the Supreme Court to hear a case which, if overturned by the Supremes (a lead pipe cinch), would grant former Attorney General Ashcroft, and by...

Jeff Weems is running strong to be our next Railroad Commissioner in Texas.(Above---Mr. Weems on the campaign trail.)Here is what the Texas Railroad Commission does as described on it's web page---"The Railroad Commission has primary regulatory jurisdiction over oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas & hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, and coal & uranium surface mining operations. The Commission is responsible for research & education to promote the...

Here is a "which of these is less like the other" game.Today's game focuses on the race for Harris County Judge Executive.We'll warm up for the main act with a test question featuring the train cars you see above.  I took this picture yesterday in the area of Navigation Blvd. in Houston.Which of these three train cars is less like the other two?We can see that the one in the middle is the only one...