Here’s something I hadn’t realized about the Travis County District Attorney. In addition to investigating and prosecuting state level corruption cases (including everyone’s favorite former House Majority Leader), the Travis Co DA’s office has also been responsible for prosecuting criminal environmental cases across the state since 1994 under the Texas Water Code and Texas Health and Safety Code.
Rosemary Lehmberg, the current DA, has been particularly effective at going after large industrial polluters. Since 2009, a special prosecutor, Patty Robertson, has been assigned to the investigation of these cases through a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state agency responsible for granting environmental permits and handing out fines for non-compliance. Since the creation of the environmental crimes unit, the DA’s office has opened 51 cases, handed down 12 convictions and collected over $3.2 million in fines.
The biggest case they’ve tried so far was against Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical Corporation and its former Environmental and Health Services Manager, Rajani Vadlamudi, for the unlawful discharge of a pollutant into state waters. Gulf Chem was ordered to pay a $2.75 million fine and Vadlamudi was additionally fined and placed on deferred adjudication.
In an interview with the Austin Chronicle, Lehmberg described the strategy behind these cases.
I really do believe that even though sometimes we go for an individual - like it might be the main engineer or the president of the company for individual responsibility - mostly what these folks recognize is where it hits them in the pocketbook. And I think that we’re going to end up being more and more aggressive about that. The more we do these, the more we learn that we can assess bigger fines, because that’s what’s punitive to a big company.
Lehmberg will be facing a tough re-election campaign against former Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Charlie Baird. Her commitment to environmental justice is definitely worth noting in the lead up to Democratic primary (if it ever happens that is).
Barack Obama's first TV ad of the election cycle highlights his record on ethics and energy policy. Despite Republican claims to the contrary, his record is extremely strong in these areas:
Over the last four years, US dependence on foreign oil has dipped below 50% of our total consumption for the first time this century.
US natural gas production has skyrocketed to historic levels.
Investment in sustainable energy research has created 2.7 million jobs under this administration.
Unlike certain former Presidents, Obama has not been a lackey of the oil and gas industry, and has taken strong steps to ensure offshore drilling is safe in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and most recently shut down the dangerous Keystone XL pipeline
Watch the ad for yourself here:
For more on Obama’s energy record check out whitehouse.gov
This evening, Buzzfeed posted one of the juiciest political gotchas of the new year, the entire 200 page opposition research file from the 2008 McCain campaign on one Willard “Mittens” Romney. The theme is pretty simple:
Romney Has Been Criticized For Sending "Mixed Messages" And Having "Seemingly Inconsistent” Positions
The bulk of the file consists of news clippings highlighting his ever shifting views on abortion, immigration, campaign finance reform, education, and pretty much every other topic salient to the 2008 Republican Primary.
While much of it concerns his record as Governor of Massachusetts, and statements made during his runs for the Senate in 1994 and the 2008 primary campaign, there is a particularly epic overview of his work with the infamous firm, Bain Capital.
There is just too much good stuff in here to post all of it, but here are some highlights from the file on abortion.
