TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalGohmert: GOP afraid to block Obamacare
Republican leaders in the U.S. House fear laying it on the line against Obamacare when Congress reconvenes in September, the congressman from Northeast Texas said Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert told a tea party audience of about 200 people that GOP House Speaker John Boehner fears the political backlash of de-funding the Affordable Care Act as a condition of raising the debt ceiling to avoid a government shutdown.
“Our leadership is scared to death,” Gohmert said during a town hall meeting at The Reserve sponsored by We The People-Longview. “They think if we have a shutdown, or a big showdown, we may lose the majority (party status in the House), and they will lose their leadership positions.”
Then he uttered a rare compliment for Democrats who used to be in charge of Congress’ lower chamber.
More absurd bullshit from Gohmert at http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/gohmert-gop-afraid-to-block-obamacare/article_a5788e45-fe26-5191-928e-b378bae37399.html .
Aggies host LSU on Thanksgiving in 2014; help crank up SEC Network
COLLEGE STATION – The Southeastern Conference released its 2014 league schedule this morning – and Texas A&M owns a couple of significant contests on the slate.
For starters, the SEC Network’s first game will feature the Aggies at South Carolina on Aug. 28, 2014 – a Thursday night. A&M then wraps up its regular season on Thanksgiving Day against LSU at Kyle Field. The kick time for A&M’s newest Thanksgiving rivalry has not been announced.
“Texas A&M and LSU has always been one of nation’s best rivalries,” A&M athletic director Eric Hyman said. “It has all the trappings of a great rivalry – passionate fan bases, bordering states, close proximity, unmatched traditions and history. College football’s rivalry weekend is the perfect home for the Aggies and Tigers.”
Here is the rest of A&M’s 2014 SEC schedule in its entirety:
Aug. 28 at South Carolina
Sept. 27 vs. Arkansas (AT&T Stadium in Arlington)
Oct. 4 at Miss. State
Oct. 11 OLE MISS
Oct. 18 at Alabama
Nov. 8 at Auburn
Nov. 15 MISSOURI
Nov. 27 LSU
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/08/report-am-to-host-lsu-on-thanksgiving-in-2014/?cmpid=hpts
Fox News confirms firing of top network adviser
Source: AP
NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel has confirmed the termination of a high-ranking employee for what it described as "financial irregularities."
The network said Wednesday that executive vice president Brian Lewis was dismissed late last month. He had been a long-time lieutenant to Roger Ailes, the network's founder and chief executive.
A company statement said Lewis was fired after "an extensive internal investigation" turned up "issues relating to financial irregularities" as well as "significant breaches of his employment contract." No specific detail was released.
News of Lewis' firing was first published Tuesday by The Hollywood Reporter.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/entertainment/television/article/Fox-News-confirms-firing-of-top-network-adviser-4749758.php?cmpid=hpts
Greg Abbott’s actions, words are giving a big boost to possible Davis campaign
Will someone please take that political shovel from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott so he can stop digging?
He’s getting deeper and deeper into a hole by offending people he doesn’t have to in order to secure his position with the right-wing Republican base, a group he needs to win any primary election.
But what I’m afraid he doesn’t realize is that his latest statements and actions may be energizing people in the state beyond that base, especially Democrats who have been waiting a long time for something to rejoice about in statewide elections.
When was the last time you heard Texans singing Happy Days Are Here Again? Well, some are ready to strike up the band and start belting that tune, particularly if state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, announces she will run for governor against the attorney general.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/08/20/5096030/greg-abbotts-actions-and-words.html#storylink=cpy
Texas ACT scores rise, now match national average
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Students' average score on the ACT in Texas increased enough to match the national average for the high school graduating class of 2013 - but far fewer youngsters here continue to take the college entrance exam than their counterparts in other states.
Results being released Wednesday show Texas students had an average composite score of 20.9 out of a possible 36, a tenth of a percentage point higher than the average score of 20.8 from last year and 2011. The 2013 national composite score slipped to 20.9 from 21.1 a year prior.
Only 37 percent of graduating Texas students took the ACT, however, down 2 percentage points from 2012. Nationwide, 54 percent of students graduating high school took the ACT, though that includes nine states where nearly all students take it.
Traditionally the ACT has been a rival college entrance exam to the SAT, but it is now taken by at least 50 percent of high school graduates in 29 states.
More at http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_23906600/texas-act-scores-rise-now-match-national-average .
