The next day after the STS-127shuttle mission was postponed, NASA moved its focus to a different launch pad, hardly missing a beat. In a wonderfully choreographed negotiation between the two different projects, within hours two unmanned lunar probes were launched, riding on a single rocket. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is now in orbit around the moon, mapping the way for a subsequent and long-awaited manned mission to the moon. The media coverage follows:
File this report from Chad Khan's campaign under "What the hell are these Harris County Republicans scared of to threaten candidates and their families?"
This past Sunday, an event hosted by Democratic Candidate for State Representative Chad Khan at Cypresswood Park was continually disrupted by deputies of Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman, a Republican.
Constable Hickman, who is also the campaign treasurer for Khan's opponent, State Rep. Patricia Harless, had five of his officers stationed at the park early Sunday morning. When Mr. Khan's wife arrived at the park with the couple's children around 11 a.m. Sunday, she was confronted by three of Constable Hickman's deputies. She was told by the deputy constables that she and her children would have to take off their Chad Khan campaign tee shirts or they would be escorted from the park.
Five Deputies waiting to harass Mrs. Khan and her kids. That's some quality intimidation being attempted there.
Here's Jenny Khan describing the encounter:
They didn't stop with bullying kids over tee shirts, either.
Woo Hoo! I'm so excited! ~licking finger, putting a #1 in the air~
• Joe A. Montemayor for State Representative District 127: Although this northeast Harris County district running from Kingwood to Baytown has been represented for eight terms by Republican incumbent Joe Crabb, the Chronicle feels that it is in need of new leadership.
Democratic challenger Joe Montemayor, a Navy veteran who served more than 25 years as an Immigration and Customs officer, has the background for the job. Montemayor is a small-business owner in Crosby who believes public school districts in the 127th are being starved of funds and must have more state support. On other issues, the candidate pledges to work to increase access to health care for those with financial challenges, strengthen and enforce environmental laws to protect our citizenry, and make Texas a leader in preventative medicine and medical research.
"I'll try to find ya some and I'll bring 'em to ya." - the Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric, on John McCain's deregulation record, September 24, 2008
Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center continues asking individuals to give blood
Help save lives at a Neighborhood Donor Center or mobile blood drive to help replenish the blood supply following Hurricane Ike. Collections resumed Tuesday after a four-day hiatus due to Hurricane Ike, so donations are especially needed now ensure that blood is available for patients in need.
The following Neighborhood Donor Centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20:
Bill T. Teague (Headquarters)
1400 La Concha Lane (Reliant Stadium area)
Champions
6935 FM 1960 West, Suite A (at Cutten Road)
Cy-Fair
11811 FM 1960 West, Suite 120
Gulfgate
546 Gulfgate Center (behind Chuck E. Cheese)
Humble/Kingwood
9616 FM 1960 Bypass (Commons at Deerbrook shopping center)
Katy
1575 S. Grand Parkway, Suite 600 (at Highland Knolls)
Pasadena
5124 Fairmont Parkway (next to J.C. Penney)
Sugar Land
4949 Sweetwater Blvd. (next to Kroger)
Westchase
10001 Westheimer, Suite 2117 (Carillon Shopping Center)
The Woodlands
3091 College Park Drive, Suite 130
The Blood Center East Texas's Neighborhood Donor Centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Nacogdoches
3520 N. University Drive
Lufkin
202 S. Franklin Ave.
Additionally, Channel 11 KHOU and 104.1 KRBE have partnered with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to host drives at four area Randall's stores from 12 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19.
Help save lives at the following Randall's locations:
12312 Barker-Cypress, Cypress
2951 Marina Bay Drive, League City
1525 S. Mason Road, Katy
11041 Westheimer (at Wilcrest)
h/t to diarist distraught at Daily Kos for the catch.
Let the saga of Ike be remembered as a tale of true community effort By MAYOR BILL WHITE
From grassy plains and tall forests, with big rains and ocean storms, strong hands and bold minds built the diverse and growing city called Houston, our home.
In six or so generations we crafted great neighborhoods, soaring office buildings, a space center and some of the world's leading hospitals, schools and refineries.
Yet, for all our achievement, nature has its way of reminding us that we are not in control. Hurricane Ike, and its aftermath, will put us to the test. We will show the world, and each other, that we can mend our city quickly, with the same spirit that helped us build it.
Hundred-mile-an-hour winds and driving rain shook our homes, felled our trees, filled our bayous and knocked out much of our water service and almost all electricity. Houstonians emerged dazed but alive.
And then we went to work. People took others into their homes. We shared water. I personally have seen the labors of tens of thousands of residents with arms, and saws, and chains, and sweat, clear streets and driveways.
We prayed together and complained together. Afterward, we will celebrate our freedom and diversity by sharing thousands of separate opinions of how someone could have done a better job. But we shall do it together.
