I want to be clear that I began writing this post before a correction and apology was made by Fox 7 reporter Jenni Lee. I am glad to see that such an apology was made and quickly but that I'm still going to publish this post as an example of why words matter. -kt
Earlier today the Austin Chronicle's "The Gay Place" blog posted an unsettling comment made by a local Austin reporter in reply to her own post on Facebook about Sunday's finale of the CBS show, The Amazing Race. This screen capture is the Chronicle's as her comment (the last one) has since been removed.
Jenny Lee: "I just really didn't want that mom who raised a pansy son team to win."
That comment has since been deleted and only as of 5pm this afternoon, two days later, replaced by this comment.
Jenny Lee: "I want to apologize for the poor wording I used to describe a contestant on the Amazing Race. I also want to apologize to those whom I have offended."
The team in question was that of Luke & Margie Adams. While there were a plethora of gay contestants on this year's Amazing Race season, the "pansy son" in question was considerably more notable not for being a "pansy" but... wait for it... being deaf. As you can tell from this clip of the show or as posted below, it certainly wasn't a lisp that made him at all pansy-like seeing as he has very limited speech capacity to begin with. Limp wrists? Nah, he's too busy using them for signing. I mean, seriously, I don't see where you you get "pansy" through his other overriding disabilities. Yes, he's gay, but that wasn't even made all that central to his role on the show.
I find terms like "pansy" outdated to begin with, but it is from a set of words that is both condescending and has roots in bullying. It's language that is not strictly used towards gay individuals but anyone who isn't male gender confirmative, effeminate, or potentially isn't as far along developmentally as they should be in grade school for example.
I'm not a big fan of reality/contest TV, but I believe that Luke's story should be empowering. As a deaf son, and as a gay deaf son, it is a whole other challenge in itself, in terms of dating and being accepted as a minority community within another minority community. I had friends with similar situations in college and it's a challenge, one that isn't aided by petty bullying language.
As members of the media, charged with communicating information and experiences to the public, I expect more. We, as journalists, above all others should understand the impact and power our words have. I try to hold myself to that standard, and if I mess up, I expect people to call me out on it as well.
But I don't want a statement or apology from Jenny Lee.
Words are strong, this we've established, but to correct these comments, I'd rather see the following action which would say so much more. Instead, Fox 7 should ask Jenny Lee to do a report on HB 1323 by Strama, the anti-bullying and harassment bill currently before the Calendars Committee with 17 joint or co-authors.
Ed. note: The following 2,500+ word piece, and the interviews tomorrow, were completed on volunteer time. If you want to see more work like this and support the efforts of those on BOR who are committed to bringing the best coverage of state and local politics, we would ask you to contribute to TexBlog PAC as a gesture of appreciation. We may just be kid bloggers, but we are committed to the community, and we believe journalism should be reflective of community values and community interest. Thank you for being part of our community, and enjoy the reading.
On Thursday, March 5th, the Austin City Council will vote on a proposed contract with the California-based group Gemini Solar Development Company that could potentially launch the solar energy industry in Central Texas. The official language on the Austin City Council's March 5, 2009 agenda reads as follows:
Authorize award, negotiation, and execution of a contract with GEMINI SOLAR DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LLC, San Francisco, CA, to purchase up to 30 megawatts of solar-generated power over a 25-year term at an estimated annual amount of $10,000,000, for an estimated total contract amount of $250,000,000.
Proponents of the measure point to the 30 megawatts of solar power the plant will bring to the city over the next twenty-five years, and argue that Austin can't wait to begin buildings its roots in the solar energy field. The proposal, championed by environmental groups and the Austin semiconductor community alike, has generated interest in communities as far as San Antonio, who envision developing a partnership with Austin to help, as a San Antonio Express-News article puts it, "chase the sun" in order to establish an economic corridor for the region that creates jobs and protects the environment.
However, some concerns persist about the project. The price tag -- though the most competitive among fifteen proposals made to the Austin City Council -- still appears to bring too little bang for the buck. At a time of economic uncertainty, there is worry that Austin is paying too much for too little, and that more time and a better negotiation process could lead to a proposal for a plant that would generate more energy at a lesser cost.
The proposed solar power plant has made its way into the Austin mayoral race. Austin's Mayor Pro Tempore, Brewster McCracken, has arisen as a strong and unflinching voice in support of the project. McCracken highlighted the proposed Gemini project during a trip two weeks ago to meet with San Antonio City Councilmembers (Source); he also hosted a "convergence event" focused on the possiblity of building a renewable energy corridor between the two cities. Lee Leffingwell, a fierce advocate of sound environmental policies in Austin, has focused less of his campaign attention on the project, spending more time on announcing endorsements. That being said, Leffingwell has stated that he supports the project, and that his concerns are more about implementation and making it cost efficient for the city than anything else. (Source)
Though the political implications of the vote are relevant to Austin's mayoral race, today's post will not delve into the political positions of McCracken or Leffingwell. Instead, I will post interviews with each Councilmember tomorrow, each of which extensively -- and almost exclusively -- discusses their views on the Gemini project and the future of Austin's renewable energy economy.
