Podcasts about diaryid

We will be joined for a special session with Bob Moser who wrote Blue Dixie: Awakening the South's Democratic Majority. We will talk to Bob about his book as well as his thoughts on the changing landscape of Southern politics after the 2008 elections.Bob Moser is an awarding winning political correspondent who has written for a number of publications. Bob has chronicled Southern Politics for nearly two decades.To read more about Blue Dixie: Here is an interview at Firedog Lake - http://firedoglake.com/2008/08/16/fdl-book-salon-welcomes-bob-moser-blue-dixie/And here are our thoughts on the book: http://www.progressiveelectorate.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=700

We will be joined for a special session with Bob Moser who wrote Blue Dixie: Awakening the South's Democratic Majority. We will talk to Bob about his book as well as his thoughts on the changing landscape of Southern politics after the 2008 elections.Bob Moser is an awarding winning political correspondent who has written for a number of publications. Bob has chronicled Southern Politics for nearly two decades.To read more about Blue Dixie: Here is an interview at Firedog Lake - http://firedoglake.com/2008/08/16/fdl-book-salon-welcomes-bob-moser-blue-dixie/And here are our thoughts on the book: http://www.progressiveelectorate.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=700

Abe analyzes what makes something "pure Bush" - that special blend of dis-ingenuity and blunder unsullied by his more eloquent handlers. Did you ever check out NNDB - an amazing tool to find the hidden connections between the wealthy elite in government, Hollywood and corporate America. Neat!

Abe recaps the week in Bush... Why Bush should stand trial for capital crimes.

On The Difficulty Of Writing, Or, The War Hits Home by: fake consultant I do not want to write this story, and I have been stuck for about ten days because I do not want to face the reality of this particular situation. But here it is. Last Friday was the day The Girlfriend and I had to travel to Fort Lewis, Washington, to attend the military departure ceremony for one of our two godsons. He enlisted in the Army National Guard, and now it’s time to go to the Middle East. There was no mystery or great surprise that he would be going, and the news is not all bad. He is not in a Stryker Brigade; thank whichever deity you support, nor a military policeman. It is theoretically possible that the support role he will be filling will actually be moderately safe, which is about the best spin I can offer considering the circumstances. He and his brother are our two godsons, and we have literally been looking out for them since the days of their birth. To illustrate the point more clearly, I was his birth photographer. The Girlfriend and I attended Lamaze-twice-to allow us access to both deliveries, but circumstances caused us to miss his older brother’s birth by eight hours. We have been the “bad” godparents ever since-the ones who introduced them to Beavis and Butt-Head, and Ren and Stimpy, and Skittles and Jolt Cola and Archie McPhee. It isn’t as though I didn’t try to nip this in the bud. I suggested the Air Force (a subject I can speak about from personal experience), but I was clearly not as persuasive as I could have been. Which is how we found ourselves at Fort Lewis. The families assembled in a hangar on base, a small band offered up patriotic music, important officers offered up inspiring words, and an award was presented to the officer who managed the required paperwork that made the deployment possible. Finally, with a clanging of warning bells, the hangar doors were opened to reveal the soldiers we were there to honor, standing in formation. Nobody reacts to the officer who says: “This is the last time I will have the chance to address all of you...” Everyone wants to look brave, soldier and family alike; but there is no way to sit in a room with small child noises filling the space, and not know the future will likely be so, so tough for some of those little children. Goodbye Cindy Sheehan by: lightseeker In what she described as a ''resignation letter,'' Sheehan wrote in her online diary on the ''Daily Kos'' blog: ''Good-bye America ... you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can't make you be that country unless you want it. ''It's up to you now.'' [snip] ''I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called ''Face'' of the American anti-war movement,'' Sheehan wrote in the diary. How Courage is involved by: Stewart True Courage In all the *fuhrer* over the House Speaker's machinations this weekend, it may seem a trifle pollyanish to bring up my own organization's recent action to bestow awards on legislators. But there really is a relationship here. In case you missed it, the True Courage Action Network recently ran a poll and asked everyone who follows the Lege which senator, rep, and advocate demonstrated the greatest courage defending Texas from the kleptocrats who are fighting right now to hold on to power. The poll winners are: Best State Senator: Rodney Ellis Best State Representative: Mike Villarreal Best State Advocate: ACLU of Texas (represented by Will Harrell, Sonia Santana, and Kat Dean) In addition, TCAN's own members chose to honor: Sen. Mario Gallegos for: Defending Voting Rights in the Senate Rep. Rafael Anchía for: Defending Voting Rights in the House Sen. Royce West for: Promoting Ethics Reform Rep. Jim Dunnam for: Delivering a Passionate Floor Speech and Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice for: Delivering a Daring Testimony. All these individuals and organizations have the guts (well, we prefer the term "Courage") to stand on principle regarding ethics issues -- often against their own political best interests. Contrast that with the current jockeying for power in the House by people who get away with saying anything to get elected because our electorate is so ill-informed. When accepting our awards, these winners insisted that they weren't heroes, that other people contributed more, that they were just doing what they thought they had to do. They were also eager to point out that having a network of friends in the activist community had been essential for them to pass legislation that's good for Texas and Texans. Iscariot Caucus Still Full of S**t by: boadicea Capitol Annex has the rundown: Democrats for Reform, is, of course, the group of Craddick-allied Democrats who put out a "reform" agenda earlier this year. The reality of their agenda, however, is that it didn't amount to much and that this group actually circumvented some other good reforms. Restore full funding of CHIP- HB 109 does not fully restore CHIP to pre-2003 levels Reform Medicaid eligibility- vague, unclear - cannot point to anything definitive Restore the TEXAS Grants scholarship fund- 7,000 fewer students will receive TEXAS Grants than in 2003 Repeal tuition deregulation- HB 2382 by Coleman (definitely NOT an Iscariot) was the sole piece of legislation this session repealing tuition deregulation

