TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalRepublicans at conference have their eyes on 2016
Source: AP
NEW ORLEANS — Republicans are poised for successful midterm elections, but many of the party's most conservative activists are looking ahead to something bigger.
"We need to save this country in 2016," Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus told the opening session of the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on Thursday.
The annual event has grown into an opportunity for rising GOP stars to address some of the most conservative rank-and-file party faithful who influence the presidential nomination process.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal kicked of the list of White House hopefuls, delighting delegates by skewering President Barack Obama as "the most ideologically liberal" and "most incompetent president of our lifetimes." Delegates will hear Friday and Saturday from tea party hero Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, 2012 presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and others.
Read more: http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-05-29/republicans-conference-have-their-eyes-2016#.U4f7JyhCxfs
Democrat calls Republican Leadership Conference a 'massive gathering' of Jindal's 'stupid party'
Referring to a comment made by Gov. Bobby Jindal last January, urging the Republican party to "stop being the stupid party," the Democratic National Committee on Thursday described the Republican Leadership Conference set to kick off Thursday evening as a "massive gathering of 'the stupid party.'"
The State Republican National Committee issued a swift reply, calling the Democratic comments "cheap pot shots."
In a press release sent out by the committee Thursday morning (May 29), spokesperson Kiara Pesante described the conference line-up as a smorgasbord that ranged from presidential candidates to "conspiracy theorists." The release blasted RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who speaks at the conference Thursday evening, as the man responsible for "the party's failed rebrand effort," and highlighted the presence of Phil Robertson, controversial patriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family, whom the release described as a "cause celebre that came after Joe the Plumber."
"This is a group of GOP leaders that are famous for things like shutting down the government, believing that employers should be able to limit health care options for women and question where the President was born," the release says.
More at http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/democrat_call_republican_leade.html#incart_m-rpt-2 .
The full press release:
Today, Governor Jindal will help kick off the Republican Leadership Conference's annual gathering of party leaders, conspiracy theorists and past and future presidential candidates.
Speaking alongside Jindal today includes RNC Chairman Reince Priebus who has overseen the party's failed rebrand effort and Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson (the GOP's cause celebre that came after Joe the Plummer [sic] and before Cliven Bundy).
And not to be outdone on their first 24 hours - in the coming days, the conference is slated to hear from the likes of Donald Trump, Allen West, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Dinesh D'Souza and many more. This is a group of GOP leaders that are famous for things like shutting down the government, believing that employers should be able to limit health care options for women and question where the President was born.
In short - the RLC is a massive gathering of 'the stupid party.'
But the problem with this gathering isn't just the speakers, it's the policies that they're fighting for that are hurting the economic well-being of Americans.
Just look at Bobby Jindal's record. Here are a few of the low-lights from Governor Jindal's time in office:
· Forbes ranks Louisiana 40th in the list of the best states to do business, 48th in quality of life and 46th in growth prospects.
· The state lags near the bottom for high school graduation rates.
· According to the Census Bureau, Louisiana has the second highest poverty rate in the nation.
And while Jindal's speaking at the conference, his state's legislature is nearing the end of their legislative session without a budget for next year.
Republicans like Jindal may not want to be seen as the 'stupid party' - but that won't change as long as their out-of-touch rhetoric matches their out-of-touch policies.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Fertilizer storage facility on fire in Athens
Jeff Riggs/Athens Review
Athens, Texas — A fire which was at a fertilizer plant in Athens, about three blocks from the Henderson County Courthouse Square was still burning at 6:40 p.m. Thursday. More information will be given as it is received.
http://www.athensreview.com/local/x1396870159/Fertilizer-storage-facility-on-fire-in-Athens#sthash.cyX4DMeY.dpuf
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ATHENS — A fertilizer fire at an East Texas farm supply lot appears to be burning itself out.
The fire was in Athens, Texas, a town of about 13,000 residents about 70 miles southeast of Dallas. Police are telling reporters at the scene that no injuries have been reported.
Police had cordoned off a five-block radius from the East Texas Ag Supply lot where the fire struck about 6 p.m. As of 7:30 p.m., however, aerial video showed that where there had been a 60-foot column of flames, there was now little more than a smoking ruin framed by charred walls.
Fertilizer fires have been of concern in Texas since an April 2013 fertilizer plant explosion killed 15, injured about 200 others and devastated the Central Texas town of West.
http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-05-29/fire-strikes-east-texas-fertilizer-lot#.U4f5UChCxfs (AP story)
Alameel Threatens Cornyn Campaign With Lawsuit
David Alameel, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is demanding that Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign retract a recent fundraising email or possibly face a defamation lawsuit.
A lawyer for Cornyn’s campaign accused Alameel of trying to “intimidate Texans from discussing his fitness for public office.”
The dispute stems from a May 14 fundraising email sent by Texans for Senator John Cornyn to members of its mailing list. The email, from campaign outreach director Amanda Shell, cited an article in the Houston Chronicle outlining a now-closed legal fight between dental clinics that were then owned by Alameel and four workers who claimed the company’s chief financial officer had sexually harassed them. Alameel was never a target of the sexual harassment claims. However, his company settled a subsequent federal complaint — which involved no admission of wrongdoing — brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2008. The Cornyn campaign email summarized the allegations from the suit as well as other details included in the article.
