Et tu, Rick? Perry Has Own Private Email Trail

While Rick Perry has joined Republicans casting stones at Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account while she was secretary of state, it seems the former governor is not without sin.

Perry was among the first potential 2016 presidential candidates to chime in on revelations that Clinton conducted government business entirely on a personal email account. On Tuesday morning, Perry said the findings add to a “pattern ... of non-transparency” surrounding Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in 2016.

“It’s an ethical issue that’s going to have to be addressed,” Perry said during an interview on Fox News, tying the issue to other revelations about the Clinton Foundation taking money from foreign countries while she was the United States’ top diplomat.

However, Perry is no stranger to using a personal email account to discuss state business, according to two lawmakers familiar with email exchanges involving the governor that surfaced two years ago. The extent to which Perry used his personal account over the years in unclear, but legislators and open-government advocates said it seriously undercuts his criticism of Clinton.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/04/perry-faces-transparency-questions-after-clinton-r/

Lawmaker And Christian School Owner 'Rehomes' Adopted 6 Year Old To Man Who Then Rapes Her

A Republican lawmaker who owns a religious pre-school adopted a little girl with his wife. He apparently later "re-homed," or unofficially but permanently gave over the 6-year old to a man he would end up hiring as a pre-school teacher. That man later raped her.

Justin Harris is a conservative Arkansas State Representative who serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Children and Youth. A Tea Party Republican, Harris has voted to allow the Christian bible to be taught in public schools, and has co-sponsored anti-abortion bills. A Pentecostal Christian, he and his family belong to the Assemblies of God fellowship. Harris also owns a religious, Christian pre-school, named Growing God’s Kingdom.

In 2011, Americans United, an organization that advocates for separation of church and state, revealed that Harris' Growing God’s Kingdom Preschool had "received over $1 million in state funds since 2005," despite separation of church and state.

That revelation did nothing to discourage Rep. Harris, just two years later, from co-sponsoring a bill that would, as NCRM reported, "force the state to pay for 'faith-based' or religious daycare and pre-school, as long as the parent and not the state requests it."

Read more: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/arkansas_lawmaker_and_school_owner_gives_adopted_6_year_old_to_employee_who_then_rapes_her

Peep show

with bunny pole dancer.



Some assembly required.

Hidalgo County judge grills Community Service Agency director for failure to administer $2.8M

EDINBURG — The Hidalgo County Community Service Agency — an office tasked with connecting indigent residents with federal grant money — failed to administer roughly $2.8 million in funds since 2012, officials said Tuesday.

The revelation came when Hidalgo County Commissioners told the CSA’s executive director to change that course — something she said has been challenging amid turnover of a staff that receives little pay itself.

In 2012 and 2013, the county did not use around $1 million each year from the federal government that was budgeted for indigent assistance. In 2014, it didn’t use about $500,000. If it isn’t used, the money doesn’t carry over, the agency’s longtime Executive Director Maribel Navarro Saenz said.

At Tuesday’s Comm-issioners Court meeting, Navarro Saenz said her agency was understaffed — a problem she chalked up to poor pay and turnover — so it couldn’t keep up with the requests for help, meaning less federal money spent.

Read more: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/valley/article_8955fcc2-c227-11e4-b0a8-b7470278f5db.html

Ex-Houston banker gets prison for fraud, must repay $462K

HOUSTON (AP) — A former Houston banker must serve nearly two years in prison for stealing more than $462,000 and using some funds to buy gifts for co-workers.

Quinhun Rollins was sentenced Monday in Houston. The 42-year-old woman in October pleaded guilty to bank fraud.

Rollins must serve 33 months behind bars and repay the money stolen since 2012 from a Green Bank in Houston.

Investigators say Rollins funneled unauthorized bank payments, disguised as funds meant for vendors, to her personal account at another bank.

Read more: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/texas/article_c71c999b-34d9-5919-b4f0-8fd01990c0e1.html

Straus, Abbott and Patrick: Field Notes From a Troubled Love Triangle

Ah, love triangles. Throughout history, they’ve provided rich dramatic material. But they’re no fun to be in, and almost as un-fun to be around. Bruised egos, miscommunication and ill will. Matters of the heart get so messy.

The Legislature is also premised on a three-way relationship, though, one hopes, platonic. There’s Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus. We know where they stand, roughly—Patrick’s a right-winger who goes with his gut, and Straus is a cautious and analytical moderate. Which of them will form a stronger relationship with the governor?

The answer to that question will say a lot about how the 84th Legislature unfolds. Who’s winning?

1) Dan Patrick has so much love to give, man.

There are many different ways to form a bond with a political partner, but Patrick’s is pretty curious. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the lite guv’s strategy for dealing with the governor appeared to be to “hug him to death and hope compliance follows,” but if anything I may have undersold it. Dan’s mash notes for Greg are getting stronger:

Read more: http://www.texasobserver.org/straus-abbott-and-patrick-field-notes-from-a-troubled-love-triangle/

[font color=green]And on that note...[/font]

Lesbian Lawmaker’s Partner Left Out of Legislative Directory

The name of a lesbian lawmaker’s longtime partner doesn’t appear in a Texas legislative directory, though the publisher updated the web version after the Observer inquired about the issue.

Austin Democratic Rep. Celia Israel’s partner of 20 years, Celinda Garza, isn’t listed in the 2015 edition of the Texas State Directory—a go-to source for lobbyists, reporters and others seeking information about legislators.

The Texas State Directory—an 80-year-old publication put out by a small private company—places the names of lawmakers’ spouses in parentheses next to their cities of residence.

Israel said her staff listed Garza as her partner on a form provided to the Texas State Directory. However, Julie Sayers, the president and publisher of the Texas State Directory, indicated that because Garza wasn’t listed as Israel’s spouse, she wasn’t included. She also said only legally married spouses are listed in the directory.

Read more: http://www.texasobserver.org/lesbian-lawmakers-partner-left-out-of-legislative-directory/#.VPdw7tpiaTs.twitter

Ted Cruz on DHS Debacle: GOP Planned to Concede All Along, Should Have Held IRS Funding Hostage

Yesterday, the House of Representatives finally passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after weeks of House Republicans holding departmental funding hostage in a desperate attempt to defund President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Though Republicans had emphasized that they felt it was so important that the U.S. continue tearing apart families through deportation that they were willing to put national security at risk, when Democrats called their bluff, they ultimately chose to re-authorize funding for DHS.

Most people lauded the news that Republicans had finally agreed to see reason, but one person (predictably) upset was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Last night, he told reporters how he thought the situation should have been handled, and of course, it was full of extreme rhetoric that lacked practical solutions.

Said Cruz:

This message is taterguy approved

One Of Nation's Few Homeless Shelters For LGBT Youth Opens Doors In San Antonio, Texas

One of the nation's few homeless shelters specifically for LGBTQ youth has opened its doors in San Antonio.

Thrive Youth Center is a 13-bed, 1,400-square-foot facility — including five individual rooms for transgender youth.

The center, which will serve LGBTQ youth ages 18-25, was initially scheduled to open last year at a downtown church, but that plan was nixed due to zoning issues. The shelter finally opened last week through a partnership with Haven for Hope, a larger facility serving the general homeless population.

-snip-

According to Thrive Youth Center's website, 50 percent of homeless youth in San Antonio are LGBTQ, mostly as a result of family rejection. And homeless LGBTQ youth on the street are more than twice as likely to commit suicide as other youth on the street.

Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2015/03/one-of-nations-few-lgbtq-youth-homeless-shelters-opens-its-doors-in-san-antonio.html#.VPZgPXe5x3Y.twitter