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  • A Petty DA
    February 3, 2012

    From the front page of today’s Chron:

    After denying any investigation into the grand jurors who for six months investigated her office, Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos disclosed that she directed her chief investigator to run “a cursory Internet search.”

    Meanwhile, sources say an investigation by the DA’s office into grand jurors, two judges and a political opponent of Lykos was ongoing during the grand jury’s probe.  

    Here is the Chron piece.

    I’ve said before that Commentary likes the Harris County DA but now I have to admit that she is petty and on some sort of power trip.  That’s too bad because we expect better from this office.   We want a Harris County District Attorney not a Harris County Intimidator. 

    “It started out as a problem with a small number of unscrupulous auto shops,” said Byron Rusk, vice president of the Houston Automotive Service Association and owner of RMS Auto Care. “They’ve created this monstrosity that is going to be bad for consumers, bad for drivers and bad for businesses.”

    We’re talking about the City of H-Town fixing to do some more “regulating.”  Is this really necessary?  Check out the Chron story.

    This proposal is being driven by insurance companies and mega auto repair shops that hope to drive the smaller shops out of business.   This is bad public policy in the making.   The folks over at City Hall need to focus on the important things like police and fire safety, picking up garbage, filling potholes, and keeping parks clean.  Memo to H-Town City Hall:  Pay attention to what happened last November at the ballot box!  Don’t give the other side any more ammo!

    Super Bowl 46 is being played in Indianapolis this Sunday. Indianapolis only has two major professional sports franchises – the Colts and the Pacers.  In baseball, they have the Triple A Indianapolis Indians.  The Indians are the affiliate of what MLB team?

    The City of Austin City Council is elected city wide.  They don’t have single member districts.  They are thinking about going the single member district route.  Check out from today’s Statesman:

    Most of the dozens of Austinites who testified at the meetings said that their neighborhoods are ignored by the City Council and that district representatives are badly needed. Many speakers pushed for the “10-1″ plan — 10 district seats and a citywide mayor — that eight of the committee members preferred Thursday night.

    Here is the Statesman article.

    Commentary was involved back in 1979 when we went to the nine districts and five at-large council members system.  Of course, the biggest difference was a more diverse City Council.  Another huge change was the empowerment of neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations.  That’s not a bad thing at all if you ask me.

    You have to hand it to the policy makers over at Komen.  They stepped in it big time.  What were they thinking?  That pink ribbon will never look the same to many.  When I go to The Yard this spring when the players are using pink bats, pink sweatbands, and the team is handing out pink lids and pink jerseys, there will be this bad cloud or vibe hanging around.  That’s too bad!

    This Sunday I’m looking forward to the Super Bowl ads, Madonna, and a close game.

    The Indianapolis Indians are the Triple A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates of course.

    The ‘Stro announce yesterday that Fanfest will be held next Saturday, Feb. 11.


  • The Best of Mitt …..
    February 2, 2012

    Here are Mitt’s quotes of late:

     

    “I’m not concerned about the very poor.”

     

    “I’ll tell you what. 10,000 bucks? Ten-thousand-dollar bet?”

     

    ‘Look, we can’t have illegals working on our property. I’m running for office, for Pete’s sake. I can’t have illegals.’”

     

    “Corporations are people, my friend.”

    None of the above was said out of context.  Let’s go back to read what he said yesterday about poor folks.  This is what he said initially:

    “And, by the way, I’m in this race because I care about Americans.  I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. “

    And then he said the same thing again in the same interview but kind of changed a few words:

    “But my campaign is focused on middle income Americans. My campaign – you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That’s not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That’s not my focus.”

    The above is definitely not being said out of context.  Mitt is not interested in helping poor people get out from being poor.

    Poor folks don’t want to stay poor with a Prez ready to fix the safety net.  They want to get out of being poor so they don’t need a safety net.

    Even conservative commentators jumped on Mitt:

    “The most idiotic thing a politician has ever said” and “Romney has to stop handing Obama weapons that can be used against him.”

    This MLB Hall of Fame great is celebrating his 89th BD today.  He won a World Serious ring playing for San Luis and another ring playing for the Braves.  He also won a World Serious ring as a Skipper and two more as a coach.  Who am I talking about?

    The Texas Democratic Party put this out yesterday after the DC Court announced it could take 30 days to get a ruling:   While TDP continues to prefer a unified primary, TDP does not oppose holding the Presidential Election only in April in so far as the state agrees to cover the additional cost. As long as the state continues to oppose reimbursing the cost of the split election, TDP opposes a split election.

