Texas Progressive Alliance Round-Up Has Risen For Another Week

It is Easter Sunday and the Texas Progressive Alliance blog round-up has risen for another week. The TPA is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas.

Above you see an easter Sunday photograph of a church in Granger, Texas that was taken in 1943. The photo comes from the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress.

Here is the link to the City of Granger. This community, an hour from Austin, had 1,299 people in the 2000 Census. I hope the people of Granger are filling out the 2010 census and not resisting for some crazy anti-government reasons.

A comprehensive yet manageable history of religion in Texas can be found in the excellent Handbook of Texas Online.

From that history—

“Until almost the end of Mexican Texas, Anglo-Americans seeking permission to settle in Texas had to accept the Catholic faith. Moses and Stephen F. Austin, neither of whom seems to have taken organized religion too seriously, readily complied. Although baptized at birth by a Congregational minister in Durham, Connecticut, the elder Austin assured Spanish authorities in December 1820 in San Antonio that he was “a Catholic.” The son, actually a Jeffersonian Deist who was never formally affiliated with any religious body, likewise satisfied Mexican officials of his Catholicism. Sam Houston was baptized by a priest in 1833. Lured primarily by economic opportunity, early American settlers obviously could wear whatever religious garb was required.”

Here is this week’s round-up—

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme sees vast differences between Rick Perry, his bud David Dewhurst and Bill White. Democrats are for a robust public education while Republicans are doing their darnedest to kill it.

This week at Texas Vox, the commissioners at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) undermine the findings of their own staff in order to follow TCEQ’s mission statement that prioritizes economic development over protecting the environmental health of Texas. Are we surprised?

Are you playing the Barnett Shale economic shell game? Learn the rules at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS. 

The Texas Cloverleaf has commentary on Congressional GOP members behaving like adults; if grown-ups were 4 years old, that is.

Off the Kuff took a look at voting trends in Texas’ fastest-growing counties. Hint: They are getting more blue.

The week at Left of College Station Teddy reports on the Coalition for Life possibly being in conflict with itself 501(c) 3 status by appearing connected to the Rob Curnock for Congress campaign.  LoCS also takes a first look at the candidates for College Station mayor, and also the candidates for Bryan mayor.

Libby Shaw at Texas Kaos updates us on GoodHair and company’s reaction to HCR. It is not pretty: Perry and Abbott On Crusade to Block Health Care Benefits for Texans.

Neil at Texas Liberal visited a Walgreen’s in suburban Chicago in the week just past. While there he took a picture of chocolate praying hands and of a chocolate cross that are on sale for Easter. Maybe these items are for people who adhere to the Chocolate God Theory. 

WCNews at Eye On Williamson chronicles the fact that after the Democrats passed a historic health care bill, the GOP went crazy over health care.

Randy Noogie-Booger, the West Texas Congress critter who yelled “Baby killer!” during the debate on healthcare reform last week, was profiled by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Bay Area Houston writes about When Teabaggers Become Terrorists.

WhosPlayin, like a lot of other progressive bloggers this week, hadthoughts on the historic passage of health care insurance reform.