Church Gives Sanctuary To Immigrant Mother

CNN News is reporting that a Chicago-area church is giving sanctuary to an illegal immigrant mother. 31 year-old Elvira Arellano was supposed to surrender to immigration authorities for deportation last Tuesday. Instead, she took refuge in the Adalberto United Methodist Church with her 7 year-old son, who is an American citizen. Church members are keeping a close watch, unsure of what immigration officials are going to do.

On Friday, an unnamed government official close to the case, said immigration agents will not enter the church to apprehend Arellano. He said her case has "no more priority than any of the other 500,000 fugitives nationally." He went on to say Arellano would be apprehended "at an appropriate time and place."

Is this really the way we want our government to act? There is no good choice here. The government, if it continues in this, must either split up a family, or deport an American citizen. Neither option is acceptable. Arellano's son is a citizen of this country, and as such, should not be forced to separate from a loving mother. How is separating this family going to help our country?

I applaud the actions of the Adalberto United Methodist Church. It is a joy to see a group of christians actually practicing what they preach.

How Do You Count Illegal Immigrants ?

I'm getting a little tired of all the illegal immigration nonsense. Republicans and other groups, many of them with racist leanings, are trying to scare Americans, with visions of being overwhelmed by millions of foreigners. They are appealing to America's basest fears. They paint this picture of a massive invasion, and just in case you aren't frightened enough, they throw around the word "terrorist" a few times. It's an effort to scare you into voting Republican.

I've heard people say the population of illegals in this country is everything from a few million to around 30 million. Just yesterday, the federal government released a report saying there were over 11 million illegal immigrants in this country. How do they know this? Has someone counted all of these people? Of course not! These people are illegal. They do not participate in census surveys, or any of the ways in which people are counted in this country. They are afraid they will be deported if they do. So just where do these numbers come from?

It is just guesswork. The report released yesterday admitted as much. The report said accuracy is difficult and the figures are an estimation. They further stated that the estimate was compiled from ASSUMPTIONS and combination of data. They didn't say what data they were combining.

Remember this when the right-wing again cranks up its call to "protect America" from the hordes of invading foreigners. There is no solid information on the number of illegals in this country. They are just picking a number that they think will scare you. Don't fall for it. The truth is that no one knows how many illegal aliens are in this country.

Also, there is not a single verified report of a terrorist crossing the deserts of our southern border to enter this country. Not a one.

Kinky Repudiates Call To Investigate Grandma

Last week, Kinky's campaign manager, Dean Barkley, asked Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle to investigate Grandma for using state employees on state time to work on her campaign. Now it looks like Barkley did not have Kinky's OK to make the request. Thursday, Kinky repudiated the call for the investigation.

Kinky said, "I don't agree with it at all. It just wasn't right. Don't pick on Grandma." Kinky said he didn't know the request had been made until he saw the news reports, and said it was due to miscommunication. Kinky went on to say, "I would have preferred him not to do that. I thought we had an understanding we were not going to do it. We've got better things to do....It won't happen again."

As punishment for the misdeed, Kinky said he has banned Barkley from going to his favorite after-work "watering-hole", the Star Bar in Austin.

As most of you know, I am a die-hard fan and supporter of the Kinkster. I understand his desire to keep his campaign on a higher level, and not engage in the popular political sport of mudslinging. However, I think he's wrong about this. Using state employees on state time to work on a campaign, is not only ethically questionable, it is clearly illegal. It does need to be investigated, even if the investigation has to wait until after the election.

Wife Of Former Congressman Frost Dies

The wife of former DFW Congressman Martin Frost died on friday. She had been battling breast cancer for several years. Kathryn George Frost was an Army Major General who had retired in the Spring of 2005. She was 57 years old.

General Frost's last command was at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Dallas. General Frost was also responsible for setting up post and base exchanges in Afghanistan and Iraq after the deployment of American troops to those countries. Congressman Frost said, "She was a highly accomplished Army officer. She was the senior woman in the Army on active duty when she retired in April of 2005." The Frosts were married in 1998.

Both the General and the Congressman served our community and our country with distinction and honor. We applaud their service, and on this sad day, send Congressman Frost our sympathy and our best wishes.

Dallas Area Foreclosures Rise Sharply

I keep hearing from the Republicans that we have a great economy, but I really don't see any evidence of that. Gas prices are outrageous, causing the price of most things to be more expensive. Wages are still stagnant, and in inflation-adjusted dollars, wages are declining. Unemployment in the DFW area is 5.5% [5.2% after seasonal adjustments]. Good jobs are still being shipped overseas, and replaced with service-oriented jobs paying much less. As if all this wasn't bad enough, now homeowners are being squeezed.