Today's post will focus exclusively on the pros and cons of the proposed project. Specifically, I will examine the following questions:
What is the history of the Gemini project?
Is 30 megawatts of solar energy capacity a big deal, or is Austin getting too little bang for its buck?
Is a long-term investment in a solar energy industry worth signing an imperfect yet promising deal with Gemini?
The man who introduced Houston Mayor Bill White to the University Democrats tonight was not introducing him as mayor of Houston so much as candidate for the U.S. Senate.
What makes me say that? Mark Strama endorsed the Houston politician. Strama, who has often bragged of his early endorsement of Barack Obama, compared his endorsement of White to that of our country's President. He touted the smartness of Barack Obama and of Bill White.
Like in 2007, Strama is making the endorsement well before the year of the election. Tbe oddity here, of course, is that we don't know with any complete certainty that this election will happen. We all expect Kay Bailey Hutchison to resign her D.C. post any month now, but who can actually predict the movements of the Texas woman who rides political waves more than she follows her gut, and has thus backed out of the Governors' race before?
That aside, Bill White and his people are certainly banking on trusting our Senior U.S. Senator, at least with regards to an impending resignation. There wasn't necessarily a stump speech yet, but the mayor has certainly improved on his public communication. A staffer must have told him that he doesn't speak well when speaking formally. Instead, White spoke conversationally yet intellectually in a way that somehow captivated all the college students in the room. I remember looking around at about 8:55, five minutes before the usual meeting-end, and everyone still had their eyes affixed on the mayor. This was a rarity.
Then, as he left the room, a crowd moved out with him for pictures and conversation. And the University Democrats still had business to attend to. The staffers also managed to distribute a good handful of bumper magnets.
Bumper magnets, remember. I would take a wild guess that they are more expensive than stickers. So yes, this campaign is raising money quite well. And they now have the support of Mark Strama, too.
Bright and early yesterday morning, US Representative Lloyd Doggett, State Senator Rodney Ellis, State Representative Mark Strama, and environmental and civil rights advocate Van Jones stood together to tout the Alliance for a Clean Texas' Texas Energy Future: Clean Jobs, Green Power Conference.
Rodney Ellis opened up the press conference, stating that this year's legislative session looks to be a very green session. He also mentioned, as he has before, that the legislature is at a crucial moment in terms of climate change action. If the legislature doesn't act this year, the federal government will likely pass and begin implementing comprehensive global warming legislation before the state legislature will have a chance to meet again. If Texas is not prepared for this kind of drastic policy change, we may not have a chance to address these issues again until 2011.
Senator Ellis then gave the mic over to the group he termed the "Dapper Three" (swoon!).
Six state legislators joined environmental advocates Monday morning to forecast a sunny session for solar power. Public Citizen, Environment Texas and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club hosted a statewide round of press conferences this week to roll out our solar report, Texas Solar Roadmap -- which can be downloaded at www.cleanenergyfortexas.org.
Texas Solar Roadmap highlights how a robust solar program would help put Texans back to work, reduce peak energy prices, curb climate change, improve air quality, and position the state as a world leader for solar production. The full report is a pretty good read, but if you're short on time I suggest the condensed version, Wildcatting the Sun.
Senators Troy Fraser (R-Abilene), Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), Kirk Watson (D-Austin), Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), and Representatives Mark Strama (D-Austin) and Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) all appeared to champion the solar bills they have introduced thus far.
Rafael Anchia's HB 278 and Florence Eliot Shapiro's SB 427 would require the state's electric utilities to support the development of 2000 megawatts of solar and other on-site renewable technologies by offering direct incentives to consumers and businesses.
This is right in line with Public Citizen's distributed solar goal, outlined in both Wildcatting the Sun and Texas Solar Roadmap. According to our report , such a standard could lead to installations on as many as 500,000 roofs in Texas by 2020 at a cost of about 98 cents per month per Texan (Polls have shown that 81% of Texas voters are willing to pay up to a dollar a month to encourage solar power. What about you?). This investment would create an estimated 22,000 jobs and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide emissions by 29 million tons, the equivalent of taking 4.3 million cars off the road for a year.
Anchia stressed that this should be Texas' solar session because it would answer two of our major challenges: air quality, and global warming. Senator Fraser was the first legislator to speak, proclaiming that this would be Texas' solar session. Chairman of the Business and Commerce Committee, Fraser is well positioned to be an effective solar champion...
