Please Have A Nice And Safe Fourth Of July

Please have a nice and safe Fourth of July. 

(Above–Independence Hall in Philadelphia.)

Here is information about visiting Independence Hall.

Texas Progressive Alliance Round Up With Map Of Spanish Missions In Texas

Below is the weekly Texas Progressive Alliance round-up. The Texas Progressive Alliance is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas.

Above is a map of where Spanish Missions were located in Texas between 1659 and 1795.  Here is information and history about Spanish Missions in Texas from the very good Handbook of Texas Online.  

From the Handbook—”The Spanish mission was a frontier institution that sought to incorporate indigenous people into the Spanish colonial empire, its Catholic religion, and certain aspects of its Hispanic culture through the formal establishment or recognition of sedentary Indian communities entrusted to the tutelage of missionaries under the protection and control of the Spanish state.”

The round-up–

Off the Kuff takes a look at the latest Lyceum poll on the Governor and Senate races in Texas.

Neil at Texas Liberal suggests that instead of blowing of your fingers lighting fireworks–during a drought in Harris County no less—that maybe you would be better off reading a book instead.

With 2010 spinning up, it’s funny to watch all the different players already on the field line up to take their first hits. McBlogger, of course, thinks they’re all deeply in need of a little advice which he graciously provides (with surprisingly sparse use of profanity)!

WCNews & Dembones at Eye On Williamson post on the latest controversy involving the Williamson County Commissioners Court, Budget officer not just a good idea, it’s the law.

John at Bay Area Houston says Turn out the lights, the family values party is over.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chismethinks online Texas Republican commentary on Mark Sanford is interesting.

Public Image Limited For The Fourth Of July—On Being Separatist And Community Minded At One Time

To mark the Fourth of July, I’ve posted a video of some of my favorite British Subjects.

It’s a video of Public Image Limited’s Public Image from 1980.

It’s a hell of a song.

I’m posting this video in honor of  my separatist ancestors who came to Massachusetts from England in the 17th century.

I’m posting it for my fellow aging punk rockers.

I’m posting this video for everybody who gets the idea of being both separatist and community-minded at the same time

And I’m posting it for everyone who gets and welcomes the conservatism inherent in this dual outlook, in a nation where unchecked individual autonomy is a religion of the elite and of many of your so-called educated people.

Here is a video of me singing The Damned’s Wait For The Blackout at the Houston Ship Channel.

Here is information about the biggest punk rock blast in the nation for 2009. It will be held in Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, on August 15. I will be the host of this event.

People Feeding Seagulls At Restaurant Should Be Fed To Giant Pre-Historic Terror Bird

Two days ago I was in Galveston, Texas. I had lunch at a restaurant on the Seawall. The restaurant had two floors and I was eating out on the upstairs balcony.

There was a couple with a small child also out on the balcony. The couple was feeding french fries to seagulls. The seagulls were flying around and the couple was offering them up french fries that the birds would catch in the air.

I did not want any nasty seagulls flying around me while I was trying to eat my lunch in peace.

I feel that the people feeding the seagulls—and the lousy kid as far as I’m concerned since he may well become a doofus like his parents—should have been fed to the Brontornis that you see pictured above.

What is wrong with people? Why would anyone attract flying sea-rats like seagulls to a place where people are trying to eat?  

Here are things you can do if you visit Galveston.

Here are facts about seagulls.

Houston Fourth Of July Events—Will Texas Republicans Who Say Texas Should Leave Union Observe The Holiday?

What will be going on in Houston and around Houston this Fourth of July?

Will the near-majority of Texas Republicans who say that Texas would do well to leave the union observe the holiday?  

( Above–John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence from 1819.  Please click here for a key as to who is who in the painting.)

Will parents talk to kids about the historical events around the holiday—even for just a few minutes—and in so doing provide the occasion with some meaning beyond just hanging around all day?

Here are facts about the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives.

Here is a link to more Independence Day facts and history. 

There are events in the Houston-area to mark the Fourth.

The City of Houston has an official fireworks show on the Fourth.  Please click here for the link to the event.

There are also other fireworks shows in the area. Here is a link with many of them listed.  

Galveston has many Fourth of July events.

Here is a later and  updated listing of events from the Houston Chronicle.  

Here are Fourth of July dog safety tips. Please keep your dog safe over the holiday. Your dog loves you.

Please have a nice and safe holiday. Please be careful with fireworks and be mindful that we are having a drought in the Houston-area and that every day is almost 100 degrees. You might be better off leaving the fireworks to the pros.

Please do not drink and drive over the holiday. The roads are full of drunks and nuts. Please don’t be one of these people.

Please have a nice holiday.

While People Go On About Michael Jackson, Supreme Court Makes It More Difficult For Black Folks To Get Promoted At Work

While people go on about the death of Michael Jackson, an adult who often kept company with children that were not his own, the United States Supreme Court has made it more difficult for black folks to get promoted at work.

