Texas Progressive Alliance Round-Up W/ Reminder That Texas Independence Was Won Near Houston

At the bottom of this post is the weekly round-up of the Texas Progressive Alliance. The TPA is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas.

With the round-up this week comes a reminder that the final battle of Texas independence was won in the vicinity of Houston. The deciding battle of Texas independence was the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto.

Above is a painting of that battle that was completed in 1895. The painting was done by Henry Arthur McArdle. (If you click the link, you can see a number of paintings by Mr. McArdle.) 

The water in the background of the painting is now part of the Houston Ship Channel.

Here is a history of the Texas Revolution from the excellent Handbook of Texas Online.

You can make what you want of Texas breaking free of Mexico and the subsequent history of Texas, but I’d just like to make the point that critical points in Texas history took place in the Houston-area, along the Texas Gulf Coast and in the interior of Texas not far from the coast.

I’m telling my liberal and Democrat friends that Texas is a lot more than just Austin. I get tired of an Austin-centric view of Texas. The Houston-area is a center of Texas history and Harris County is moving into the Democratic column. 

Let’s consider Texas as a whole and not just one place. 

The round-up—

Human tragedies are mounting in the Barnett Shale as study after study shows high levels of toxins in the air. The only ones who can’t seem to find anything wrong are the regulators. TXsharon asks, “Will the EPA intervene in Texas?” at Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

Why did the US forcibly detain a Mexican human rights advocate? CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know.

Bay Area Houston says Tort Reformers in Texas suck.

The Texas Cloverleaf presents the Kay Coward Bailey Hutchison plan for health care mediocrity.

Off the Kuff takes a look at Cameron Todd Willingham’s supposed confession, and finds the evidence for it lacking.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson states that no matter what you hear, transportation schemes are continuing, despite “death” of the TTC. EOW also had a guest post this week on the PEC: Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Who’s Electing Your Board Representative?