How Texas Senators and Representatives Voted on Violence Against Women Act

Votes on the Violence Against Women Act Passed 2013

Texas Delegation

Those that voted for VAWA are printed in blue.
Those that voted against VAWA printed in red.
Those not voting in green.

Texas Senators: 
   Senator John Cornyn [R] 
   Senator Ted Cruz [R]
 Texas Representatives by district number:
1  Rep. Louie Gohmert Jr.[R]
2  Rep. Ted Poe [R]
3  Rep. Sam Johnson [R]
4  Rep. Ralph Hall [R]
5  Rep. Jeb Hensarling [R]
6  Rep. Joe Barton [R]
7  Rep. John Culberson [R]
8  Rep. Kevin Brady [R]
9 Rep. Al Green [D]
10 ]Rep. Michael McCaul [R]
11 Rep. Michael Conaway [R]
12 Rep. Kay Granger [R]
13 Rep. Mac Thornberry [R]
14 Rep. Randy Weber [R]
15 Rep. Rubén Hinojosa [D]
16 Rep. Beto O'Rourke [D]
17 Rep. Bill Flores [R]
18 Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee [D]
19 Rep. Randy Neugebauer [R]
20 Rep. Joaquin Castro [D]
21 Rep. Lamar Smith [R]
22 Rep. Pete Olson [R]
23 Rep. Pete Gallego [D] 
24 Rep. Kenny Marchant [R]
25 Rep. Roger Williams [R]
26 Rep. Michael Burgess [R]
27  Rep. Blake Farenthold [R]
28 Rep. Henry Cuellar [D]
29 Rep. Gene Green [D]
30 Rep. Eddie Johnson [D]
31 Rep. John Carter [R]
32 Rep. Pete Sessions [R]
33 Rep. Marc Veasey [D]
33 Rep. Filemon Vela [D]
35 Rep. Lloyd Doggett [D]
36 Rep. Steve Stockman [R]

Tomatoes Begin to Ripen

Cherry tomatoes by bucklava

I had planned to write at least two blogs on the garden between the last garden post and now.  Some minor crises, one hard fall, and an interesting interlude on Facebook when my blog giving my view that Christianity is not the only way to God and heaven was posted by a Facebook friend.  Falls are always dangerous for me for three reasons: (1) my bones die (cause unknown, but injury can't help)  (2) I have an artificial hip (doctor's instructions: don't fall) and (3) I have no health insurance (pre-existing condition).  In this case, I fell outdoors on nice, hard dirt. still, not concrete, while carrying plants to the backyard.  I avoided landing on the artificial hip side and I did not have any permanent injury.  I ripped a nice hole in my thumb on something and my good knee (the other has the knee cap out of place, but it works, much to my orthopedist's dismay) was skinned and badly bruise but functions with only minor complaints mostly when I bend it.  Oh, one of my elderly cats is sick and I am administering nebulizer treatments two to three times a day..   Good excuses, but the reality is I just didn't feel like blogging about the garden.

The garden is progressing but not as I had planned.  I planted sweet pepper and eggplant seed in two beds and not one seed sprouted.  I have never had this happen.  By the time I realized that the only thing going to sprout were weeds, it was too late to reseed.  I bought susbstitute plants at my local nursery( the plants I was carrying went I fell).  They had no eggplant.  I have planted two sweet peppers, two squash plants,  two kinds of basil and two kinds of parsley.    I have purple sage, lavender and mint in my side garden, in the ground among pots of cereus, pencil plant, and sanseveria.  My lavender always dies: I think from too much water.  The side garden drains well and is dry.  I put the mint near the bird bath on the ground so it will get more water.

My garden May 1

My tomatoes are growing well and all have now set fruit.  This is the last year I grow Celebrity. because it does not perform well for me. Celebrity was the last to set fruit.  We are already sampling the Sungold tomatoes and the Sweet 100's.  Ojo Bonito is loaded with green tomatoes.  The plants have been attacked by small, black worms that eat the leaves.  I have instituted a daily search and destroy ( actually, look and squish).  So far, I am winning.  The Brandywine was the first tomato attacked by these nefarious critters.