The Dallas Morning News tells us today that home foreclosures have risen sharply. Over 3,800 homes are threatened with foreclosure next month in the Metroplex area. For the first 9 months of this year, the figure is over 28,000 home foreclosures posted. Several area counties are showing a sharp rise in foreclosures:

Rockwall County...............up 68%
Denton County...............up 38%
Collin County...............up 36%
Dallas County...............up 32%
Tarrant County...............figures not available

These figures are remniscent of the late 80's, when thousands of people lost their homes. The rising cost of living expenses, coupled with stagnant or declining wages, is forcing many families out of their homes.

Thanks for the wonderful economy, Georgie, but please stop now. If it gets any "better", I won't be able to afford to eat!

Miscellaneous Thoughts On Texas Politics

I feared that this would happen, and now it is starting. DFW Metroplex officials are now coming out in favor of the Trans-Texas Corridor. Their major complaint against the TTC was that it would go east of the Metroplex, rather than coming up I-35 and making a loop around both Dallas and Fort Worth. When TxDot gave in last week and agreed to the "loop" proposal, many Metroplex officials climbed aboard the boondoggle bandwagon. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Dallas Senator John Carona are thrilled that Gov. Perry has now said he supports the "loop" concept, and they are not the only Metroplex officials now supporting the TTC. Evidently, these people don't care what happens to the rest of Texas as long as they get what they want.


The race for state comptroller has been up until now, sort of a "stealth" race. I doubt if very many Texans could even tell you who the candidates are. Fred Head, the Democratic candidate, has tried to get some traction by attacking Susan Combs, the Republican candidate, for writing a trashy romance novel. He says she is a hypocrite for writing a soft-core porn novel, and then running for office as a family-values right-wing fundamentalist. Now Combs has retaliated with an attack of her own. She claims that Head was reprimanded 4 times by the Texas Bar Association for trying to collect excessive attorney's fees. Head says the complaints are more than 20 years old and the inevitable by-product of a 43 year career.

I had thought that this race would go to Combs by default, but maybe I was wrong. If things start to heat up in the race, Texans could realize they have a choice here. I hope so.


I have avoided commenting much on the District 22 race for the U.S. House of Representatives, even though I whole-heartedly support Nick Lampson. Frankly, musings, Juanita, Bay Area Houston, McBlogger, & Capitol Annex are doing a great job of covering this race, and probably doing it much better than I could. But this circus is just getting too good! The Republicans were in enough trouble having to run a write-in candidate. Write-in candidates traditionally do not do well in Texas. Now it looks like they'll be running two candidates - a Fort Bend County candidate [David Wallace] and a Harris County candidate [Shelley Sekula-Gibbs]. It's not bad enough to lose - they want to split that losing vote. Just to make it even worse, a third candidate [Don Richardson] has tossed his hat in the ring. I can't believe Democrats are having so much fun in a district drawn to be Republican. This mess the Republicans have created brings to mind the Three Stooges, and may turn out to be just as funny.


Rick Perry is now accusing Grandma of more ethical lapses in the performance of her state duties. Perry said Grandma helped her brother's law firm get a $47,000 state contract to serve as the state treasury's bond counsel. Perry's campaign said Grandma "lined her own brother's pockets" with state funds. A few days ago, Perry accused Grandma of improperly giving huge tax rebates to those represented by some of her largest contributors. It's nice to see the Republican candidates going after each other. I'm sure both of them have plenty of dirt for the other to dig up. I wish both of them much success in their efforts to tear each other down. Just less work for Kinky and Bell to do.


The Euless City Council has called for a hearing on property tax rates in the city. Since I live in Euless, this caused me some initial concern. But it turns out I had no reason for concern. The hearing is to discuss the city's lowering of taxes. The city is currently charging 49.18 cents for every $100 of a property's value. The council wants to lower it to 48.95 cents. However, there is a disagreement on the council. Three council members want to reduce the tax even further to 47.2131 cents. This is the kind of council disagreement that I don't mind. Looking around at some of the problems other cities are having, I must say it is a pleasure to live in a city where the officials are competent, honest, and get along well with each other. Thank you Mayor Saleh and the Euless City Council - keep up the good work.

Kinky Releases Energy Policy Statement

Yesterday, Kinky Friedman released his policy statement for an energy plan for Texas. It's an ambitious plan that offers rewards for Texans in the form of less energy independence and lower prices.