For the last few weeks we have been listening to wall-to-wall coverage 24/7 about the flamboyant governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, and pay-to-play politics. As we all know by now the Illinois governor is charged with criminal conspiracy for attempting to sell President Elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. Rod Blagojevich is clearly another crooked and arrogant politician who thinks he is above the law. But at least this one found himself impeached by the Illinois House.
It is nice to know some states have lawmakers who have an ethical spine where such blatant corruption and beyond the pale pay-to-play politics are concerned. Too bad Texas is sorely lacking in this area. But one has to remember the Party that is running the state at this time, although not all Democratic politicians would receive A's in ethics and integrity departments either.
When the Blagojevich scandal broke, several of the cable TV talking heads and pundits appeared especially outraged by pay-to-play politics and so I promptly sent off an email to MSNBC and CNN and suggested that if they are so livid about pay-to-play, they ought to send their research staff down to Texas to see how it works in a state where purchasing elections and pay-to-play is business du jour. Apparently other folks from around the U.S. contacted the media with the same request. Chris Matthews of Hardball responded with a chart that listed the most offending states. Texas is among them.
San Antonio State Representative Mike Villarreal has filed a bill to prohibit individuals from contributing more than $100,000 per election cycle to state candidates, political action committees (PACs) and officeholders.
Villarreal said in his press release:
"I believe our state government would be more responsive to ordinary Texans if we limited contributions from mega-donors," explained Rep. Villarreal. "Reasonable donation limits will create more equal access in our political system."
"All that campaign cash distracts us from an honest debate on the best way to invest in education, protect our air and water, and help hard-working families succeed," noted Rep. Villarreal. "We need to make sure our leaders listen to all Texans on these critical issues."
During the 2006 election cycle, the last for which data is available, 140 donors contributed more than $100,000 to state campaigns. Those 140 donors contributed a total of $52 million, accounting for 27 percent of all donations during the election cycle.
Austin area Representative Mark Strama is a joint author of this legislation and El Paso Senator Eliot Shapleigh has filed the bill in the Senate.
Texas is one of only seven states that currently have no limits on contributions.
Early Obama backer Mark Strama, a state representative whose district includes north Austin and Pflugerville, has had some Obama-Strama campaign buttons printed, as Elise Hu of KVUE reports.
(Photo Credit: Karl-Thomas Musselman)
As Hu writes, the "buttons are totally tongue in cheek." That's true, but I'm sure it won't stop some Travis County Democrats, myself included, from trying to get their hands on a few.
Update by KT: Hey, *I* took that picture! Those buttons are actually going to donors to Mark Strama's campaign.
TX State Legislator Mark Strama speaking on "Energy Policy" , Aug. 11th, 6pm-8pm, Travis County Democratic Issues/Policy Forum!!
What: We'll network and present the issues and policies important to Travis County, important to TX, including Barack Obama's policy. We'll share, learn, frame, and market the issues. Mark Strama will speak from 6:15pm to 7:00pm on Energy Policy. 7:00pm-8:00pm is "Democratic Citizen Communication" where you present your issues important to you as a Democrat!
When: Mon., Aug. 11th, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Where: Travis County Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Headquarters, 1107 N. I 35, Austin, TX (next door to CVS, in old Safeway Building at 12th and I-35)
Who: Anyone interested in networking with fun, cool, energizing, like-minded Democrats, and learning about the policies and issues important to our city, our state, and our nation heading into the November TX elections. 2nd hour is a "Democratic Party Town Hall Meeting".
Cost: FREE
You're welcome to bring food/drinks to share and bring your laptop (Laptop not mandatory).
Best,
David Kobierowski
Travis County Democratic Party Issues Committee Chair
512-413-0286
Cleanair999@yahoo.com
I know my writing has not been as frequent on BOR since the arrival of the Mark Strama Campaign Academy. This is the last week of their 5 week program; it's gone by amazingly fast with the over 30 participants from every house district in the county.
Working out of the coordinated campaign, they've made over 10,000 phone calls, digitized 1/5th of all the presidential precinct sign-ins for the county, walked in over a dozen precincts, and heard from 35 speakers including DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Cong. Lloyd Doggett, Sen. Kirk Watson, former Comptroller John Sharp, Texas Monthly Editor Evan Smith, author Christine Pelosi, Adm. Bobby Inman, and Bush/Cheney strategist Matthew Dowd.
Well, all good things must come to and end and the Academy is going out with a bang with the return of STRAMARAMA this Sunday! Details are below and I hope that everyone will be able to come out and join us. The weather should be clear, the music will be great, and it will be the place to be Sunday night.
Rep. Mark Strama's 2008 Campaign Academy Presents StramaRama!
Featuring Musical Entertainment by Trish & Darin Murphy and Colin Gilmore.
When: Sunday, July 27th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: Threadgill's World Headquarters, 301 West Riverside Drive, Austin, TX
Tickets: $100 Host Sponsorship, $20 Tickets, $10 Student Tickets