    I hope they are not saying this just so Dems can hold their state convention.  A split Dem Primary will put a hurt on voter turnout.  Dems need to be about getting more voters engaged and not worried about a state convention that has already been scheduled.  Fact of the matter is we don’t even have a contested race for president on the Dem side. 

    My pal Bill King ended his piece in the Chron today with the following:

    Many have attributed the city’s current budgetary difficulties to the recession and have suggested that as soon as the economy improves, the city’s budget problems will go away. Not a chance. Certainly the economic downturn had an effect. But that effect was mostly to halt the growth in revenues, not significantly reduce them.

    The city budget problems are structural, not cyclical. The longer we wait to address those, the more fiscal pain we are going to feel.

    The city’s Long Range Financial Management Task Force is scheduled to make its report next week. Let’s hope it will suggest a path out of the current fiscal morass in which the city finds itself.

    Here is Bill’s piece.

    Do folks at the H-Town City Hall even pay attention to what Bill says about City finances?

    Hall of Fame great Red Schoendienst of course won a World Serious ring as a member of San Luis in 1946, one as a Brave in 1957, one as the Skipper for San Luis in 1967, and twice as a San Luis coach in 1964 and 1982.  Happy Birthday Red Schoendienst!

    Crime hit close to home very early this morning.  Somebody purposely drove their car through the Fiesta store wall a block away so they could steal cash and prescriptions drugs – yikes!

    I don’t have anything from The Yard today.

     

     


  • Politicizing the Grand Jury
    February 1, 2012

    I like the Harris County DA but she needs to learn to keep her piehole shut every now and then and yesterday was one of those days to keep it shut.  The grand jury that was investigating her office announced yesterday that no indictments would be issued but took a shot at her office for the tactics they used including investigating the grand jurors – allegedly.  The DA shot back with this:

    "This politically motivated investigation, I would submit to you, is an outrage.  It’s an abuse of power and a corruption of the criminal justice system. For months our office has been hounded, and there have been a torrent of grand jury leaks."

    That was absolutely the wrong thing to say.  She should have said something along the lines of:

    “I want to thank the grand jury for their service.  I disagree with their characterization but it is now time to move forward.”

    End of story right?  Nope!  She is facing a GOP primary opponent so she is going to try to malign the grand jury.  That’s going to be tough because the grand jury is seen a citizen volunteer body.  She’s seen as a politician seeking reelection.    It also doesn’t help her that one of her assistant DAs took the “fifth.”   Stay tuned!  Check out the Chron story here.

    The Harris County DA isn’t exactly getting folks excited about serving on future grand juries.  Who in the heck wants to get their arses investigated for serving and asking tough questions?

    Veteran pitcher Livian Hernandez signed on with the ‘Stros yesterday.  In 1997 as a member of the Fish, Hernandez was named the World Serious MVP after the Fish took Cleveland in seven games.  Hernandez was the starter for Games 1 and 5 and won both.  Name the pitcher that started Games 1 and 5 for the Indians and lost both games?

    Commentary is not a fan of the NFL All Star Game, err Pro Bowl.  They don’t go all out like they do at the MLB All Star game and I don’t blame them because they could get hurt.  Packer QB great Aaron Rodgers called out his NFC teammates yesterday for slacking off this past Sunday and getting routed by the AFC Pro Bowlers, 59-41.    Check out the story here.    Maybe they just ought to make it a flag football game, otherwise just do away with it. 

    I’m not going to say nothing about Newt’s sore loser speech last night. 

    I’m also not going to say anything about 43’s mouthpiece saying last night on CNN that bringing up Mitt’s dog Shamus’ famous ride on top of the family station wagon in a kennel cage wasn’t an issue in a presidential campaign.  Huh!  David Axelrod, The President’s Senior Campaign Advisor, sent out a picture of The President and First Pooch Bo riding in the presidential limo with a note saying this is how “loving owners transport their dogs” – ouch!  I don’t think 43’s mouthpiece has been in a Petsmart lately. Folks can get very serious about their pets. 

    Orel Hershiser of course started and lost Games 1 and 5 of the 1997 World Serious and that’s all I have from The Yard!

     


  • Slipping Off of the Same Page
    January 31, 2012

    I don’t know if this settlement on the maps is going to happen before next Monday.  It is kind of tough to get all or some to agree and work off of the same page and playbook.  Here is from the SA Express News:

    Luis Vera, representing the League of United Latin American Citizens, said talks “broke down” between the Texas attorney general’s office and plaintiffs groups Sunday.

    He said that if he had to bet, he wouldn’t put money on an agreement being hammered out by Monday, the deadline set by the San Antonio panel of judges for all sides to agree on maps if they want an April 3 primary.