[font color=green]Mediocrity meets in the middle.[/font] 
Rick Perry names his former chief of staff to PUC
Gov. Rick Perry appointed Brandy Marty to the third seat on the Public Utility Commission that has been vacant for six months.
The PUC oversees electric and telephone operations in Texas, including reviewing services and rates.
“Brandy is a passionate public servant with a deep knowledge of state government and the issues critical to Texas’ continued success,” Perry said.
Marty, an attorney who received her law degree from St. Mary’s University, has held several positions on Perry’s staff, including most recently chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, director of the Budget, Planning and Policy Division and as a legislative liaison to the House.
More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/08/rick-perry-names-his-former-chief-of-staff-to-puc.html/ .
[font color=green]She replaces a member of the PUC who was an advocate for development of alternative energy. Stacking the deck?[/font] 
'Partridge Family' star Cassidy charged with DWI
SCHODACK, N.Y. —
Authorities say former teen heartthrob David Cassidy was pulled over in upstate New York for failing to dim his headlights and charged with DWI after tests showed his blood-alcohol content at .10, higher than the state's legal limit of .08.
Schodack (SKOH-dack) Police Lt. Joseph Belardo says Cassidy was stopped shortly after 12 a.m. Wednesday about 10 miles south of Albany.
The charge is a felony because Cassidy has a 2011 conviction for driving under the influence in Florida. He lives in Fort Lauderdale but is staying in upstate New York for a racing meet in Saratoga.
The 63-year-old "Partridge Family" star is free on $2,500 bail. He's due in Schodack Town Court on Sept. 4.
Source: http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/alcohol/partridge-family-star-cassidy-charged-with-dwi/nZYF9/
Texas seeks federal funding for mentally disabled
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is asking for additional funding through the Affordable Care Act to help the mentally disabled, a move that will allow the state to settle a lawsuit.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that the state is working on a program that will allow mentally disabled Texans to remain at home, rather than go to assisted living facilities. The program is part of the Affordable Care Act, which could bring more than $93 million to the state.
Establishing the Community First Choice program is also the centerpiece of a legal settlement with disability rights groups who filed suit against the state in 2010.
HHS spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said the program will not add people to Medicaid, only allow them more options for care.
More at http://www.reporternews.com/news/2013/aug/21/texas-seeks-federal-funding-mentally-disabled/ .
How Detroit is being stolen
I want to thank Lance Selfa for his excellent report on the bankruptcy crisis facing Detroit ("The strangling of Detroit"
. Needless to say, for those of us on the ground, this has been a heated topic of discussion. Lance's article is a useful aide in moving that discussion forward.
I'm writing to add some brief details to the picture Lance has already painted and raise some of the issues that have so far missed the coverage of the bankruptcy. Of course, this subject is far bigger than can adequately be covered by any one article or letter (which is partly the cause for the lateness of this letter).
For now, the bankruptcy has been stalled in legal battles. This is a good thing, but it's far from being enough. It's clear that Michigan's ruling class wants this bankruptcy to go through and has already made it clear that it has little regard for democratic procedures.
The emergency manager law that gives Kevyn Orr, Detroit's de facto dictator, the power to file for bankruptcy was already overturned by a wide majority of Michigan's voters last November. Rather than respect basic democratic principles, however, Michigan's legislature simply signed it back into law. Even partners of Kevyn Orr's law firm, Jones Day, acknowledged that the appointment of an emergency manager to oversee Detroit "echoes...a fascist takeover of local government."
More at http://socialistworker.org/2013/08/20/how-detroit-is-being-stolen .
Will Mubarak go free?
Hosni Mubarak may be a free man by the end of the week. On August 19, a court dismissed one of the few remaining corruption charges against him. Though Mubarak is still supposed to stand trial for the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his ouster, his lawyer successfully argued that Mubarak has reached the limit for pre-trial detention.
"All we have left is a simple administrative procedure that should take no more than 48 hours," Fareed el-Deeb, Mubarak's lawyer, said on Monday. "He should be freed by the end of the week."
"He who controls the past controls the future," wrote George Orwell. "He who controls the present controls the past." The struggle over Egypt's past and its future may soon take a turn that would have seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago.
Scarcely anyone had speculated that Mubarak might walk free, at least at this point in time, but his possible imminent release is just one of several signs in recent days of the dramatic shift in the confidence and assertiveness of Egypt's military leaders--and the appointed interim government that gives the military an aura of civilian legitimacy.
More at http://socialistworker.org/2013/08/21/will-mubarak-go-free .
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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
Number of posts: 112,167