My main concern now is the ferocity of our spring storms.  I lost my car windshield to hail in 2008.  We had our first storm last week; this was also our first rain since I put in my tomatoes in early March.  Hail warnings were abundant, but the storm that came through my area had no hail and lots of rain., over two inches.  That really was a miracle.  This part of Texas is in a severe drought which continues.  One line of storms is not enough., but at least I will not need to water for a while.

Sungold tomatoes by tvol

I purchased my okra seed yesterday.   I need to prepare a bed for it this week.  Okra loves the heat.  I want to track down a nursery that has some eggplant plants.  I will sow some radish seed on the edges of the four beds I have now.   If all goes well, I will plant some red sunflowers at the bottom edge of the garden.

The garden is my escape from reality.  Whether I harvest much or not, I will reap peace and renewal.

Could Jesus Vote in Texas?

Photo by pncsmith

The Texas Senate enacted a law to require a photo ID before you can vote. The majority says it is to prevent voter fraud. This, of course, is not the purpose. The purpose is to disenfranchise the old, the poor and the disabled; all of whom would not vote as the majority in the Senate desires. The House is now considering the bill.

Why do I believe this?

Because I was raised in Texas and remember the poll tax. My Yankee grandmother moved to Texas with my native Texan mother after WWII. My grandmother was shocked to discover she had to pay to vote. I can remember my mother explaining the pernicious nature of the poll tax. The poll tax was designed to keep the poor and especially African Americans from voting. The poll tax was successful.

The 24th amendment to the constitution of the United States was passed to end the poll tax. President Lyndon Johnson, a Texan, said, "There can be no one too poor to vote." The Texas Senate is determined to put lie to that. Voter identification is a Republican scam to reduce the number of voters more likely to vote Democratic.

Now, to vote you will need a driver's license or state photo ID to vote. This means you must be able to pay for those documents. In addition, you must be able to go to your local driver's license office and wait a considerable length of time to have your photo taken. If you are old, infirm or poor, especially if you don't have a car, this becomes a daunting task. Just as in the past, when the poll tax could only be purchased in the courthouse downtown, now the modern poll tax will be just as hard to access for the portion of the population that the majority of our Senate want to disenfranchise.

Texans should be ashamed, but like their senators, too many would rather not see these people vote. "Afterall, if these people were fit to vote, they could get an ID, " is now the mantra.

Jesus said what we do to the least of these, we do to Him. Could Jesus vote in Texas?

Texas Running Out of Smart People

Photo by Seansie

Today, I read an article about ten states that are running out of smart people.  Guess what?  Texas is number nine.


That Texas is losing smart people is no surprise.  The Texas legislature has reduced funding for higher education for years.  The result has been an increase in tuition and fees.  I can attest to the change in students attending the University of Texas at Austin by simply observing the student inhabitants of a good friend's street.  Once the rental houses on his street were filled with students who drove small used cars and beat-up pick-ups.  Now those same houses have students with new, fancy pickups and BMWs.  Once students on her street picked up their garbage, now they expect their neighbors to. The University is changing from a place for smart kids to a place for rich kids.


Another reason that Texas is losing intelligent people, especially academics, is the unfriendly attitudes of many legislators.  Regenerative medicine is looked on with suspicion.  Every session finds new attacks on any research that offends fundamentalists.  The result is that researchers are leaving the state, even if their research is not controversial.  Many fear that the next legislative whim will be to attack their area of research.  Young researchers seeking positions simply mark Texas off.  There is lack of funding, but more important is the fear that they could waste years on a project that could be prohibited.  Texas colleges and universities are slowly sinking into mediocrity.


Now with a huge budget shortfall, the legislature plans to decimate K-12 education and reduce funds to institutions of higher learning.  This will exacerbate the already bad situation.


Ignorance begets ignorance.  Texas needs to improve its education system.  The legislature needs to stay out of the research.  Of course, the legislature can demand stringent ethics provisions for review of research projects.  But these reviews need to be performed by those that understand the field and by independent ethicists..  Texas does not need to scare anymore scientists away.


All scientists pay attention to the research climate in a state in all areas of research, not just their own.  Texas has gained the reputation as a backward and ignorant state. 


What will the statistics be ten years from now?  Will Texas rank number one in ignorance?  Will Texas' budget parsimony this year destroy our future?

I Am Not A Democrat

Too many people think I am a Democrat because I espouse a liberal viewpoint and voted for Barack Obama.  At one time I was a Democrat. I stopped because of the spineless antics of the Texas Democratic Party and the pervasive influence of powerful business interests in the national party.