In 1994, Romney Claimed He Supported Legalizing Abortion Before Roe v. Wade Decision. ROMNEY: "I joined my mother in 1970 when she said she was in favor of legalizing abortion." (Scot Lehigh, "Romney Labeled A 'Pretender' On Abortion Rights," The Boston Globe, 10/12/94)
As Romney Considered Run For Office In Utah In 2002, He Told Local Paper He Did Not "Wish To Be Labeled Pro-Choice." "After Romney lost the Senate race, he decamped to Utah to run the Winter Olympics. When it was rumored he might seek political office there, he wrote this in a letter to the editor of the Salt Lake City Tribune: 'I do not wish to be labeled prochoice.'" (Joan Vennochi, "Romney's Revolving World," The Boston Globe, 3/2/06)
Announcing For Massachusetts Governor In 2002, Romney Reaffirmed His Pro-Choice Position. "[A]s Governor of the Commonwealth, I will protect the right of a woman to choose under the law of the country and the laws of the Commonwealth." (Joan Vennochi, "Romney's Revolving World," The Boston Globe, 3/2/06)
Romney Says He "Simply Changed His Mind" On Abortion One Day In November 2004. "On abortion, Romney says he simply changed his mind. He recalls that it happened in a single revelatory moment, during a Nov. 9, 2004, meeting with an embryonic-stem-cell researcher who said he didn't believe therapeutic cloning presented a moral issue because the embryos were destroyed at 14 days. 'It hit me very hard that we had so cheapened the value of human life in a Roe v. Wade environment that it was important to stand for the dignity of human life,' Romney says." (Karen Tumulty, "What Romney Believes," Time, 5/21/07)
The Doctor, Harvard's Douglas Melton, Claimed Romney "Mischaracterized My Position." "Governor Romney has mischaracterized my position; we didn't discuss killing or anything related to it. … I explained my work to him, told him about my deeply held respect for life, and explained that my work focuses on improving the lives of those suffering from debilitating diseases." (Scott Helman, "Romney's Journey To The Right," The Boston Globe, 12/17/06)
Republican Strategist Keith Appell Said Romney Airing Pro-Choice Views After Abortion "Epiphany" Begs Question: "How Many Epiphanies Have You Had?" "If he was still taking actions that appear to reflect his old, 'pro-choice' views after November 2004, it raises an important question for Republicans, Appell said. 'It's part of Romney's challenge: How many epiphanies have you had?' he said." (Rick Klein and Jake Tapper, "Romney's Pro- Life Conversion: Myth Or Reality?" ABC News, 6/14/07)
As you can see, this is some really great stuff, and I highly recommend reading the whole thing here. This is the most fun I’ve had reading about Mitt Romney. Ok, well, at least since this.
MoveOn members in Texas's 21st District have voted to endorse Lainey Melnick for Congress. It's up to all of us to stop the corporate takeover of Congress-you can volunteer with the campaign here:
There has been much ballyhoo lately over polls showing Bill White behind Rick Perry. White would do well to remember that given a choice between a Republican and a Democrat talking like a Republican, the real thing wins every time.
I am so sick of Democrats trying to play the Republican's game using their words and playing to their strengths. We haven't tried this in a rather long time, but why not try to run on Democratic values? Running as Republicans sure hasn't worked. We haven't won a statewide race since Governor Ann Richards. Obviously pretending that we are just like the Republicans doesn't work.
Believe it or not, there are actually more of us out there. We just don't vote our numbers because we feel like we'll just loose anyway. So why bother? When we promote ourselves as Republican lite, we turn away voters that have voted for us. Instead, they come away with the notion that there isn't any difference between the two parties, so why bother?
If we want to win in Texas, we need to start acting like real Texas Democrats. We need to be more like Ann Richards and Barbara Jordan and Molly Ivins and Ladybird Johnson. Ladybird faced down the old south and the KKK to promote the Civil Rights Act. She didn't say stupid bs like "I'm for family values."
Who could forget Ann Richards as the keynote at the DNC? People are still quoting it. She wasn't pretending to be a conservative. How about when Barbara Jordan stood up to President Nixon and called him out? Was she pretending to be a Republican? Does anyone remember Ralph Yarborough? Did he ever pretend to be just like the Republicans just to get elected?
We can elect Democrats in Texas statewide once more, but we'll have to start sounding like real Democrats to do it.
AUSTIN, TX - Students are beginning classes and already attending their first College Democrats meetings of the year. If you're one of the many chapter Presidents across the state or are interested in starting a chapter at your school here is an extremely helpful link from the College Democrats of America: http://bit.ly/dx8qWX
Here are some best practices from TCD President Emeritus Andy Jones:
1. Solidifying membership is key. A high profile speaker at the first meeting is awesome, but the second and third have to be about keeping members, not talking at them.
2. Motivate the base. Get student organizations that have helped your chapter in the past motivated to work with you again.
