"Hudspeth County, population 3,400, is on the front lines of border issues ranging from illegal immigration to drug gangs," the New York Times explains.
Seagal, 59, is currently starring in an A&E documentary featuring his experiences as a reserve deputy in New Orleans. "Steven Seagal: Lawman" aims highlight the efforts to rebuild New Orleans since 2005.
There are no plans for a similar show in Texas. Seagal contacted the county sherriff's department about his interest in serving along the border and after checking to see if he was serious, department officials are looking forward to working with Seagal.
"Mr. Seagal is not in this for the celebrity or publicity," Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West told Reuters. "He has a sincere passion for his country and he wants to do more to help. I think he will make a significant contribution to this office and to our community."
In his film career, Seagal played tough-guy martial artists on the right side of the law in dozens of films. His two most famous films, "Above the Law" and "Under Siege," were major hits in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Seagal is very different than right-wing blowhard-tough guy Chuck Norris. Seagal is a PETA Humanitarian Award winner, an active supporter of Tibetan independence, and a renowned environmentalist.
Texans can trust Seagal not to consider himself "Above the Law," or leave Hudspeth County "Under Siege."
The Austin Chronicle and The New York Times have been writing a lot about Texas's battle for cleaner air. The fights involve our federal government, Governor Perry, multinational refineries/factories/corporations, Austin's coal plant, and many many more. Wheels are turning. Here's the New York Times' most recent piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06...
And a few highlights from the Austin Chronicle:
> Bill White Things are changing in TX politics...thankfully. Bill White is using the clean air issue to gain some leverage in the governor's race. White said recently Rick Perry has for years "played chicken with the EPA so he could create a controversy for the purposes of political theater and his career." article - http://www.austinchronicle.com...
Bill White boxes Rick Perry's dirty ears, in public.
> Texas Enviros Several enviro leaders who work at the state level were part of a full-length Austin Chronicle feature a few weeks ago. Eva Hernandez graced the weekly's cover in boxing gloves. The story gave background to sea changes suddenly taking place at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, changes that will influence our state's entire economy and clean our air significantly. "TCEQ" is Texas's regulator of air quality permits for large polluters. article - http://www.austinchronicle.com...
Mamas, don't let your babies eat Texas crab ... or fish.
> The Feds & Al Armendariz Late last year a new sheriff was appointed by Obama to serve as Administrator of The Environmental Protection Agency's Region Six office. "Region Six" covers TX, NM, OK, AR, & LO. Press everywhere at the time stated Obama hired Professor Armendariz because he knew Armendariz would be tougher on air quality. Texas 2010, after Bush's long reign, has some of the least stringent air quality standards in the US. Whether or not our state is the 6th biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses on earth, as many people say, I don't know. But I do know that in January of 2009 the Texas Department of State Health Services released a public report warning Texans to eat "only younger, smaller fish" caught in our state (fresh or salt water). My understanding of the innocuously-named "Guide to Eating Fish and Crabs" (1) is that due primarily to emissions and effluents being generated by our state's power plants, refineries, and manufacturers Texas fish and shellfish are no longer safe to eat. Period. (Don't fish here.) The document does a good job of describing some of the chemicals we should be concerned about, and showing the associated level of contamination common in many of our favorite large fish, like catfish and tuna. related - http://www.austinchronicle.com...
Improving regional SO2 air quality standards will save Americans $13 to $33B a year, each of the next 9 years.
> SO2 x SUX SO2, aka Sulfur Dioxide, is getting local press, too. The Federal EPA just issued new, healthier standards for SO2 emissions, updating a 40 year old law. Austin's biggest emitter of SO2, its coal plant, will probably not be affected by these new standards. Why? Austinites just invested aprox. $220M to reduce its coal plant's SO2 pollution. (Look for that cost to be added into electricity bills throughout the next 20 to 30 years citizens of Austin...) As a state, Texas has some of the SO2iest air in the nation, so we can all look forward to health benefits once the new, improved standards take effect. But check this out --- nationwide: a) the EPA estimates Americans will spend about $1.5 billion during the next 9 years to fully implement the standards. Conversely, b) the EPA estimates resulting health benefits will save Americans somewhere in the range of $13 billion to $33 billion each year of the next 9 years ($117 to $297 billion total). Roughly, that's a $1.5B investment to reduce $200B in health injury costs. Ahhh, cleaner air. article - http://www.austinchronicle.com...