I consider myself an Independent.  In my youth, I voted for Ramsey Muniz of La Raza for Governor of Texas.  I still regret that I voted for Richard Nixon instead of George McGovern.  I have voted for the occasional Libertarian but would never vote for Ron Paul although I admire him for his statement on the mosque in New York. 

We need a government that works for the ordinary citizen instead of wealth and business.  I spent some years working for the state of Texas.  I know that state workers try their best to serve the public but that upper management is too often afraid of its own shadow or else in league with those they regulate.  For example, I believe that Texas' environmental agency's primary purpose is to protect Texas business from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

I had hoped that Barack Obama would accomplish great things as President.  He tried.  An intransigent Republic party and cowardly Democrats have reduced his chance for change.  I do believe he compromised to much and gave up too much especially in health care reform.  Health care reform was crippled by the desire for a few Repub votes.  Same with the stimulus.  We would not be facing a possible double dip if enough funding had been voted in the first round.  Instead Repub tax cuts were added.  See where that got us. 

I am not a Democrat.  I may participate in a precinct meeting or even a county meeting, but beyond that I will not participate in the Democratic Party.  The day that the Democratic Party cuts its ties with big business, purges the conservatives that cripple any progressive legislation and develops a coherent opposition to the Repubs, is the day I become a Democrat.  I won't hold my breath.

"a Christian land governed by Christian principles"

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) believes that students should be taught we are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles.  I am a Christian, but do not believe this.  We are nation founded by men who had a variety of beliefs.  Some were devout Christians, others questioners of orthodoxy.  What they most detested was the imposition of governmental directives on their faith.  They designed our Constitution to limit governmental power over religion.  Our founders also knew the danger of theocracy.  Many knew English and European history and knew what had resulted from church rule.  The Constitution was designed to keep us from becoming a theocracy.  The SBOE wants to change the meaning of the First Amendment to reflect their skewed view of reality.

Texans need to come together to protect the school children of Texas.  We need to insist that changes in textbooks are made by a panel of experts in that field, men and women with academic credentials, appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House.  The experts recommendations need to be accepted on an up or down vote by the three officials.  No changes allowed.  If voted down, the experts would bring new recommendations.  There would be no issue by issue review.  Only the whole would be accepted or sent back for revision.

While political influence could be exerted, it would be wielded by two officials elected statewide and one elected by his peers in the House. Narrow ideologues would be less likely to be elected to the statewide offices or to be able to obtain a majority in the House.  I would rather take my chances with those three officials than with the SBOE.

The time has come to write our state representatives and tell them to put an end to this nonsense.  Texas does not need to be the laughing stock of the nation.  Change how education is done in Texas.  Do away with the SBOE.

Proposition 4 on the March 2, 2010 Ballot

  The Texas Republican party has placed five propositions on their March 2, 2010, primary ballot.  These propositions are non-binding.  The propositions are not amendments to the Texas Constitution.

Ballot Proposition #4: Public Acknowledgement (sic)of God
The use of the word “God”, prayers, and the Ten Commandments should be allowed at public gatherings and public educational institutions, as well as be permitted on government buildings and property.
YES or NO

Here we go again, planning to change national law with a proposition in the Republican primary, except this time the Texas Republican Party wants to amend the Constitution.  Remember the First Amendment?  Freedom of religion?  Two hundred years of Supreme Court decisions?  The audacity of this Proposition is breath-taking.  Texans should decide the freedom of religion issue for this whole nation. 

Texas Republicans want to use the word "God" at public gatherings.  I have listened to speeches in Congress and in the Texas legislature.  There is no absence of references to a Supreme Being.  Problems begin when we look at schools, government policy dictates, and other situations where the power of the state is used to demand adherence to one religious viewpoint. None of us want our children indoctrinated in another faith.  Why do we want to do it to others?

What happens if Muslims are the majority in a school district and want to use the word "Allah'? Or Buddhists?  Want your child to pray to Brahman? I doubt a Hindu wants their child to pray to God, either.  This is not a well-thought out proposition.

Any private person, student, or employee of government can pray at any time or any place.  Only when the prayer is made as an official act of government is it disallowed.  In Matthew 6:6, Christ said it was better to pray in private.  I think we should follow Christ's command.