Anti-Abortion Terrorism Suspect Arrested in Austin by: moiv The American-Statesman reports the arrest of Paul Ross Evans (left) , 27, of Austin for the attempted bombing of an Austin clinic that provides abortion care. Law enforcement officials made the announcement at a news conference this afternoon. "Our initial estimates are that the device could have caused serious injury or death within a hundred-foot radius," Assistant Police Chief David Carter said. "I do believe the threat has been removed." Evans made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate this afternoon. Evans, who was crying, had an attorney appointed for him. [:::] The bomb was in a soft-side insulated cooler and contained 2 pounds of nails, a battery, a 12-inch piece of copper pipe, a mechanical timer and a propane cylinder, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent that was used to arrest Evans. Inside the pipe was potassium nitrate, which can be used to manufacture gunpowder, and a type of sugar called dextrin, the affidavit says. There was also a device that would detonate the bomb ... Well, My Cat Is In The Hospital by: annatopia The contamination has spread to the human food supply. Poultry in Missouri and pigs in several states are now being tested for contamination. When is this going to end? Claude, my fourteen year old baby, threw up Monday night. We didn't think much of it because, well, cats puke sometimes. But with all the recall mess, I watched him very closely Tuesday. Tuesday he spent the day curled up in a corner of our bedroom. When I felt his ears and throat, he was very very warm. I tried to get him to eat, and he wouldn't. He also threw up the water he drank. thank you to everyone for sending your healing thoughts and prayers. it has helped to comfort me at this difficult time. unfortunately, claude didn't make it. Texas Journalism Awards "Tainted" by: lightseeker Texas Press Club Awards May Be Tainted - Forbes.com By JEFF CARLTON 04.24.07, 10:08 AM ET The Press Club of Dallas may have to review the last three years' worth of Katie Awards, one of the Southwest's most prestigious journalism prizes, because of the possibility they were rigged, the club's president said. The entries for the 2006 Katies apparently never went before judges, and competitions from 2004 and 2005 are being probed, club President Tom Stewart said Monday.