86% of Americans support clean air legislation.
> And Finally ... Guess what, Americans Don't Suck This week the NY Times also featured an interesting OpEd. Stanford University recently released a poll that shows 86% of Americans support clean-er air legislation. . . and 76% of Americans want climate legislation. Who knew? source - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06...
An open letter to environmental friends: Do we lack shared big picture perspective, organization, and priorities?
The fundamental threads of our economy are not changing for the sake of environmental sustainability. In this era of hostile politics and financial depression, no one is shutting down a coal plant or a styrofoam factory or building fewer highways for the sake of the environment.
Intentional change, driven by corporate boards and political decision makers --- and based on recognizing some of the limitations of our ecosystems --- requires radical job restructuring. Eco-sensitive financial retooling? No thanks. As far as the world's big agendas are concerned, no one's rushing to shut down any of the stuff that's bad for the planet. American leaders are rising to the challenges of today's environmental issues by pursuing new and promising enterprises; a noble undertaking. But from a grass-roots'er perspective, profit-driven activity which grows our economy in a more sustainable manner seems to be the thing that's inching our world away from of doom and gloom. Not leadership.
Take Plastic Bags ---
For years, enviros tried to convince other people to use fewer plastic bags at the grocery. Entire nations such as South Africa made plastic bags illegal as far back as 2003 (1), but here in the US plastic bag making factories continued to thrive. I'm grateful to Austin's Whole Foods Market for leading a major sea change to eliminate plastic bags. Indeed after their bright, recycled, multi-purpose shopping bags went nationwide in early 2008 virtually every other major retailer followed. (I have a very small canvas shopping bag from Office Depot I "treasure"... what is that little thing supposed to hold?) And companies like BlueAvocado (2) with their smart, reusable bagging have changed my girlfriend --- the opposite of an environmentalist --- forever. Nonetheless, plastic bag making is still pretty big biznes here in the USA. When will that change?
What about Electricity ---
We've been told by Al Gore and the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, via their 4th Assessment Report, that unless humans stop burning fossil fuels our world will end within the next 90 years or so. Coal plants are the #1 offender in this future-negative scenario. But we're building more. If the causors of the greenhouse effect, which appears to be destabilizing global climate, were listed in order of the top three it might look something like this: #1. Coal plant emissions (electricity), #2. Transportation emissions (land & air), #3. Deforestation. Even though it's broadly known there are health impacts, economic impacts, social justice impacts, and of course environmental impacts related to each of these economic practices --- we the people (aka, 'we, the economy') continue supporting businesses that hurt ourselves and our future. We're not decommissioning anything in the electricity world, relative to known and generally-accepted-as-known problems associated with electricity; even as our own lives depend on it. The urgency of "environmental sustainability" is having little to no influence over politicians, business leaders, and most consumers in this area.
or Oil ---
As the 2nd biggest causor of global warming emissions and now famous for the Gulf of Mexico spill on American soil, the world's most incredible business continues to grow. No one, I mean no one, is talking seriously about using less or replacing oil with bio-fuels, electric vehicles, or better public transportation on a time scale commensurate with the problems we face today. Amazingly, the argument for environmental sustainability or just plain old environmental protection seems to have no place in our media's coverage of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. "Green and sustainable" is a vision only a few Americans share.
##
But maybe addressing the lack of environmental consciousness across America isn't the right place to start. 90+% of my environmentalist and Creation Care friends drive gasoline powered cars, fly often, eat primarily non-local food, use mainstream body care and cleaning products, have little or no sustainably-harvested clothing or furnishings, buy 'new' instead of reused, and etc, etc. Frustratingly, most of us speak more often from a place of passion than knowledge when discussing eco issues. Collectively, we don't seem to know what to do next. Everybody does what they can, but starting with the enviros, we need to look at ourselves --- we have a long way to go.
It's pretty simple. People will do what they believe in, have desire for, have accepted as "part of life," or care about. For most folks, "sustainability" has yet to connect to any of those areas: belief, desire, necessity, passion. Sustainability lingers as "something I should do something about" but don't know how to easily access or afford. Worse, like a diet or a foreign language sustainability requires disruption, and it's more complicated..."someday baby, someday." On top of this, I have empathy for the big decision makers --- you're running a business or a corporation or working within an entrenched piece of our country's political system. The effort required of you and your team of green-changemakers to make ends meet then grow profitably must be downright daunting to maintain: eloquence, vision, cash, backbone, "results"...