Texans say let the majority have its way.  We are a democracy.  Wrong.  We are a democratic republic with a constitution designed to protect minorities.  The majority is not always correct.  Look at the history of civil rights. I would not negate our freedom of religion in order to make a public spectacle of prayer.

VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 4!

Proposition 2 on the March 2, 2010 Ballot

The Texas Republican party has placed five propositions on their March 2, 2010, primary ballot.  These propositions are non-binding.  The propositions are not amendments to the Texas Constitution.

Ballot Proposition #2: Controlling Government Growth
Every government body in Texas should be required to limit any annual increase in its budget and spending to the combined increase of population and inflation unless it first gets voter approval to exceed the allowed annual growth or in the case of an official emergency.
YES or NO

This proposition is so vague that it has no meaning.  How do you measure increase in population?  There is an official census only once every ten years. I am sure that someone would disagree with the population increase chosen and sue to use the number they believe is correct.  What about inflation?  Is that a national inflation number or local?  Vague.  The exception is big enough to swallow the whole proposition "in the case of an official emergency."  What is "an official emergency?"  I suspect it would be whatever the government body says "an official emergency" is.  The whole proposition is pointless.

VOTE "NO" ON PROPOSITION TWO!

Photo by Annie Mole

Proposition 1 on the March 2, 2010 Ballot

The Texas Republican party has placed five propositions on their March 2, 2010, primary ballot.  These propositions are non-binding.  The propositions are not amendments to the Texas Constitution.

The first proposition is as follows:
Ballot Proposition #1: Photo ID
The Texas legislature should make it a priority to protect the integrity of our election process by enacting legislation that requires voters to provide valid photo identification in order to cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the State of Texas.
YES or NO

I wrote about this previously in this blog when the legislature considered making people get a photo ID to vote.  See Could Jesus Vote in Texas?   

A Brown University study cataloged the negative effects of the introduction of photo ID's. The following is the last paragraph in their study.

"In 2004, despite higher white registration levels in voter ID states, the net effect was a substantial reduction in voter turnout. The reduction cut across racial and ethnic lines, but disproportionately affected blacks and Hispanics. It also disproportionately diminished electoral participation by citizens with lower income and education, tenants, and people who move more frequently. These groups already stand out for lower participation, and voter ID has the consequence of further reducing their engagement with the electoral system. In our view the selectivity of these suppressive impacts is their most objectionable feature. But even aside from placing a greater burden on some groups than on others, this is a policy that has not been shown to have any benefits. If reversing this policy in the 20 states that implemented it in 2004 could have increased overall turnout by registered voters by 1.6 million — from a rate of 67.7% to 70.3% — that is a strong argument in itself."

 The Texas Attorney has spent $1.4 million in 2 years to find 26 cases of voter fraud. He uncovered no grand fraud schemes.  Most of these cases involved technical infractions where someone carried a properly marked mail-in ballot to the mailbox for elderly people.  What a dastardly crime!   I suppose Attorney General Abbott will prosecute me if I take my 85 year old aunt's sealed ballot to the mailbox in her apartment complex.  That is what we are talking about.  In addition, Abbott only prosecutes Democrats by the way.  He ignores Republican misteps.

If you vote for Proposition 1, you are voting for suppression.  This proposition is designed to elicit a yes vote that will be used to further the Republican position on voter suppression.  Republicans know that those most affected are the elderly, the disabled, and minorities; people most likely to vote Democratic.  Anything that can be done to reduce their numbers aids Republican candidates.

Let's recall Texas sad history of voter suppression.  It was called the poll tax and was designed to suppress the black vote.  Obviously, the desire to suppress the vote of non-whites still exists.  The tea-baggers have openly called for literacy tests.  Tests used in the South to keep blacks from voting.  I expect Republicans to embrace that position.


I go into detail how needing a photo ID discourages the least among us from voting in my article Could Jesus Vote in Texas?

I will paraphrase Jesus. "I tell you the truth. You kept the least of these from voting, so you kept me from voting.."

VOTE "NO" ON PROPOSITION ONE!

The Garden in Mold

Texas weather is a hoot. No rain all summer, now almost no days of sunshine. The result is a moldy garden. There is a black fungus growing on the eggplant's leaves. The tomato plants that made it through the summer have lost all the foliage on their summer growth. Only the tips of the plants have leaves. The okra is under siege from aphids.