We shall learn the hardships of the millions of Americans who lived in this climate before air conditioning, or "refrigerated air," as they first called it, and walked rather than drove, and lived at a time when the world moved more slowly, when "news" traveled by ship and train and telegraph. We shall learn again to appreciate modern conveniences and the sheer power of a community that now uses all its talents since we've transcended much of the legacy of racism and stereotyping. And we shall give thanks we live in this country today.
The complainers will be the loudest, and those who work the hardest will be the most modest. Surely, the same must have been the case 100 years ago.
The friendliness we are renowned for here is second only to our optimism. Certainly it's not in our common genes, because those genes come from folks from every part of every continent. But perhaps it can be explained by the fact that we are a city that looks to the future, not the past.
Because of that trait we tend to be good at business, because in business, and in life, we learn from experience and give each other a second chance when people stumble.
We will need all the hope our souls can muster over the next few weeks. It will take days to clear the streets and weeks to remove from our yards a forest of trees and debris.
The private company responsible for electricity service, CenterPoint Energy, should be held to a high standard for its response, but restoration of power for all will take weeks, not days, for many households. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will demonstrate its improvement over its low point during Hurricane Katrina, but we are likely to find that it takes longer than three years to eliminate everyone who thinks like a bureaucrat.
And once we have recovered, those frustrations shall pass. Some of us will be able to tell our grandchildren of what the great storm of 2008 was like.
We will recall the hardships and the recovery. We will show pictures where the trees fell. We will describe the gasoline lines and the feeling when the AC came back on. And most of all, let us share stories of how we helped each other through this mess. How the first to get their power back invited others into their homes. Much of that is history that, with God's grace, we shall make together in the next few weeks.
(as printed in the Houston Chronicle, Sept. 14, 2008)
CouldBeTrue is happy for Webb County! Finally, the long sheriff's primary is over and Martin Cuellar is the official sheriff-to-be. And, yeah, the AG is looking into the hinky first recount.
With Tom DeLay and the TRMPAC indictments back in the news, Off the Kuff conducts an interview with Cris Feldman, one of the attorneys who won a civil judgment against TRMPAC for its violations of campaign finance law in the 2002 elections.
Karl Rove is coming to Houston as a special guest at a fund raiser for Republican John Davis on August 12th. Clicking on the invitation below reveals that Speaker Tom Craddick is hosting the event and that the minimum donation is $500.
After walking thousands of homes, we have learned that voters are interested in regaining control of the skyrocketing costs of their homeowners insurance, electricity rates and college tuition. They want a public education system that is fully funded. They want to return ethics and integrity to Austin. But, John Davis wants to be associated with a person whom the House Judiciary Committee recently approved a resolution recommending that the U.S. House find him in contempt of Congress.
In protest of Karl Rove's contempt for the voters of House District 129, Sherrie Matula volunteers will block walk and phone bank John Davis' own precinct on the evening of August 12th to talk to voters about our message of positive change and issues that are important to the District.
To find out more about our August 12th block walking and phone banking event, call our headquarters at 281-282-1351.
Houston - There he goes again. John Cornyn voted the third time to side with national Republicans to block a package of much needed tax cuts and
disaster relief for Texans. The bill is full of initiatives important to Texans, but Cornyn continued to march lock-step with his party to block legislation critical to Texas families. While Texans have worked hard to meet the challenge of higher gas prices, increasing tuition costs, and devastating summer disasters, Cornyn has failed them in Washington.
(Please welcome State Senate Candidate for SD-11, Joe Jaworski to Texas Kaos. - promoted by boadicea)
This week, we mark 232 years since our nation declared its independence and launched the greatest experiment in democracy the world has ever known.
That experiment continues to illuminate. The Founders were revolutionaries - and we should always think of them so - who designed our government to be an institution answerable to the American people. Our government works because regular men and women stand for election among their peers who, by their vote, grant the ultimate consent to be governed. No matter the great change that has taken place since 1776, our government was designed to survive "politics" because American citizens are able to control their own course.
The mood is revolutionary again because - for the first time in over fifty years - whoever is elected President will be "new" to the White House. Not since Eisenhower's 1952 election over Stevenson have we witnessed a campaign without the President or his Vice President seeking the office. And since no incumbent is defending the past four years, the 2008 election cycle is about demanding an honest assessment of our condition and finding a new way forward. We'll find that way forward by voting our conscience.
On Friday, TexBlog PAC endorsed Sherrie Matula (D-Houston), who is running against State Rep. John Davis (R-Clear Lake). The endorsement came with a $5,000 check to Matula's campaign made up of donations made mostly by Netroots activists and blog readers.
