The Seemingly Separate Aspects Of Our Lives Tell One Story—Ideology, Metaphor, Advocacy & Biography

Because all things are connected, here is four-in-one post that involves ideology, metaphor, advocacy and biography.  Seemingly separate aspects of existence and of our lives are in fact all part of the same story. These connections are found in simple day-to-day observations about the world around us and are found in how we live our lives each day. The things we need to be creative and hopeful are all around us. With effort, these things are accessible to all of us.

Ideology —Because day-to-day acts and viewpoints require context.

We need government to protect citizens from hate crime attacks such as the recent one in New York City where a gay man was mauled by a gang of young people. We need government  to investigate these crimes when they take place and to punish the wrongdoers.

Metaphor—Because it is the shadow that sells the substance.

Like the ships in the Houston Ship Channel, we have the ability to stay the course even in polluted waters.

(Below–The Houston Ship Channel on a rare cold day in Houston.)

Advocacy—Because everyone is able to do their best to make a difference.

In this time of big money in politics, Linda Chavez-Thompson brings a real working person’s perspective to the race for Lt. Governor of Texas.  Please consider Ms. Chavez-Thompson in 2010.

Biography—Because understanding ourselves help us connect with the world.

I was born in 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts. My parents met while working as reporters for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Camerena Set To Beat Bohac In Texas House District 138

(Blogger’s Note–Brilliant Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate and Burnt Orange Report blogger Phillip Martin has teamed up with Annie’s List to report on some of the most competitive 2010 races for the Texas House of Representatives. Phillip has been nice enough to allow me share these profiles with Texas Liberal readers. Today’s report is on Houston area Texas House District 138. In this district, Democratic challenger and teacher Kendra Yarborugh Camerena is taking on incumbent Dwayne Bohac. This is a district to watch as harris County moves towards the Democrats. Spring Branch is a part of District 138. St. Peter’s Church, seen in the picture above, is in Spring Branch.  This church was formed in 1848 by German immigrants to Texas. Please click here to learn amore about this fine church.)

Candidate Pages: Kendra Yarborugh Camerena website, on Facebook, on Twitter

Candidate Pages: Rep. Dwayne Bohac website, on Facebook

District Overview: The Numbers, The Issues, and the Candidates

• House District Map: District 138
  
• District History: 2008 Election Results

The district encompasses Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, and parts of the Spring Branch and Spring Woods communities of west and northwest Houston. The district is almost evenly split between Anglo and Hispanic residents and has a 10% African-American population, but working class Anglo voters make up a majority of the expected turnout. A Republican district since redistrciting in 2001, independent voters split their tickets in 2008, when Democratic County Sheriff Adrian Garcia carried HD 138 with 52.8% of the vote while Obama received 43.9% of the vote.

Bohac’s record on education, jobs and insurance and utility rates is on the table, and Bohac must also deal with the fact that he is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, involving reports that he illegally procured voter data from an “inside-man” within the Harris County Voter Registrar’s office.  Ed Johnson, associate voter registrar at the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collectors Office, was also the paid director for Computer Data Systems (CDS), a company started in 2003 with Bohac at its helm. CDS sells voter data to Republican clients – the same data Ed Johnson managed in his government job. The story generated a lot of heat for Bohac when it broke last year, and he’s now under formal investigation. Expect Yarbrough Camarena to continue to make this ethics scandal an issue in the campaign as she presents a choice for new leadership in the district.

Why Democrats Could Unseat Bohac This Year

Bohac is facing his first serious challenge in a district trending Democratic while defending his Craddick-era voting record and answering charges about an ethics scandal in a bad year for incumbents. He’s also running against a strong opponent with a professional team, who’s been working hard on the phones and block-walking for months. Yarbrough Camarena is no stranger to politics – her father having represented a large part of the district. Her background – a middle school teacher, born and raised in the district –  fits well with the values of her potential constituents and she’s raised substantial cash to make a real play for the seat. And it doesn’t hurt any Democrat in Harris County to have Bill White running above you at the top of the ticket when you’re both trying to buck the national trend to defeat a Republican incumbent.