3. Fun, fun, fun. We're not the West Wing campaigning for Santos. Food at events, contests, rewards, etc. Fun, fun, fun 'til her Daddy takes the ballot away...
Here is the first three weeks of state strategy from TCD President Ryan Lofton Payne:
Week one • Contact local election office and schedule a time to deputize your group.
• Start registering people in high traffic areas of campus.
Week two • Make sure you have contacted local candidates and inform them of where you will be registering on campus.
• Contact professors that teach the largest classes and ask if you can come in and register the class at the beginning of class.
Week three • Start getting ready for the fall conference in Dallas and really start focusing on what you have implemented in the first two weeks.
Also, this just in! Sneak peek at the Texas College Democrats' fall conference trainings:
1. College registration and GOTV (get-out-the-vote)
2. Old & New: Effective media for college campuses
3. Issue advocacy: making a statement at your school
4. Tools for success: fundraising & chapter development
Mark your calendars! The conference is set for September 18th and will be held at the Progressive Center of Texas in Dallas. Expect more details in the next week.
Just outside the city of New Braunfels, Texas thrives a town called "Gruene." One would be hard pressed to miss this town. Although you must travel down a long 2 lane road, follow a few signs and make a couple of turns as dust swirls in your rear view mirror; nestled by the Guadalupe River, you will find Gruene, Texas along with a sign that simply states, "Gently resisting change since 1872."
The history of this town is much like the history of the United States. In the mid 1840's German farmers settled in Gruene. Ernst Gruene and his family were the first to build their homes in Gruene where they used the surrounding land to plant cotton. As with many investments, cotton became the number one cash crop and with that brought more families to Gruene. New families meant new homes, different styles, and new businesses to include a cotton gin. A dance hall and saloon (Gruene Hall) were also built which served as the heart of the community's social life.
The original cotton gin burned in 1922 and was later replaced by a modern electric model. The Depression along with the disasters to the cotton industry all but shut down the once bustling town. Gruene Hall was the only "business" spared. For close to 50 years the town remained a ghost of what once was. In the mid 1970's much of the Gruene estate was sold ushering in a new era of business and a new and thriving community.
If you think this is an essay on the "History of Gruene, Texas" you would be mistaken. This is the story of America embodied by a small town in Texas. Although just about everything in Texas is bigger, Gruene remains a charming town filled with shops offering everything from furniture to gourmet coffee. The old cotton gin serves as a restaurant and Gruene Hall hosts the likes of George Strait and Lyle Lovett. The town bodes something for even the most discriminating of tastes.
"Gently resisting change since 1872." You will not find yourself bartering with cattle for your meal. Gruene does have ATM machines. You see, although Gruene maintains its charm, it has changed. The families who first settled in Gruene came looking for a better life, each bringing the best they could offer to their community. This was the foundation. When the old cotton gin burned down, a new, more advanced one replaced it. When hard times fell upon the nation, thus affecting the town, the landscape changed.
For this small town it took close to 50 years for new life to be brought back into the empty stores, along with a great deal of hard work and restoration. Our nation is facing trials not seen since the Great Depression which swallowed Gruene. There are a great many stores that must be rebuilt, mills to be replaced and a community of people that must work together for the greater good. Much like "Gruene Hall," Texas serves as the center of the community which even in the face of devastation never failed. We have watched as some of our elected officials have sat for decades in office and we are now suffering from the failed policies, politics and promises they made. As Texans, we are proud of our state. We are proud of our history. As Texans we must not allow that same pride to stand in the way of progress. We may have a new, more modern cotton gin, but a great many of our stores remain cloaked in cobwebs of times long past. Will we choose to suffer the devastation that held Gruene captive for over 50 years, or will we stand Texas proud as Gruene Hall, whose music echoes in the streets and begin our restoration. I'm ready. Are you?
Andrews County in far West Texas is deciding today if they should use county funds to pay for a local private nuclear waste dump.