The newly planted tomatoes do seem off to a good start. The plants have new growth and one has set some tomatoes. So far, the blight affecting the other tomatoes has not found them. I am harvesting onions and okra.

The one miracle is an artichoke. This died, I thought, in July, but new shoots and green leaves have appeared. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The birdhouse gourd has exploded with growth. Leaves the size of dinner plates cover the ground and shoots have reached the top of all the adjacent trees. However, I do not see any gourds growing.

My latest additions are cilantro and parsley which have settled in nicely, even though I stepped on the cilantro the day after I planted it. I need to do more planting, but it keeps raining. I will just have to wait.

Photo by hoeguk

Spider Crawls on Pope Benedict XVI's Face During Prague Address

Arachnids know no awe. To read the full story and see a video, click on the title above.

In Texas, we have taratulas, not really dangerous, and black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders; both are very poisonous. I can remember waking at night and watching the brown recluse spiders or fiddlebacks scuttle for their hiding places. There is nothing like finding one squashed on your pillow.

Even if not poisonous, spider bites can be painful. I have been nailed more than once by a non-venomous spider. The Pope was very lucky.

Luck is just a nickname for God.



Photo by aviplot

Texas Board of Education To Decide: Christian Nation?

The Texas State Board of Education(SBOE) is in the process of selecting new textbooks in social studies which includes history, geography and economics. One area of controversy is the religious views of the founding fathers. In a San Antonio Express article describing the issues, the SBOE is seen as leaning toward designating the United States as a Christian nation. Part of the problem seems to be that the SBOE's expers seem to be prejudiced and in favor of the Christian designation.

I am no expert on this nation's early history, but I have read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and biographies of several of the founding fathers. My impression is that they are a mixed bag as far as beliefs. Many were Christians, but a large number were deists. Having been a deist myself, I know that they were not Christians. Deist believe in a clockmaker God, a God who created the universe, set it in motion, then relaxed to let it run. The deist belief is far from a God that would come to this world himself to redeem it.

I do not understand this desire to limit the diversity of the Founding Fathers and change history. Saying that the United States was founded as a Christian nation betrays the school children of Texas. Distorting history does not help them. Is the assumption that most will never study these subjects again? I can only assume so. How sad.

What do the Christians on the SBOE fear? Christianity has flourished for almost two thousand years. We do not need to change history to help the faith. Such action makes Christianity appear weak, needing government to maintain its place in the United States. Christians need to remember that Christ message was one of victory. God does not need the SBOE to succeed.

Photo by cloudsoup.

Gardening at over 100 -- Degrees, that is

I planted a garden this year with little regard to practicality. I planted vegetables that I wanted to eat including artichokes and eggplant. Of course, I have tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and okra. I did not do a lot of homework. I had gardens in the past and usually had fairly good success. I should have been more deliberate and studious.

I planted artichoke seeds late last year. Some plants came up and did fine through the winter. I did not have a freeze this year. Growing up, it always froze in the winter, usually several times, but in the last ten years freezes have become rare.

Anyway, the artichokes grew rapidly, and I soon discovered I had planted them too close together. I transplanted as many as I dared, trying to space them far apart. Most of the transplants made it, even the one I put in the midst of the parsnips.

All was well until the temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed there day after day. Despite my watering, my artichokes began to dry up. Soon, the plants were infested with black aphids. I don't use pesticides. A Ph.D. in chemistry makes me too knowlegable about the dangers of poisons whether man-made or natural. I washed the aphids off: they returned. I tried soap and water and washed some more. The soap and water was successful. The aphid numbers were greatly reduced, but the artichokes continued to decline.

I went online to research artichokes. Okay, a little late, but at least, I was trying. Artichokes don't like high temperatures. In high heat conditions, they go dormant. We had record breaking high temperatures (as high as 106) day after day. My artichokes were definitely unhappy - their leaves curled and the whole plant lost color.

So, I must wait. Either my artichokes have gone dormant (I hope) or they have died. All I can do is wait for cooler temperatures to find out. Whatever the outcome, next year I plant in partial shade.