The Cornyn campaign on Thursday released a letter from Alameel's lawyer and the campaign's response, despite a statement in the letter from Alameel’s lawyer describing it as “a confidential legal communication” that is not for publication.
More at http://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/29/alameel-threatens-cornyn-campaign-lawsuit/ .
Affidavit: TV 'Millionaire' in extortion bid
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who appeared on "The Millionaire Matchmaker" is accused of trying to extort $2.5 million from a nuclear weapons plant in exchange for 1,200 slides he allegedly claimed would be damaging if released publicly.
According to an affidavit filed in federal court last week, Adam Winters sent an email on May 8 to Babcock and Wilcox, the contractors operating the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The email also was sent to the FBI's Knoxville office and to Vice President Joe Biden, the affidavit said.
The email states that Winters has slides that contain "evidence from testing the bombs, to documentation on how much radiation was used on animals and contamination of the plants," according to the affidavit.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Winters' family in 1993 sought money from the government and the media for the same slides, which were accidentally left in an old storage cabinet sold at auction. The U.S. Department of Energy refused to pay for the slides, some of which show government research on the effects of radiation on animals.
More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-05-29/affidavit-tv-millionaire-extortion-bid#.U4fBnChCxfs .
You might want to drive past Big Earl's if you're in Pittsburg, Texas
Collin Dewberry and his partner Kelley were reportedly asked not to come back to a restaurant in Pittsburg, Texas, because they are gay, reports CBSDFW.
Per recorded interviews with Dewberry and Big Earl Cheney, owner of the accused restaurant Big Earl’s Bait House and Country Store, the owner’s daughter was the waitress who told the couple they were not allowed to come back because of house rules.
“She told them the rules are on the door and it says ‘Welcome to Big Earl’s, where men act like men, women act like ladies, no saggy pants and we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone,’” said owner Cheney.
Followed Dewberry, “And so I laughed and I asked ‘What do you mean?’ And that’s when she said to us … ‘to put it plainly, we don’t serve fags here.’”
More at http://lgbtqblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/big-earls-bait-house-country-store-bans-gay-couple.html/ .
The best GIF in the universe!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152440556891449Too bad it won't embed, but it is definitely worth checking out.
SpaceX gets federal clearance for South Texas launch site
SpaceX has received a green light from the Federal Aviation Administration to construct a spaceport in South Texas.
The Environmental Impact Statement (see .pdf of documents), issued by the FAA’s Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation George Nield, concludes with:
The proposed 56.5-acre launch site at Boca Chica beach would launch up to 12 rockets a year, including two Falcon 9 Heavy rockets, which could begin flying in 2015. These launches would be for commercial (i.e. satellites) as well as possibly NASA purposes.
According to the FAA, the proposed site is completely undeveloped and consists of 25.43 acres of wetlands and 31.07 acres of sporadically vegetated sand dunes. The area surrounding the proposed vertical launch area is primarily used for recreational purposes.
More at http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2014/05/spacex-gets-federal-clearance-for-south-texas-launch-site/#22787101=0
Libertarian Attorney General candidate 'DWI Dude' accused of client theft
SAN ANTONIO — More than 20 years ago, Jamie Balagia lost his police badge after allegedly testing positive for drugs and was reportedly accused of stealing evidence from the Austin Police Department.
Balagia, a San Antonio lawyer known as “The DWI Dude” who makes a living defending drunken driving and drug suspects, is now facing a fight with the State Bar of Texas.
The state bar's disciplinary arm has sued Balagia and is seeking a finding of “professional misconduct.” The Commission for Lawyer Discipline accused him of keeping $50,000 that he was supposed to give back to a client in a drug forfeiture case. He denies the allegations.
Balagia, who spent 12 years with the Austin Police Department, is now the Libertarian candidate for Texas attorney general. He is known to speak at pro-marijuana legalization events while publicly advocating for civil rights.
http://www.chron.com/news/local/article/AG-candidate-DWI-Dude-accused-of-client-theft-5513888.php#photo-6244483
Derpitude: Open Carry Group in Texas sues because they can’t approach motorists while fully armed
Two weeks ago, Open Carry Tarrant County in Texas threatened legal action and now they’re following through by suing over an ordinance they feel is directed at their group after they have approached vehicles on the street with rifles strapped across their backs. You see, scaring the living shit out of someone is their winning strategy.
Their ‘look at me’ protest with vehicles is to hand out copies of the Constitution, because they must think the public has no idea where to get one of those.
Led by Kory Watkins (in the picture above with his rifle pointed at his foot), the group just sued Arlington in Fort Worth federal court, claiming the ordinance redo is infringing upon its First Amendment rights to talk about the Second Amendment to passers-by (usually, while heavily armed), The Dallas Morning News reports.
Here’s Kory with his ‘fellow patriots’:
More at http://freakoutnation.com/2014/05/28/derpitude-open-carry-group-in-texas-sues-because-they-cant-approach-motorists-while-fully-armed/ .
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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