    And:

    Gary Bledsoe, an attorney for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which has worked closely with LULAC on the case, said it’s important that the groups stand together as they seek maps that reflect Texas’ minority growth.

    “We want to see a package that is good for Latinos and the African American community,” he said Monday afternoon.

    Here is the entire SA Express News piece.

    Here is where it might get problematic and this is from the Statesman:

    Representatives for other plaintiff groups also didn’t want to speak publicly because of the delicate nature of the ongoing negotiations. But there has been some chatter among the groups that lawyers for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, two of the main plaintiffs driving the litigation, have been talking to the state without other groups.

    Though he didn’t name any groups in particular, Vera said some of the state’s lawyers were offering some plaintiffs’ lawyers deals that would benefit Latino groups but might be seen as detrimental to African American plaintiffs.

    Vera said a major obstacle is that the state isn’t involving all parties in the negotiations. Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, which is among the plaintiffs, said the state was mainly negotiating with MALDEF and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.

    Bledsoe said unanimous agreement among the nine isn’t required for the court to accept a deal. He said he believes that there is a "reasonable chance" the state could work out a deal with two or three of the groups but that the odds of getting total consensus are longer.

    Here is the entire Statesman piece.

    This could still get a little dicey and the trust factor among plaintiffs will certainly be tested.  Like I said yesterday, who will draw the short straw?  You better stay tuned!

    This MLB Hall of Fame great is no longer with and was born 93 years ago today.  He won NL Rookie of the Year in 1947 and NL MVP in 1949.  This MLB Hall of Fame great is still with us and was born 81 years ago today.  He won the NL MVP in 1958 and 1959.  This MLB Hall of Fame great is also still with us and was born 65 years ago today.  He was a pitcher and won 324 career games.  Name the three?

    Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune put out a piece yesterday on Lone Star State Dems and when Dems might win statewide again.
    Check it out.  I like this line of his:

    If this were high school football, we’d move the Texas Democrats into a lower league with smaller schools where they might be more competitive.

    Like maybe 3A Division ball is more to our liking!

    A local African American couple is claiming that HPD officers roughed them up this past weekend and even stole their memory card from their cell phone to destroy the video of them getting filmed.   Check out the Chron piece.
    I’ll say this.  If CM Jolanda Jones was still around she’d probably have a lot to say about this at City Council this afternoon.  Oh, well!

    Hall of Fame great Jackie Robinson was born 93 years ago today, Ernie “Let’s Play Two” Banks was born 81 years ago today, and Nolan Ryan of course was born 65 years ago today.  How about that! 

    It didn’t take long for the new ‘Stros owner to take the name change off of the table. 

     


  • Let’s Make a Deal?
    January 30, 2012

    The federal judges are saying a deal has to be cut by next Monday (Feb. 6) if we want to hold the primaries on April 3.  Commentary can’t remember the last time the Dems and GOPers cut a deal on anything here in the Lone Star State.  It would mean that both sides would have to give up something very political.  Now that is interesting.  It is kind of like giving up one of their own.  Who draws the short straw?

    All the different plaintiffs on the Dem side would have to agree on who or what to give up – nice!  There would have to be some winners and maybe some that didn’t win.

    Of course, folks don’t have to cut a deal.  They can roll the dice so to speak and have the election delayed until June.  Some of the party activists and leaders from both sides are getting a little nervous because a June primary would mess up the scheduled June state party conventions.

    If both sides agree to cut a deal, don’t do it to save the state conventions.  If a deal is going to be cut to save an April 3 election, then I hope they can at least show some substantive political gains for the folks that sued and for the communities that were discriminated against.  Stay tuned!

    Lefty Zach Duke signed on with the ‘Stros last week.  In his rookie year as a Pirate in 2005, Duke ended up in fifth place for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.  Who won the award that year and who was the runner-up?

    Commentary and my pal Joe Householder got some run in the Washington Post this past Saturday.  The subject matter of the piece was Guv Dude’s return to the Lone Star State.   Joe had the best line if you ask me:

    “You’ve got a situation where the 800-pound gorilla just did a season on ‘Biggest Loser,’ ” said Democratic strategist Joe Householder of Houston-based Purple Strategies. “But now he’s a 300-pound gorilla,” and that’s still not a house pet.

    CEWDEM put out the piece this past Saturday.   BTW:  There haven’t been many Dude sightings to speak of since he got home. 

    In 2005, Ryan Howard of course of the Phillies won the NL Rookie of the Year Award.  Willie Taveras of the ‘Stros was runner-up.   Taveras hasn’t played in the bigs since 2010.

    Zach Duke’s career won-loss record is 48-74 and he has a 4.56 career ERA.  I don’t know about that.