Kinky says, "Texas was once the world's leading energy producer, and until 1994, we were exporting energy. But today, we're paying for it. We have the resources to be self-sufficient. We have enormous solar, wind and biofuel capabilities. What we lack is leadership. Today, our capacity to generate energy from wind, solar and biofuel sources is 400 times greater than the amount we're currently using. Renewable energy sources can be found in every corner of the Lone Star State. Why aren't we tapping into them?"

Kinky wants to institute a "20% by 2020" plan. This means that Texas would be producing 20% of its electricity with renewable resources by the year 2020. Kinky would do this by:

1. Use of existing funds like the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Emerging Technology Fund.
2. Prioritizing government expenditures in renewable energy.
3. Providing economic incentives for the development and expansion of renewable energy programs.

Kinky believes the "20% by 2020" plan would help Texans by reducing current expenditures and generating new revenue. The Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association says Texans could save $5.5 billion in electric bills while realizing a new $10 billion in capital investment. In addition, 40,000 new jobs would be created, pouring $900 million in new salaries into Texas. Kinky says this plan is not only achievable, but critical.

Kinky believes our current governor is owned by the lobbyists and special interest groups, and cites the proposed new coal plants as an example. He says, "Texas residents and small business owners have been paying a hefty price for electricity that only gets more and more expensive. The average Texan has seen power bills increase by more than 80% under the current administration. Texans have gotten dirty electricity from an administration all too willing to leap into bed with the entrenched power lobby at the expense of innovation."

Some other things Kinky would like to do are:

# - Discourage the construction of outdated coal-fired generating plants.

# - Encourage the construction of cleaner natural gas facilities.

# - Offer tax breaks to companies that reduce current pollution levels or retrofit their plant with gasification technology.

# - Crack down on polluters. Kinky says, "Under previous governors, it paid to break enviornmental laws. They viewed fines and penalties as a routine cost of doing business. Under my administration, polluters will pay dearly when they violate the law."

# - Explore the creation of a Texas Department of Energy. Kinky says, "Energy is too important to the people of Texas to leave in the hands of disparate agencies and bureaucracies. The department would be headed by Texans who are not beholden to special interests but are instead committed to looking out for taxpayers and meeting the future energy needs of this state."

Well, that is Kinky's program. It sounds like a reasonable and well-thought program to me, but then I'm prejudiced in favor of Kinky. What do you think?

Federal Court To The Rescue - Again

Today, U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor of Detroit, struck down the White House's warrantless surveillance program. She said the program violated free speech and privacy rights, as well as the seperation of powers doctrine in the Constitution. Judge Taylor wrote, "Plaintiffs have prevailed, and the public interest is clear, in this matter. It is the upholding of our Constitution." Of course, the U.S. Justice Department is appealing the ruling, and White House spokesman, Tony Snow, said that Georgie "couldn't disagree more with this ruling."

Thank goodness for our federal court system. Once again they have thrown up a roadblock to those who would take away our freedoms. If it were not for our federal courts, I believe our freedoms would have disappeared long ago. It is wonderful having our Constitution, but without the judges to enforce compliance, the Constitution would be useless. Many right-wingers denigrate our judges. That is because they are more interested in taking rights than they are in preserving rights.

Without honest judges, thousands of women would still be dying in back-alley abortions. Without honest judges, segregation would probably still exist and discrimination would be rampant. Without honest judges, we would not have a free press or the right to free speech. Without honest judges, many people would still be denied the right to vote through mechanisms such as the poll tax or literacy tests. Without honest judges, our trials wouldn't be nearly as fair as they are, and an arrestee's rights would have long ago disappeared. Without honest judges, we would probably be living in a theocracy instead of a democracy.

So, I say again, thank goodness for federal judges. They are the only thing saving us from our Congress and our President.

There ARE Atheists In Foxholes

We've all heard the phrase, "There are no atheists in foxholes." It's just not true! Master Sgt. Kathleen Johnson, founder of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, says, "It's a denial of our contributions. A lot of people manage to serve without having to call on a higher power." Ken Pargament, a professor of the psychology of religion and coping at Bowling Green State University, agreed. He said, "If someone is a committed atheist, they're likely to stay a committed atheist."

As an agnostic, I have always been offended by the "no atheists in foxholes" statement. You will never hear an atheist or agnostic make that statement. These are rational people who know what they believe. Fear will not change their beliefs. It is very insulting to say atheists will become religious when faced with danger. It is just as ridiculous to believe that, as to believe that christians will become muslims when faced with danger. Being in a dangerous situation does not change a person's philosophical beliefs, it simply makes a person afraid.