Matula's race represents one of those races that a lot of folks in the "bricks and mortar political establishment" may have underestimated in the early part of this year. However, this district is ripe for a flip. Matula laid the groundwork for this year's campaign with a respectable general election showing in 2006 and her "Apple Corps" team of volunteers and on-the-ground activists has worked very hard this year to register new voters, identify Democratic voters in the district, and conducting GOTV.
HoustonPBS is looking for interested individuals to serve as part of our studio audience for a televised panel discussion on race.
Audience members are expected to arrive at HoustonPBS (on the University of Houston campus)
no later then 1:15pm on Friday, June 20th. Taping should be finished by 3:30pm.
The program will air that evening at 8pm and again on Sunday, June 22nd at 5:00pm
Any community groups, summer programs, learning institutions, professional groups, or simply interested individuals are encouraged to attend.
Panelists expected to appear on the program include:
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,
Minister Robert Muhammad
Chief of Police Harold Hurtt,
HoustonNAACP president Carol Mims Galloway
Houston Chronicle's Tony Freemantle
Economy. Texas so far has avoided the national economic downswing, but with interest rates dropping and gas prices rising, the state may not be far behind. What can the federal government do to stabilize the economy at this moment in time? With rising gasoline prices, should the nation adopt a gas tax holiday?
I disagree that Texas has avoided an economic downswing as people continually share their financial troubles with me as I travel across the state. We can start to revive our economy by bringing our troops home from Iraq. The war in Iraq is costing this country $12 billion per month, and that is too high a price to pay as we police a civil war. We need to pull that money out of the mire that is Iraq, and spend that money at home.
The skyrocketing cost of crude oil is being driven by growing demand in the emerging markets of India and China, the free-market activities of speculators, and, most importantly, by instability in the largest oil producing regions of the world which the current leadership has contributed to by its bungling of foreign policy.
The gas tax holiday is a gimmick that would solve few significant pricing problems, and, like the war, is based on a pay-later strategy. The best long-term solution to the gas crisis is to invest in renewable energy.
John Culberson (R-TX): ...it contains provisions that have nothing to do with our troop's survival and safety in the field. To burden our troops with pork, with tax increases, with special provisions that have nothing to do with the war, adds to, I think, the obvious misuse of the process and I urge members to vote against the pork and support our troops.
Obey: I yield myself 30 seconds...I'd like the gentleman from Texas to point out a single piece of member pork in this bill.
Culberson: Does the gentleman yield?
Obey: Yes.
Culberson: Mr., Mr. Chairman, there's a number of un-un-unnecessary provisions in this...
Obey: Name one.
Culberson: Well, why are we separating out, sir, why aren't we just passing...
The Texas Blue has an excellent interview with Dem challenger in TX-07, Michael Skelly.
This seat is the one George H.W. Bush held as a Congressman. Wouldn't it be a sweet treat to turn it blue this year?
Skelly combines fundraising prowess with a compelling personal story, and a successful entrepreneurial career in wind energy (insert joke about harnessing the hot wind off the floor of Congress here).
Perhaps John Culberson should start preparing for his lucrative post Congressional lobbying career...
Via the estimable Carl Whitmarsh in email. In parentheses are the names of the state Senator for that district. Remember, even if you are not a delegate or alternate, you can attend the conventions. They are open to the public.
You won't be able to speak on the floor, or vote, of course, but you're free to observe (and liveblog if the inclination arises).
As noted by mayan, a key supporter of Hillary Clinton in Houston, Senfronia Thompson, has changed her vote to Barack Obama. This has special significance for several reasons not least of which is the fact that Thompson is a super delegate.
I personally haven't endorsed either candidate and honestly like both of them (yes, I like Hillary too). But I LOVE LOVE LOVE Senfronia and her decision will influence the choice of many progressives and Texas Democrats.
This news about Senfronia prompted me to look up a speech she gave on the floor of the Texas House which was perhaps the most passionate and beautiful civil rights speech I've heard in our time.
It was her condemnation of the bigoted and anti-family "Marriage Amendment." I'm republishing it here. Do yourself a favor and read it.
When a Tsunami of Truth Rises out of 'Peak Everything'
...it will wash over a populace in panic!
How may we even begin to prepare for the panic that will occur when mainstream awareness of our most likely future scenarios begins to dawn? On that day, I want to have something in place! I refer you to my previous post:
Peak (Everything?) Stress Syndrome, and Peak Oil Blues (written by my new netroots colleague, the peak oil shrink), which will give you some background for making sense of this continued effort I'm making here, today. My intention is to bring more awareness and direction to these pressing needs by repeatedly giving voice to this topic in my writings.