In a 5-4 decision , the Court ruled that the city of New Haven, Connecticut could not consider race in the context of an exam the city had used to help determine firefighter promotions.  

( Above—A memorial for Michael Jackson.)   

Here is a story on the case and the Supreme Court’s findings. 

Here is an editorial  on the ruling from the New York Times.

From the editorial—

The new standards announced by the court will make it much harder for employers to discard the results of hiring and promotion tests once they are administered, even if they have a disproportionately negative impact on members of a given racial group….Public employers that use civil service examinations and similar tests will be most directly affected, but the principle announced by the court applies to all employers and all sorts of procedures used to rank and sort potential and current employees….Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, reading a dissenting statement from the bench, said the majority had undermined a crucial civil rights law. “Congress endeavored to promote equal opportunity in fact, and not simply in form,” she said. “The damage today’s decision does to that objective is untold.”

Here is the NAACP viewpoint on this decision. 

Here is the text of the Court’s decision.

What are the odds that the New Haven Fire Department has been an equal opportunity employer over the years?

If people want to line up  and recall the life of a celebrity while a right-wing Supreme Court makes it harder for them to get ahead on the job—I can’t do anything about that. 

Even with a black man as President, many in this nation are eager to reverse the gains of the Civil Rights movement and to undo progress we have made in this nation. 

I can’t decide for others about what they need to be focusing on in life.

( Below–An Associated Press photo of New Haven firefighters celebrating outside the Supreme Court.)

Franken Beats Coleman—Link To Wellstone Action!

The Minnesota Supreme Court has confirmed what we already knew—By a 5-0 margin the Minnesota court has decided that Democrat Al Franken beat Republican Norm Coleman in last November’s Minnesota U.S. Senate race.

(Above–A nice Minnesota scene–A rock formation known as Palisade Head overlooking Lake Superior. )

Here is a story about the decision from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Here is Al Franken’s web home.

It is good that Mr. Franken has won back the seat once held by the great liberal Paul Wellstone. 

Senator Wellstone served in the Senate  from 1991 until his death in a plane crash just before the November 2002 election.   

After Senator Wellstone’s death, Wellstone Action! was established to, among other goals, help train a new generation of liberal and progressive activists and campaigners.

Here is the link to Wellstone Action.

I have made three donations to Wellstone Action. I’m overdue to make another contribution. Please review the Wellstone Action! link and see if you feel this group merits your support. 

Here is information on the life of Paul Wellstone.

Federalist Paper #9—For Central Government Over The Powers Of The States

Federalist Paper #9, written by Alexander Hamilton, is a winner.

In Federalist #9, Hamilton speaks for the Union of the States under a central government.

The intent of the Federalist Papers was to help win ratification of the Constitution in the New York State and elsewhere in the nation.

The 85 Federalist Papers were written by Hamilton, James Madison  and to a lesser extent, John Jay.   

(Above–Hamilton as painted by John Trumbull in 1806.  A book to consider reading about Hamilton is Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Please click here for the review. The review also includes the names of other authors who have written about Hamilton.)

A central government strong enough to aid the people in a central thought of political liberalism as it is defined in the United States today. 

Hamilton was a not a liberal in the sense we now understand it in America, but we owe him a debt for his advocacy of the powers of the federal government in relation to the powers held by the individual states.   

Here is information about the life and works of Alexander Hamilton.

Here is information about the Federalist Papers.

 Here are all the Federalist Papers from the Emory University Law School.

You can also buy a cheap mass-market book copy of the Federalist Papers that would fit in your purse or back pocket.

It is up to you learn about your history. As much as you may respect your teachers, your parents, your co-workers or whoever is in your life, you can’t count on anyone but yourself  to learn about your past. 

Here is Federalist 9—

A firm Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection. It is impossible to read the history of the petty republics of Greece and Italy without feeling sensations of horror and disgust at the distractions with which they were continually agitated, and at the rapid succession of revolutions by which they were kept in a state of perpetual vibration between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy. If they exhibit occasional calms, these only serve as short-lived contrast to the furious storms that are to succeed. If now and then intervals of felicity open to view, we behold them with a mixture of regret, arising from the reflection that the pleasing scenes before us are soon to be overwhelmed by the tempestuous waves of sedition and party rage. If momentary rays of glory break forth from the gloom, while they dazzle us with a transient and fleeting brilliancy, they at the same time admonish us to lament that the vices of government should pervert the direction and tarnish the lustre of those bright talents and exalted endowments for which the favored soils that produced them have been so justly celebrated.

From the disorders that disfigure the annals of those republics the advocates of despotism have drawn arguments, not only against the forms of republican government, but against the very principles of civil liberty. They have decried all free government as inconsistent with the order of society, and have indulged themselves in malicious exultation over its friends and partisans. Happily for mankind, stupendous fabrics reared on the basis of liberty, which have flourished for ages, have, in a few glorious instances, refuted their gloomy sophisms. And, I trust, America will be the broad and solid foundation of other edifices, not less magnificent, which will be equally permanent monuments of their errors.