Atheists and agnostics are usually very rational people, but they get very little respect in this country. The reason that so many christians like to use the phrase, I believe, is because they were scared into believing themselves. After all, if they don't believe, they think they'll go to hell! Since they were scared into belief, many christians think others would be also. Is it really so difficult to understand that rational people form their beliefs from rational thought?

By the way, when was the last time you saw an atheist elected to any office in this country? I doubt if you have ever seen it. In our secular government, it seems as though there is a requirement to be religious before you can be elected. Many other groups are overcoming discrimination and winning public office. But while it is wrong to discriminate against these groups, most Americans think it is perfectly OK to discriminate against atheists.

We preach tolerance in this country. I wish we could practice it as well.

Iraq Getting Worse - Not Better

In spite of White House platitudes and assurances, the war in Iraq just keeps getting worse. New figures released show the violence is increasing. In July, 3,438 Iraqis were killed and another 3,600 were wounded. That makes July the highest-casualty month since March of 2003.

Georgie and his cohorts would like for us to believe that progress is being made, but these figures show that is just not the truth. Even though 0ver 2600 American soldiers have died now in Iraq, the violence continues to worsen. Instead of going down the road toward victory, we seem to be stuck on a treadmill and getting nowhere.

I think even many Republicans now believe that invading Iraq was a blunder. A recent poll showed that 60% of the American people now believe the war was a mistake. Is it time to leave? Yes.

We are losing soldiers and accomplishing nothing positive in Iraq. Our puppet government is unable to effectively rule, or control the violence. The Iraqi government will not last if we pull out, and that may be a good thing. This is a government we have forced on the Iraqis, and that never works. The Iraqis must decide for themselves what kind of government they want. In spite of Georgie's beliefs, democracy cannot be spread with a gun. It must be chosen. I know some people think the Iraqis just had a fair and free election, but it is not true. How free is an election where the occupying power must approve candidates before they can appear on the ballot?

Since we are accomplishing nothing but further loss of life, it is time to withdraw from Iraq. This is not giving in to the terrorists. It is recognizing reality. Law enforcement is much more effective in controlling terrorism, than the military is. The military is great when fighting another country, but fails miserably when trying to fight a country-less movement. It is time to recognize the truth. It is time to bring our soldiers home, and let the Iraqis settle their own problems.

Rick Perry Is Ethically-Challenged

Houston homebuilder, Bob Perry, has given over $700,000 to Rick Perry's campaign fund since he became governor. When the state created an agency to resolve disputes between builders and homeowners, Gov. Perry appointed Bob Perry's corporate council to the governing board of the agency.

Three highway contractors, who have given Gov. Perry large campaign donations since he bacame governor, have been awarded lucrative contracts to help build the Trans- Texas Corridor.

Three of Perry's largest donors, including one that loans his plane to Perry, have been appointed to the governing board of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Two men, who each gave over $200,000 to the Perry campaign, have been put on the Board of Regents of Texas Tech University. Two other large donors were also rewarded with Regent appointments - one at the University of Texas, and the other at Texas A&M University.

Three other men who made large donations to Perry's campaign, have had the state of Texas invest millions of dollars in the companies that they own.

Of course, Rick Perry's people claim that none of this had anything to do with campaign donations. What was it then - coincidence? Perry has 85 donors, called the Century Council, who each give at least $25,000 a year to Perry's campaign. All of the men above are in this group. I don't know if it can be proven there was a quid pro quo at work here, but it sure doesn't look good. What it looks like is that Perry is rewarding large donations with access, appointments and government contracts. So far, these 85 individuals have donated $10 million to Perry.

In spite of their campaign denials, it looks like Perry may have some serious ethical problems. I don't know if these things can be proven to be illegal, but they are certainly morally and ethically repugnant. As the election draws closer, it becomes clearer and clearer that Texas needs a new governor. Texas needs a governor who is not ethically-challenged.

Commuter Train Coming To Northeast Tarrant County

The northeast part of Tarrant County is one of the more densly populated and fastest growing areas of the county. It is a nice area with good schools, parks, shopping and recreation, but it has always been missing one thing - mass transportation. This was not so important a few years ago, when most of the cities there were still outlying country towns. It is not that way any longer. The cities of northeast Tarrant County have grown and become part of the urban Metroplex. For several years now, there has been a serious need for mass transportation. This part of the county doesn't even have bus service.

But it looks like help is on its way. The Cotton Belt commuter rail line could be open and running as early as 2009. This rail line will run from downtown Fort Worth, through several northeast Tarrant cities [Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Hurst, Bedford, Colleyville, Grapevine, Southlake], and will end at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Each of these cities must fund and build their own stations if they want the train to stop in their city.

