Latinos For Texas Blog

I didn’t know who David Medina was when I first saw his sign in my grandparents’ yard.  Weeks later, to my surprise, I read in the SAEN that he was only 21.  And it wasn’t until today that I discovered the young candidate has made it to a run-off and people think he’s got a shot.  Can you guess why?  Good ol’ knock-and-drag - he’s blockwalking 5 hours a day.  LFT loves the pavement so much, I had to share his story.  And after I read he was a Burbank Bulldog (just like my mom and her siblings), well I almost want to start a caravan to SA and get a little exercise.  Check out the Ken Rodriguez column.

A report over at BOR links to an Austin-American Statesman article proclaiming Dewhurst has pronounced the Senates version of HB218 ‘all but dead.’

There is some great discussion in that thread about how this voter id bill really is NOT about ‘non-dilution of American’s votes, and keeping the vote safe’ and the like, but about a clever way to reduce Dem vote by about 3%, according to even staunch Republican Royal Masset in this comment, and elsewhere.

If the Lege wants to increase the vote, enact same-day registration, and county-wide polling places efforts (replacing my-precinct-only polling place). If the State’s technology is good enough to arrest someone in Amarillo for a warrant in Brownsville, if should be good enough to span a county on election day.

There is no voter ID fraud problem. Even according to Dewhurst, if you believe him, almost a few hundred non-citizens have voted in the last, according to him, 14 years! maybe as many as, in his words, 41 voted in two years in all of Bexar county. does he know how to do math, do ratios mean anything!! talk about a speck of a speck.
he then takes that and says ‘what about the ones we dont know about, what if it is “twenty-five thousand?”‘ WOW! what if its 25 ka-billion!?! What if EVERYONE stole EVERYTHING from HEB. We better enact a law to treat ALL shoppers as shoplifters, or at least the old, young, frequent movers, and poor ones.
how about focusing on problems we know exist — like education, healthcare, and infrastructure — and when thats all solved, you can take some time to work up a exciting David Blaine-style conjuring routine .

Just passing along a little info. LFT and Escamilla worked closely, along with MAD, and Tejano Dems on the East Austin Initiative last election. He really stood up for under-served communities, while finding a way to bridge some pretty different viewpoints. There is no minimum contribution required, and Escamilla deserves support. Hope to see yall there!

Please join Travis County Attorney

David Escamilla in support of his 2008 re-election campaign Wednesday, May 16, 5 - 7 PM Thistle Cafe 300 West Sixth Street, Austin Hors d’oeuvres — Cash Bar complimentary garage parking Suggested Donation: $50 (All contributions welcome! There is no minimum!) Sponsorships: $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 Contributions payable to “David Escamilla Campaign” may be brought to the event or mailed to: David Escamilla Campaign PO Box 5674 Austin, TX 78763-5674 For information: 512-474-4738

Mexican American Legislative Caucus: the Texas Struggle for Equality and Opportunity

A new documentary film covering the struggle for civil rights through the legislative process screens Thursday, May 24 at 5 p.m. at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Austin American Statesman article 5/11/07
The documentary examines the role Texas Mexicans played in the independence and political organization of early Texas, the gradual exclusion of Tejanos from political power by the early 20th century and the civil rights movement with its resulting expansion of opportunities.

“Mexican American Legislative Caucus: the Texas Struggle for Equality and Opportunity” is a product of a Texas State team that includes Jaime Chahin, dean of applied arts; Frank de la Teja, history chairman and state historian; Jaime Armin Mejía, a professor of English; Magda Hinojosa, a professor of political science; history graduate student Roque Planas; and technical director Robert Currie. The screening is free and open to the public.

Despite wide-spread opposition, and a truly remarkable, even stunning, lack of evidence pointing to a need for its existence, HB 626 passed out of the house.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) released a statement which sums it up nicely

“Let’s be clear about this: there is no voter impersonation problem or voter fraud epidemic in this state,” said Rep. Rodriguez. “This is part of a partisan disenfranchisement effort to keep seniors, minorities, and the poor from voting.  I voted against House Bill 626 to protect the voting rights of every Texan.”

From the federal level on down, there really is a systematic effort by Republicans to win elections by manipulating the process, since they cannot compete on the merits. And, it doesn’t hurt that they find it morally easy to scapegoat the already tenuously involved, and their low-information, lousy-moral-compassed minions just plod along according to their marching orders.

is it too cliche to remind people of the banality of evil?