If I Register My Car For Two Years At A Time, How Will The Clerk At The County Keep Her Job?

This morning I went to the Harris County Administration building in Downtown Houston so that I could register my car.

I know you can do it online and I understand why many people might take advantage of that option.  

But I often go Downtown, and I feel that clerks at the county building need jobs.

The clerk who helped me today was very nice.

She told me I could register my car for two years if I wished.

I told her that I like to come and register the car each year so folks can have jobs.

If we don’t do business with real human beings, where will people find work?

Heat Emergency Guidelines

Below are some heat emergency guidelines from FEMA.

Here is the complete infromation from FEMA on how to deal with extreme heat. 

(Above–The Sun. Here are facts about the sun. )

It is very hot in Houston.

Maybe you live in the Houston-area or maybe it is very hot where you live.

While you may be able to handle the heat, be certain that you are taking the right steps.

Consider if anybody you know might need some help.  

The guidelines from FEMA—

• Stay indoors as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.
• Stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine if air conditioning is not available.
• Consider spending the warmest part of the day in public buildings such as libraries, schools, movie theaters, shopping malls, and other community facilities. Circulating air can cool the body by increasing the perspiration rate of evaporation.
• Eat well-balanced, light, and regular meals. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Drink plenty of water. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restricted diets; or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
• Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.
• Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight, and light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible.
• Protect face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat.
• Check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone.
• Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
• Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat, and take frequent breaks.

One Of The Best Pictures On The Web—Picture Of Happy People

Above is a photo of my friend Kelly and her husband Mark. They live in New York State.

This picture was posted by Kelly on Facebook. She said I could use it on the blog.

This picture is one of the best pictures I”ve seen on the whole of the web. These are happy people.

Life is often difficult. Yet we can’t forget that things often go quite well.

Texas Progressive Alliance Round Up With Picture Of El Paso In 1903

Below is the weekly Texas Progressive Alliance round-up. The Texas Progressive Alliance is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas.

Above  is a picture of the streets of El paso, Texas in 1903. The picture is from the Library of Congress American Memory Project. Please click here for more details about the photograph. 

The round up—

President Obama, Bill White, and John Sharp are all in the same sinking DOMA boat. The Texas Cloverleaf comes off of hiatus to tell you why.

CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme cheers the impeachment of Judge Kent. Four articles passed without a single nay. Let’s hope the Senate is through with him by August.

BossKitty at TruthHugger finally signed up for Twitter to get updates on the Iran protests. What a day of drama and emotion it brought: Icons and Martyrs: All Day On Twitter Watching Iran. But he was really meaning to highlight the regressive influences causing upheaval in personal lives, especially in Texas: Immigration Policies and Gay Rights Contradictions.

Unlike Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign, Neil at Texas Liberal makes a promise he’ll keep — He’ll never cheat on his wife! Also, Neil sings the Damned’s Wait For The Blackout at the Houston Ship Channel.

Off the Kuff takes a look, then a second look, at the bills Governor Perry vetoed.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson knows in order to solve big problems it takes leadership. Who is willing to lead, who has enough LBJ in them?

Death Of Michael Jackson

While I don’t want anybody to die, I felt that Michael Jackson was disgusting with children.

Mr. Jackson was found innocent of molestation charges and we have to accept that verdict as the final legal judgment on the matter. Yet I don’t have to respect him.  

I’m sorry for anybody in Mr. Jackson’s family or for any personal friends who are feeling his loss today. That’s the sympathy I can muster.     

Above you see people mourning the death of Michael Jackson. I just can’t understand this kind of reaction. Don’t people have more in their lives?

History Of American Women Is A Great Blog

If I had the time, the kind of blog I would write beyond Texas Liberal is the blog called History of American Women.

Here is the link to this excellent blog.

(Above–From the History of American Women post about Revolutionary War patriot Dicey Langston-Springfield.) 

Run by a woman who goes by the name Maggiemac in North Fort Myers, Florida, History of American Women is about women from colonial and revolutionaryera  America. The blog offers profiles and, where available, paintings of these women.  

Maggiemac also provides historical overviews of the colonies and addresses topics such as slavery in the colonies, witchcraft trials and the lives of Native Americans.

From my own experience as a blogger, I can only imagine the time Maggiemac puts into her blog to make it such a enjoyable and useful resource.

Here is Maggimac’s profile of Lydia Chapin Taft.  Ms. Taft was the first legal woman voter in America. She first cast a  vote in a Massachusetts town meeting in 1756. 

Here is a post about rights held by early 18th-century Cherokee women.

From the post–

Women in Cherokee society had the same rights as men. Long before the arrival of the white man, women enjoyed a major role in the family life, economy, and government of the Cherokee. They lived in villages built along the rivers of western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, northern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee. When white men visited these villages in the early 1700s, they were surprised by the rights and privileges of Indian women.

Sometimes you see something in life that merits your recognition and time. I can’t recommend History of American Women strongly enough.