My dream vision would be to set up a niche, a sanctuary for all of us who are having "peak everything stress syndrome". There are many folks out there suffering situational depression--symptoms of PTSD because of the "early" knowledge we have about the global crisis we are facing. By "early" knowledge, I mean we are advanced thinkers, we see ahead of the mainstream consciousness, and realize what the future will require of us. We reel from the shock and when we get on our feet and start speaking out and calling our mates, companions, and fellow humans to action, we are scorned and repudiated and stripped of our credibility. As we persist in disseminating our message--the "news" we have (that is bad news no-one wants to hear), we are proclaimed to be "doomers" and exiled from our close social connections. The more we speak out about the "inconvenient truth" which now has piles and piles of hard evidence to support it, the more the conspiracy of silence builds the walls of denial stronger. (The monkey covers his eyes, his ears, his mouth--don't see, don't ask, don't tell!)
This is a form of killing the messenger--making him believe he is the crazy one. Then the messenger becomes swamped in his own anger, depression, self pity, and desire to retaliate. This only deactivates him and sabotages his ability to accomplish the original goal. That goal is to warn: to call his colleagues into action, plan a strategy, prevent the worst case scenario, provide safety in the storm to come. I think this is what many have been going through--and I have been through it myself. But it's time to snap out of it, regroup our energies, and direct them in a productive and self-regenerating way, one that is sustainable and has no hidden agendas.
What I have thought about doing locally (here in Houston), is to enjoin a group of people, including our mayor's department of sustainability, to consider supporting a foundational fund and effort for building an eco-center which would contain information, classes, not only on sustainability, but on mental health and the emotional mastery of change. (Mayor Bill White, a friend of green construction and a candidate for the 2006 World Mayor Award, was an attendee and supporter at the recent Peak Oil Conference in Houston.)
Maybe the establishment of this effort could best be explained if placed in coordination with a "heritage days" celebration, so as not to scare people or incite resistance. Classes such as cooking, food preserving, spinning, weaving, mechanics, and gardening with hand tools could be offered--classes in which skills in living primitively on the land, living locally, could be taught. Perhaps the reasoning could be presented as how "our heritage from the past can meet the needs of our future".
This eco-center could be a central source, an enclave, for storing information and local resources on providers of green design (architects savvy on LEEDS standards), on green builders, and on suppliers of green technology. Maybe the center itself could be a zero-energy design (one that supplies its own energy through wind and solar means, reusing water, etc.) It could be, in itself, a model for community use. This center could contain a database of current information on renewable energy technology and information about climate change and peak oil future scenarios. Films and videos could be made describing these conditions and possible outcomes.
This beginning would lay the foundation for the mental health support that will be needed when awareness of "peak everything" reaches a notable level in the public consciousness. Then we will be teaching about change, signs of stress--situational depression and anxiety and the skills for dealing with it. At the time it's most needed, the center will be established and already known as a place to go for of information and support. I can imagine that the foundation's funding could come through the use of an alternative/complementary currency such as Ithaca dollars, Time dollars, or other database currency points that become accepted for use in the larger community as Bernard Lietaer has suggested in the Future of Money.
Another thing I would like to do through this center is to begin, with a group of others, to envision a possible future beyond what we know is inevitable-a livable and sustainable future in which we would like to live. I would like to instill hope (beyond the depressing reality we are facing) that we can still carve out a niche of safety, sanity, beauty, and order-and some form of green mobility. I know we can't count on technological innovation to save us from the power-down energy crunch and from the relocations and massive migrations to come with climate change, from the scarcity of resources and the potential for resource wars/competition--from the future pandemic of death and diminishment of our population. We who are in the know realize there is no place to hide. We don't have mega-bucks to buy an energy efficient fortress guarded by Blackwater troops.
But we have to believe we have some power to save ourselves, to create something worthwhile that will help motivate us to go forward! Accomplishing this will require a positive vision and good leadership. I like to think of our future as being healthy, happy, green, and mobile, and I believe that with as many enthusiastic people as I've run into on the Daily Kos (environmental group) and in other areas of the netroots, we can, together, come up with a plan and course of action to build the future we want, in spite of our government and its economy. It just requires taking our way of life into our own hands, designing our own local economies and fortifying them with some kind of god-juice that will protect them from the madding crowds--the throngs of those who didn't do their planning.
And so I come back around now to the original point: that we must continue to disseminate accurate information so that all people will be adequately forewarned and forearmed. This information must be presented in such a way as to avoid panic and predation. Once we do this for ourselves in our local communities in the US, we need to try to facilitate this same kind of activity in other countries--China, India, Africa, Mexico...etc. The Netroots has a basis for building these connective threads between our communities here in America and out into our global community-our Mother Earth! I'm thinking of calling this center MotherSource! What do you think?
The real event is targeted for Dec. 6 on a flight to the International Space Station, but astronauts and flight managers and contractors routinely run through a complete practice to get ready for a liftoff.
. . . The Columbus laboratory the crew will ferry to and install on the International Space Station is already bolted into the shuttle's cargo bay. Columbus is ESA's primary contribution to the space station. It will be part of a dedicated suite of science modules at the heart of the station.