Happy Easter from the Texas Kaos Gang!!!! The show starts out with part of an interview with Boadicea one of the front pager at Texas Kaos blog and she also has her own blog - Boadicea. There is a blogswarm dedicated to the separation of church and state, which will be held Easter Weekend, April 6-8, 2007. In the show, I discuss some of my feelings dealing with respecting all families. To get more information on the separation of church and state check out First Freedom First . Warren Chisum & Women Who "Try Things on Their Own" by: moiv Texas State Representative Warren Chisum made national news in February by endorsing the idea that teaching the theory of evolution in public schools is unlawful: Copernicus got it all wrong, and the rumor that the Earth rotates around the Sun is only a Kabbalistic plot. His hasty assertion that it was all a misunderstanding is belied by his effort to force Texas high schools to teach a Bible curriculum full of misrepresentations and outright lies. Chisum's stunning ignorance of science and American history is surpassed by his bland disregard for the lethal nature of another of his current initatives. Should Roe v. Wade be overturned, Chisum's HB 175 would make abortion a crime. Illegal abortion currently kills at least 68,000 women each year - somewhere in the world, another woman dies in the time it takes to read this story - but for Warren Chisum, that's not worth worrying about. For the rest of the story, check out < a href="http://tinyurl.com/2jndqy">Texas Kaos TXU takes back blackmail threat by: lightseeker DALLAS - TXU Corp. told regulators Friday to disregard a threat to shut down some of its power plants because of a dispute over accusations of price manipulation and said it might even put some mothballed plants back into operation. Chief Executive C. John Wilder acknowledged that the company had mishandled the situation and promised to "get it right the next time." For more on the story, check out Texas Kaos. Mitt Romney Proves He is a Bigot Yet Again. by: refinish69 Mitt Romney, in an effort to win support from the ultra conservatives, calls for a new try at the Federal Marriage Amendment. This type of Bigotry and hatred has marked the Republican party for so long that it seems it is the only way they know to campaign. For more on the story, check Texas Kaos. Dan Patrick (R) Walks Out on First Muslim Prayer in Senate by: krazypuppy The man who has shown his compassion (not to mention his IQ) for women by offering to buy their babies from them for $500, showed his tolerance for religious freedom at the Texas Senate...by walking out on the first Muslim prayer ever held in the Texas Senate. Yes. That's right. Dan Patrick, the reichtwing radio talk show host whose "baby buying" bill was first reported by TexasKaos' moiv and has since brought widespread condemnation of Patrick, the Texas GOP and (of course) Texas, walked out on the very first Muslim prayer held in the Senate and then had the audacity to call himself tolerant! "I think that it's important that we are tolerant as a people of all faiths, but that doesn't mean we have to endorse all faiths, and that was my decision," he said later, "I surely believe that everyone should have the right to speak, but I didn't want my attendance on the floor to appear that I was endorsing that." Patrick was the only Texas Senator to walk out on him. For the rest of the story, check out Texas Kaos Easter Bonnet Hope you enjoy the show!!!!