So I wonder,
Will the environmentalists of today tap into the powerful forces of economic growth that govern our reality and transform what seems to be the broadest common ground ("growth") into meaningful sustainability? Have enviros lost touch with the urgency of climate disruption? Are environmentalists like me too focused on the eco-concern of the moment? Should 'we, the enviros' come together to organize a hierarchy of concerns, such as: #1. our planet (ourselves), #2. our health (our bodies), and #3. everything else? I don't know the answer, but I'd like more open dialogue on this, what feels like a stalled effort. Maybe we could start locally. My Green 2.0 point: Do we lack shared big picture perspective, organization, and priorities?
You've probably heard by now, including from several posts here at BOR about the terrible state of the TCEQ. The TCEQ has failed to adhere to the federal Clean Air Act, jeopardizing our health, our safety, and the quality of our air. This is why, on Tuesday, May 25, the EPA took over the TCEQ's authority to grant clean air permits for 40 facilities across the state of Texas, most notably the Flint Hills Resources' crude oil refinery near Corpus Christi.
The TCEQ has failed to fulfill its promises to the federal government and the citizens of Texas, whom it is supposed to protect.
The Sunset Advisory Commission is a 12-member body appointed by the Lieutenant Governor and the speaker of the house to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiency in government agencies. Every 12 years, over 150 government agencies are reviewed for potential changes and improvements in their responsibilities and operations. And since the review of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the TCEQ, is quickly approaching, we're getting organized! Will you join us for a call next Thursday, June 10th at 6pm CT? (details in bold after bump)
(This is really cool of John. Consider helping. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
My 33rd birthday is Monday December 7th. Since the thing I need least is tons of presents, I wanted to help give back to those who need assistance. That is why I set up a Virtual Food Drive.
The online food drive will benefit the North Texas Food Bank. By using the provided link, you can choose from 7 food options, as well as choose individual cash donation amounts. For every $1 the food bank collects, it can provide 4 meals to hungry North Texans since it is able to buy in bulk and get a better deal than you or I at the local grocery store.
Go to http://vad.aidmatrix.org/vadxml.cfm?driveid=4022 today and give the gift of food to people just like you and me who have been hit by this economic situation and can not afford to feed themselves otherwise. This virtual drive will run from today through December 11th. And your donation is tax deductible. You will receive a confirmation email once you donate you can use as a receipt. And if you have an email list you can think of sending this to, please do so. The more money this drive collects, the merrier!
Let's make sure my birthday is no longer the date which will live in infamy, but the date you help needy people in North Texas.
By now many of you have seen the many YouTube videos of right wingers and libertarians "protesting" Democratic members of Congress as they attempt to hold town hall meetings or public forums during the August recess to discuss healthcare reform, among other things.
Be sure of a few things, but most importantly be sure that these are not meant to do anything other than raise hell, create a disruption, shut down discourse and steamroll anyone and everyone in the way.
Certainly it is well within the right of every American to voice their opinions, protest, and, yes, even raise hell...especially with their elected officials. But that isn't really what this is about.
This is about harnessing the frustration and anger of middle class Americans and working folks. The very same folks who were victimized and injured by the policies of the disgraced, former President Bush.
So why are they so mad? Is it really about health care? Does cap and trade really light their britches on fire?
Somewhat, perhaps, but not really.
I try and refrain from lenghty, Unabomber diatribes, but this is a special case.
Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign said Tuesday evening he is “truly sorry” about an affair he had last year with a campaign staffer, going public with an embarrassing admission about his marital infidelity.
The news certainly damages any hope Ensign has of running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 – he had fueled speculation about a presidential run with a recent visit to Iowa — and it may also hinder what has been a steady rise in Senate GOP leadership.
Political insiders in the Senate and in Nevada told POLITICO that Ensign began an affair with a staffer several months after he separated from his wife. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, the sources said, he gave the aide a severance package and parted ways.