That is the current problem. These cities are trying to figure out where the money is going to come from. Grapevine is the first city to act. They have scheduled a referendum for November 7th to ask voters to approve a raise in the local sales tax of 3/8 of a cent. This money will be used to build a commuter train station. The other cities are still trying to find the money.

This rail line has been badly needed for many years. I urge all the cities on the line to find the money somewhere. It will only hurt a city to not be included as a stop on the commuter line. With the price of automobiles and gasoline these days, many are left without the mobility they need to live in an urban area. It is great that commuter rail is coming to northeast Tarrant County. It would be even better if all the cities got on board.

Wal-Mart Attacks Democrats

The Wal-Mart Corporation is not happy just underpaying their employees and providing most of them with no benefits, it now wants to stifle the critics who take Wal-Mart to task for making enormous profits while abusing its employees. They have sent a "voter's guide" to all of their 18,000 employees in Iowa, detailing the Democratic presidential hopefuls who have been critical of Wal-Mart's policies. At Wal-Mart, free speech is a bad thing and corporate greed is a good thing.

The "voter's guide" said, "We believe it's wrong for these political candidates to attack Wal-Mart and the transformation underway at our company. We would never suggest to you how to vote, but we have an obligation to tell you when politicians are saying something about your company that isn't true. We want you to know that your voice matters when these political candidates attack your company. We urge you to talk with your friends, your family and your neighbors about the good Wal-Mart does."

In the brochure, Wal-Mart criticized several Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Senator Evan Bayh [Indiana], Senator Joseph Biden [Delaware], Governor Tom Vilsack [Iowa] and Governor Bill Richardson [New Mexico]. Senator Hillary Clinton [New York] has also been critical of Wal-Mart, but she was not mentioned in the brochure.

Being unable to defend their position with reason and logic, it looks like Wal-Mart has now turned to political intimidation. They have essentially declared war on the Democratic Party. If you're a Democrat [or just believe in fair pay and benefits for workers], it is time to join the boycott of Wal-Mart. Don't shop at Wal-Mart, and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to do the same. Vote against Wal-Mart with your dollars, by spending them elsewhere. Then, in November, vote the Democrats into office. That's the only way we can achieve fairness for workers.

Wal-Mart showed a drop in profits last quarter for the first time ever. If they keep attacking Democrats, this could become a continuing trend. Why would a Democrat shop in a store that hates Democrats?

Are The Rich Wasting Our Precious Texas Water ?

Most of us know that Texas is once again in a drought. Cities in north Texas have placed restrictions on the use of water in an effort to conserve water. Some cities are even issuing fines for wasting water. Texans understand this, and are usually pretty good about cooperating with conservation efforts. That is, most Texans are. But the rich folks seem to think they're an exception.

Upscale city, Highland Park, located in northern Dallas County, is trying to get its residents to cut back on using water. The average Dallas home uses about 8,300 gallons of water in a month. The average Highland Park home uses about 27,000 gallons of water each month, and some living there use far more than that. Recently, the city of Highland Park sent letters to their top twenty water users, asking them to make more of an effort to conserve. Here are the top ten water users, with the amount of monthly usage:

1. Harlan Crow [7.7 acres]....................1,805,000 gallons
2. Trammell Crow [6.1 acres]....................1,111,000 gallons
3. Dallas Country Club [56.1 acres]....................913,000 gallons
4. Edwin Cox [6.6 acres]....................883,000 gallons
5. Jerry Jones [4.7 acres]....................512,000 gallons
6. United Methodist Church [4.3 acres]....................460,000 gallons
7. Crestpark Inc. [3.5 acres]....................418,000 gallons
8. Flippen Park [1.8 acres]....................378,000 gallons
9. William Duvall [0.7 acres]....................331,000 gallons
10. Bradfield Elementary [5.7 acres]....................326,000 gallons

For a state in the midst of a drought, these are shocking figures. One rich user here, is using enough to supply water to over 217 average Dallas homes. Do the rich have the right to use as much water as they can pay for? Highland Park homeowners do pay a 30% surcharge for using more than 12,000 gallons, but that has little effect on water usage. These people can afford it.

But can the citizens of Texas afford this? There is a limited amount of water in Texas, and our population is steadily growing. If Texas was a water-rich state, this would not matter, but it's not. As Texans, we are all in this together. Texas needs to rethink the way we use water. Are lawns really necessary? Can we afford to allow one user to take enough water for 217 homes? Is conservation only for the poor and middle-class?

This is not a matter of money. The rich do pay for the water they use. It is a question of availability. There must be clean water available for all Texans. The rich have no more right to water than any other Texans.