There's No Bidness Like Soul Bidness by: livesinashoe Senator Dan Patrick (R., Houston) has introduced Texas Senate Bill 1567, captioned "Relating to the creation of the adoption incentive program." The text of the bill can be found here, in html,.pdf and Word formats. This bill proposes to pay each and every Texas woman who opts for adoption rather than abortion the sum of 500 American dollars. To incentivize adoption in this way is dangerous for the women of Texas, and exposes them to emotional damage and suffering beyond their imagining at the time of adoption. The damage can be so severe that it can be tantamount to losing one's soul. Check the rest of the story at Texas Kaos Another Democrat with Spine: Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) by: lightseeker You have to see the video. Trust me you will not regret it. Here is a man who is focused squarely on serving the best interest of the American people and of our sons and daughters in uniform. When he says that we should only deploy troops who are "trained and mission ready", he means it. When he says that a vote against this appropriations bill is a vote against the troops , he frames the issue beautifully. See the rest of the story and the link to the videao at Texas Kaos. My response to Big Oil's BIG GUNS by: TXsharon Hee hee Big Oil sent out their big guns after little old me just because I tried to help Wise County residents understand the truth about Groundwater Conservation Districts--a truth Big Oil does not want us to know. As I explained in my Op-Ed piece that was published in the Wise County Messenger on February 22nd, and in my diary here: Oil and gas exemption should be eliminated Groundwater Conservation Districts are not going to have ANY control over oil and gas companies because Groundwater Conservation Districts are EXEMPT. For the rest of the story, check out Texas Kaos Another AIDS Ride Diary by: BeckyH So, I have asked folks who work at AIDS agencies about their finding, and, as usual, it isn't good. Warning, the following diary is not for the faint of heart. Actually, it is purposefully intended to break your heart. About AIDS in Austin: Austin has experienced over 4,400 diagnosed AIDS cases through December, 2006. Over 2,300 of these men, women and children have died.The CDC estimates 25%-30% of HIV-infected people - perhaps as many as 1,500 Central Texans - do not know that they are HIV-positive, because they have not gotten tested or tested recently. Of Austinites with full AIDS, about ? are 20-29 years old. Given an average incubation period of about 10+ years from infection to AIDS, this suggests they were infected with HIV in their teens or early 20's. Of 1,300+ HIV cases in the last 7 years, 53% are white, 22% are black, and 23% are Hispanic. Currently, about ¼ of those with full AIDS are African-American, but only 10% of the population is black. Latinos are about even (about ¼ of both cases and population), as are whites (55% vs. 60% of population). For the rest of the story, check out Texas Kaos It's A Mystery Why Gonzalas Still Has His Job by: fast2write "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." - Albert Einstein Under the Microscope by Glynn Wilson My favorite answer to just about any political, social or technological question these days is: "It's a mystery." When it concerns the workings of computers and the Internet, it's "a dang old dot dot dot mystery." Life is full of mysteries. Love them or hate them, you can't avoid them. There are things we can know; things we can't. For a journalist or a scientist, even a social scientist, this can be infuriating. But you learn to live with it. One of the things we humans do to deal with all the mysteries of life is to turn for answers to literature, movies or music. Some people turn to tabloids and soap operas. But they are not worth considering in this discussion. Why is it that some news stories "get legs" and tons of airplay, and others don't? I've been in and around the news business for almost 30 years and sometimes still don't get it. Is the paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's baby or Britany Spears' shaved head and rehab experience really that much more interesting than Natalie Maines' musical fight with Bush and miraculous comeback? For the rest of the story, check Texas Kaos

Now Gov. Perry is off to Dubai! Outrageous UPDATE by: Branded Brazoria link Did I miss something? When exactly did Dubai and Texas become such buddies we seem to be on a corporation and politicians exchange program? While I like Dubai, especially their indoor snow skiing center, in the desert, what exactly is Governor Perry doing going while in the midst of a very important legislative session? Seriously, it's not like the Texas Legislator is in session for long drawn out periods of time, but ol' Perfect Hair has taken his wife and a couple of aides for a week long trip around the Persian Gulf. Breaking News!! TYC Juvenile Sex Scandal ousts TYC Board's Resignation by: refinish69 link I guess they had to wait till Perry was out of town so he didn't have to answer any questions. TYC Board Resigns After Approving Rehabilitation Plan Board members of the state's troubled youth prison system resigned en masse Friday. The members of the Texas Youth Commission board acted after recommending a system-wide rehabilitation plan. That calls for stricter inmate supervision and new procedures for reporting and investigating sex abuse allegations. Media Matters Sunday Campaign Deserves Your Attention by: krazypuppy link On our left bar, you'll find an advertisement for what I call Media Matters Take Back Sunday campaign. Instead of linking here, I ask you to click the advertisement since it helps TexaKaos.com out. The campaign is based off their report which found that news programs on Sunday still favor Republicans and rightwing viewpoints despite the 2006 election results. Sunday news shows, despite the relatively small audience, set up the news cycle for the week and greatly influence the frame for Americans who watch and drive the news. Introducing the Man Who Will Beat John Cornyn by: boadicea link From the diaries. Richard Morrison ran one of the strongest netroots campaigns in the 2004 cycle against Tom DeLay. He's having some password troubles, so I'm posting this on his behalf. Boadicea In 2004, when I challenged Tom Delay at the height of his power, it was seen as a fool's errand. The Majority Leader of the House was considered unassailable. I and my campaign team assailed him nonetheless, because it was a job that needed doing. When we held him to 55%, it was clear that Fortress Delay had more than a few cracks. In 2008, we have another job that needs doing. Time to replace John Cornyn in the Senate. And Cornyn's numbers show him to be vulnerable to a strong, people-powered candidate from the Democratic side. Is there such a candidate? I believe there is. I'm asking you to help me draft him into the service of his state and his country once again. My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-fdd832855fb3325e53d9375c8f3cd57f}