Democrats aren't immune from this -- John Edwards, anyone? But I've got to ask -- what is it about Congress, and politicians especially, that they can't keep it in their pants? These are people -- I think entirely men (I can't think of any women cheating) -- that have chosen to serve in possibly the most public and visible workforces in the country.
I think some armchair sociology/psychology about about the trends of infidelity in the workplace -- especially in regard to government work -- could be an interesting discussion, but I really don't even know where to start. Anyone have any ideas?
From Editor & Publisher, we get the news that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle, and the Austin American-Statesman are among the top 15 newspapers to have gained in audience from this time last year. They actually list the top 25, but all the TX papers are in the top 15. From E&P:
Here are the top 25 dailies that had the biggest gain in audience when taking print and online readership into account. The papers are ranked by net combined audience (past seven days in print and 30 days online), according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the six months ending March 2009 compared to the same period in March 2008.
GREENWICH (CONN.) TIME -- 111,824 -- 30.74%
THE BIRMINGHAM (ALA.) NEWS -- 781,047 -- 11.85%
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE, NEW ORLEANS -- 820,374 -- 11.72%
WILKES-BARRE (PA.) TIMES LEADER -- 196,229 -- 10.45%
FORT WORTH (TEXAS) STAR-TELEGRAM -- 1,236,205 -- 7.09%
THE PATRIOT-NEWS, HARRISBURG, PA. -- 496,700 -- 6.45%
HOUSTON CHRONICLE -- 2,507,835 -- 6.13%
ST. PETERSBURG (FLA.) TIMES -- 1,297,866 -- 6.09%
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN -- 861,105 -- 5.97%
NAPLES (FLA.) DAILY NEWS -- 265,181 -- 5.97%
The key, of course, is that these figures combine print and online readership. Not sure if you're counted twice if you read the print version and the online version (I imagine you are -- I don't know how they'd control that unless it was a survey, and these are raw figures). In any case, it gets to the quirk of the newspaper industry's problem:
They have plenty of readers. In fact, they have more readers. And as much as some want to wail and moan about the internet and the economic crisis, those aren't the real reasons why the newspaper industry is flailing. Newspaper industry leaders were aware of the coming rise of the internet over a decade ago, and basically sat on their hands. The recent economic crisis merely exacerbated problems that had existed for years -- (1) too many editors on staff, (2) companies demanding too large of a profit, and (3) companies refusing to plan for higher gas prices and increased cost of shipping/cutting their product -- paper.
Most political forces aren't helping matters...though I'd argue there are different levels of blame. Democrats get mad at things like this:
I'll stop there out of mercy for the newspaper industry. But that's how Democrats criticize the newspaper industry. Republicans, on the other hand...
The evisceration of the Fairness Doctrine in the 1980s by conservative Republicans allowed the rise of Rush Limbaugh, who then promoted more conservative Republican policies such as further media consolidation to spread Rush to more channels across the board, along with increased capital to fund more right-wing talk radio.
And...
In any case -- despite their faults and their attackers (those both fair and not so fair), the people are still going to traditional sources of news. They may also be getting their news from the internet -- which the latest Pew Report clearly stated -- but there is still a demand for information from traditional sources of news.
Tomorrow, I'll look at the absolute wrong approach, and hopefully on Wednesday or Thursday talk about the better approach. In the mean time, feel free to discuss your thoughts about all of this in the comments.
2008 has been a record year for Democrats in Texas. We had thousands of new people come out to the polls in March and in November. And as progressive bloggers, we led the fight to take back the Texas House. While we came up just short of a new majority, TexBlogPAC was there supporting the candidates who had the best chance at victory.
TexBlogPAC supported candidates like Diana Maldonado, Sherrie Matula, Robert Miklos, Chris Turner, and Joe Moody in tough races. And even if candidates like myself didn't have the PAC's official support, we still got the support on the internet from bloggers and readers just like you! And it was certainly enough to strike fear into the hearts of local GOP's across the state.
TexBlogPAC needs to reload for 2009 and 2010. If you donate between now and the end of the day on December 31, 2008, my campaign will match the donations dollar for dollar up to $500! Just click on the ActBlue thermometer, so we can keep track of what is raised easily.
December 31 is an important fundraising deadline for the next Texas Ethics report. Let's show the Republicans we don't sleep in the off season. Donate to TexBlogPAC today!
