Core Values

Political Cartoon is by John Cole in The Scranton Times.

Kinky Friedman

Received an e-mail from Kinky Friedman today. He's touring with a new show, and it sounds great. Here's how he describes it:

"Kinky Friedman, internationally-hailed music icon, New York Times best-selling author, politician, founder and benefactor of Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, and cigar company entrepreneur, will present a show, entertaining and thought provoking as ever, comprising recollections and stories, recitations from his written works, reflections on his past political experiences and future plans, all set among the familiar refrains of his music. Longtime pal and musical sidekick, original Texas Jewboy, Little Jewford, will add his special talent! s to the evening playing keyboard and melodica with possible kazoo solo's if the need arises. This show sold out twice in Houston and has been given rave reviews!"

It looks like the best opportunity for us West Texas folks to see the show will be in Lubbock on April 30, when he appears at Heroes and Legacies. That's close, but I sure wish he'd make it on up to Amarillo. I could use another good dose of Kinky.

Toward the end of the e-mail there was a very intriguing paragraph. Here it is:

"Watch your inbox early next week for a letter from Kinky Friedman to Texans around the world. Never fear, if you overlook it you can see the letter on his website too - you won't want to miss it!"

Could this be the long-awaited announcement that he'll be running for governor in the Democratic primary in 2010? I sure hope so! I've got my first campaign contribution ready to send -- just been waiting for the announcement.

Responsibility

Political Cartoon is by Gary McCoy in The Suburban Journals.

A Bit Of Good News

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were fewer traffic deaths in 2007 than in any of the last 48 years. There were 37,313 traffic deaths last year. To find a year with fewer deaths, you have to go all the way back to 1961 when 36,285 deaths were recorded.

That's a pretty amazing figure for 2007, especially when you consider that there are currently over 100 million more people in the United States than there were in 1961. I'm sure part of the reason is that cars are safer today than they were in 1961 (thanks to Ralph Nader). But the NHTSA credits most of the lives saved to the widespread use of seat belts.

Fortunately, Texas is on the right side of this issue. There is a mandatory seat belt law here, and both the local and state police do a very good job of enforcing it. Because of this, over 90% of Texas drivers use their seat belts. Others with a better than 90% use rate are Michigan, Hawaii, Oregon, California, Maryland, Iowa, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, Delaware, Indiana, Neveda, New Mexico, Illinois and the District of Columbia.

Texas has been on the wrong side of a lot of stats lately (teen pregnancies, dirty air and water, highest electric rates, school drop-out rates, etc.), so it feels good to see them on the right side of something. Mandatory seat belt laws are a good thing.

And kudos to the traffic cops who enforce those laws. They save lives every day.

The Perfect Plan

Political Cartoon is by Jimmy Marguilies in The Record (New Jersey).

A Shameful Moment In WWII History

The above picture shows the Free French troops entering Paris in triumph after its liberation in 1944. It is generally regarded as a jubilant moment -- the moment when French troops reclaimed their capital city. In reality, it probably should be remembered as one of the more shameful moments for the Allies (at least the United States, Great Britain and France).

Even at the start of World War II, a significant portion of the French Army was made up of colonial soldiers, especially those from Senegal. When Paris fell, 17,000 black French soldiers were in the French forces that surrendered. The Germans considered them sub-human and murdered them, rather than take them prisoner.

By 1944, a full 65% of the Free French Army was Senegalese, and they were looking forward to helping reclaim the French capital where so many of their comrades had been slaughtered. These colonial soldiers had fought bravely for years, but they would be denied their moment of glory in Paris.

Charles DeGaulle, the leader of the French forces, wanted the first soldiers to enter Paris to be his French troops. But the Allied commanders didn't want a majority of the first troops entering Paris to be black. After all, the Americans still segregated their own troops. The British also depended on colonial troops to a large extent, but they went along with the Americans in wanting Paris to be liberated by white troops only.

DeGaulle knuckled under to the Allied Command. He removed all the Senegalese troops from one of his divisions and replaced them with whites. When he couldn't find enough white French soldiers, he put Spaniards and some troops from North Africa and the Middle East in the chosen division -- the French 2nd Armor.

The Allies got what they wanted. The liberation of Paris was an all-white event. What should have been one of the most joyous moments of the war was turned into one of the most racist moments of the war for the Allies. It was shameful, especially since all three nations had many brave soldiers of color.

A New Season

Political Cartoon is by Jeff Parker in Florida Today.

U.S. Supports Rape Supporter

Political Cartoon is by Cameron (Cam) Cardow in The Ottawa Citizen.

SB686 Is A Misguided Effort

If you've read this blog for long, then you know I'm a supporter of State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth). I supported her candidacy and election last Fall, and I still think she's going to make a great senator for the good people of Fort Worth. But I cannot support the newest bill she has proposed -- SB686. Rep. Bob Orr (R-Burleson) has introduced a companion bill in the House -- HB876.

It should have given Senator Davis a warning to know that the same bill in the House was introduced by a Republican. The bills are supposed to "protect" neighborhoods by allowing natural gas pipelines to be built on highway right of ways instead of through neighborhoods.

In reality, these are just more bills to help the giant gas companies. They are having trouble with neighborhood activists in their attemppt to build the unsightly and dangerous pipelines in neighborhood areas of Fort Worth. The gas companies won't have to fight the activists if they can just run the pipelines along Fort Worth's roadways.

But, aren't Fort Worth's roadways already dangerous ebough without running natural gas pipelines alongside them? Won't that just make them more dangerous for motorists who have to use those roadways?

I hope Senator Davis rethinks this bill, because I think it is misguided. The problem is not putting gas pipelines in urban neighborhoods. The real problem is allowing drilling, wells, pumps and pipelines for natural gas anywhere inside the city limits of this urban area. Fort Worth's city leaders have let their greed get the best of them by letting the gas companies drill inside their city (including downtown).

This dangerous madness needs to be stopped. The city and its citizens are more important than gas company dollars (or should be at least).

Cheney Channels Rush

Political Cartoon is by Bob Englehart in The Hartford Courant.

The Stock Market

Political Cartoon is by David Horsey in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

A Digitally-Altered Religious Lie

The two pictures above are supposed to be the same picture -- a picture of all the members of the new Israeli Cabinet. The picture on top is the one that was featured in the mainstream Israei newspapers. The one on the bottom is a digitally-altered version of the photo that ran in a newspaper (Yated Neeman) that caters to ultra-Orthodox Jews. Notice the difference?

Here's a clue. One of the mainstream newspapers shoed both pictures together under the headline "Find the lady". That's right. The ultra-Orthodox newspaper has digitally erased the two women in the Israeli Cabinet (Limor Livnat and Sofa Landver) from the picture, and put male figures in their place. They did it because publishing the pictures of women is considered a violation of female modesty by ultra-Orthodox Jews.

I have to think though -- isn't this a LIE? Isn't it dishonest to digitally alter a picture and then print it claiming it is the Israeli Cabinet, when it clearly is not? Is it really more ethical or more religiously correct to lie than to print a picture of two intelligent and successful women, especially since those women are proud of what they've accomplished and don't mind in the least their picture being in the paper.

Sometimes people take religious rules to lengths that really don't make sense.

Pumping Hard

Political Cartoon is by R.J. Matson in The New York Observer.

A Simple Pleasure

From the hilarious site of Yellowdog Granny.