At a recent community meeting in Andrews County, voters like Gerri Steward came to learn more about the upcoming bond election. Voters are being asked to approve a $75 million deal that would finance a low-level radioactive disposal site. Gerri says her "first impulse is to say no. They should get it from a bank or something else, but with our economy, I don't know if it's the right thing or not."
50-year resident Stew Collins says he's here to get some answers. He is undecided and will make up his mind after reading pamphlets provided by Waste Control Specialists (WCS). But like most people in Andrews, he skeptical of government promises. "Some of the stuff here said it won't cost the taxpayer a dime. I don't hardly believe that I ever saw anything that came here that didn't cost the taxpayer something," says Collins.
The bonds will be used to pay for the first low-level nuclear waste disposal site licensed in the U.S. in 30 years. WCS worked for 15 years to get to this point. They dealt with regulatory agencies and successfully lobbied for changes to the environmental laws to get the license that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted it in January.
But according to WCS CEO Bill Lindquist, there is a new problem - a global recession. He says, "If we were at this point probably 12 to 18 months ago, we would have gotten the financing other ways. You read it in the newspapers and I've talked to a lot of banks, a lot of financial institutions the last three or four months and there's no credit out there."
Lindquist says the solution is to use the county's credit rating, so WCS can start in June with the digging of the giant hole in the ground west of town where low-level nuclear waste collected from Texas and Vermont will be buried.
Andrews County stands to make a lot of money off the nuclear waste business. It gets 5 percent of WCS's gross income. Former Congressman and co-owner of WCS, Kent Hance, says that about $15 million a year going will be going to the county by 2011. "We're asking the county to help us out with their credit rating and I don't see any risk to them and there's a lot of upsides. They are going to make some money off this," he says
But some members of the community are against the project. No one is more outspoken then sisters Peggy and Melodey Pryor who fear a nuclear waste leak. They say, "People need to speak up in this town, 400 people is not a majority of 10,000 people." They criticize WCS paying for the election and question the safety in regards to waste coming from Vermont as well as Texas.
Although their environmental concerns went unanswered, they were still adamant about getting their point across. "You don't think this looks inappropriate that you are paying for the election. If we aren't going to pay anything, why are we even having it," they say.
Andrews County resident Dorothy Wilson comments the declining growth of the small town. She has lived in Andrews County for 35 years and seen growth go up and down with oil. She does not know if she is voting for the bill or not. "And you're saying your going to bring us more prosperity, and that's what we want, prosperity," she says.
Election Day is May 9 and WCS officials say if the bonds are rejected at the polls, they will still build the disposal site, but it might take about two more years to round up the funding.
It has been a busy day. I have been driving around the county going from polling place to polling place recording the voter turnout numbers. The turnout numbers seem to be favorable, especially when you take into account the early voting numbers. Some of the blue districts in Brazos County have already surpassed their 2004 voter turnout numbers, and a few of those had already almost matched the 2004 voter turnout numbers just with early voting.
There are a plethora of campaign signs, but the surprising thing is that even in a country as historically red as Brazos there are still a significant number of Obama signs. At polling places there are also campaign workers working to change minds, and those are the people that can help make the difference. That last contact and last campaign sign that voters see can make the difference.
There will be more Election Day coverage as the day goes on...
We have been living for nearly eight years now through the national nightmare of the Bush-Cheney presidency, a gang of silk-tied thugs who came into office through an illegitimate seizure of the presidency and have used its powers to trample the Constitution, spit on the Bill of Rights, wreak economic class war on behalf of a rich and powerful oligarchy against everybody else, turn our national treasury and resources over to the oligarchs' private uses, scorn the rule of law, subject the tools of government to the pursuit of permanent despotic one-party rule, destroy the dreams and lives of thousands of young Americans through foreign war based on blatant and deliberate lies to the nation, unleash agony and destruction upon hundreds of thousands of human beings for no crime other than being Iraqi, and tax our children and their children with endless piles of national debt in the illegal pursuit of foreign empire.
As I stood in the voting booth on the first day of early voting, I thought about...