Photo by flickring

Texas Capitol Off Limits to the Handicapped

Last week, I spent some time at the Texas Capitol visiting legislative offices and attending hearings. I was reminded that the Texas Capitol is essentially off limits to the disabled. Because of security, there is no handicapped parking available to the public within a block of the Capitol. Even then, there is remarkably little handicapped parking available anywhere around that building. The Visitor's parking garage is over two blocks away. The only drop-off areas are at least a block away from the Capitol. This does not see to bother our legislators one whit.

"Ah," they will say, "Look at the people in wheelchairs who visit us."

Of course, some people in motorized wheelchairs can get to the Capitol. They have their own transportation.

How many people on crutches do you see? How many with a cane? Or perhaps with a bad limp?

Very few.

Before my hip replacement, I found it extremely daunting to go to my state's capitol. I had to plan carefully. I would park as close as I could with my disabled parking permit, then begin the hike to the Capitol. I tried to park where my walk would allow me to rest frequently and let the pain subside before proceeding. I would perch wherever I could until I felt able to proceed. Many times, I wondered if I would make it, but there was no alternative.

This arrangement has advantages for the legislature. Lack of access means they are not bothered by those pesky cripples. Oh, they have to put up with those in wheelchairs, but that is only a small fraction of the mobility impaired. If legislators never have to see the less than physically perfect during a legislative session, then they don't have to consider their needs. Afterall, if there are so many disabled, wouldn't more visit their offices? The elderly can be ignored for the same reasons. Who wants a bunch of hobbling seniors cluttering up the place?

Is there any solution?

I do not want security weakened. I understand the need to control parking near the Capitol. I propose a shuttle service from the Capitol to the Visitor's parking garage. Use modified golf carts to carry the public to and from the Capitol's doors. The shuttles should run as long as the legislature is in session and on any day as long as there are hearings being held.

If shuttles are not the answer, then perhaps the legislature could find other means. If more officers are available to examine vehicles, then cars, after careful examination, could drop the handicapped at the north doors of the Capitol. I would even submit to a background check, if it meant I did not face that hike to the Capitol to exercise my right to speak.

Texas should allow all its citizens to frequent the halls of the legislature. Make the disabled full citizens of Texas.

Photos by David Berkowitz

An Open Letter to Texas Senators

I am a Texan. I had an ancestor who fought at the battle of San Jacinto and died in the Mexican-American War. One great-great grandfather fought for the Confederacy and walked home to central Texas from Louisiana after the war. One great-great grandfather provided the only vote against secession in his county and remained a staunch Unionist all his life. Like many Texans, I have Native American blood although now much diluted. My ancestors were Cherokee and Choctaw. Some of my ancestors served as Texas Rangers.

Why do I provide this information? I do not want to be dismissed as some johnny-come-lately liberal whose views are not representative of Texans.

Plenty of us believe as I do, but in Texas today our voices are dimmed because those of conservatives are so much louder and better organized. Our time is coming. The change can be seen in our legislature as the demographics shift to the urban and minorities.

With all this said, I wish to address my two Senators. I have only one question: Are you doing your best for the citizens of this nation?

From my perspective, you are not.

Senator Cronyn, you were a yes-man to George Bush, now you have become a no-man to Barack Obama. Senator Cronyn, you have not had a positive statement this year. Your goal is partisanship; split the voters, scare the voters to elect more Republics.

We are in an economic crisis, where are the statemen?

Once I thought you, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, were a moderate, but that was before you planned to run for Governor of Texas. Now, you parrot the conservative Republic line that the stimulus bill has spending that is not stimulative.

After reviewing the statements of many economists, the one certainty I have come away with is that all government spending provides stimulus. The only misstep in the New Deal occurred when FDR reduced government spending to balance the budget. We need the new stimulus bill.

I ask you, my Senators, to forget your personal gain and become statesmen that put your country's welfare before your own.

Could Jesus Vote in Texas?

The Texas Senate plans to enact a law to require a photo ID before you can vote. The majority says it is to prevent voter fraud. This, of course, is not the purpose. The purpose is to disenfranchise the old, the poor and the disabled; all of whom would not vote as the majority in the Senate desires.

Why do I believe this?

Because I was raised in Texas and remember the poll tax. My yankee grandmother moved to Texas with my native Texan mother after WWII. My grandmother was shocked to discover she had to pay to vote. I can remember my mother explaining the pernicious nature of the poll tax. The poll tax was designed to keep the poor and especially African Americans from voting. The poll tax was successful.

The 24th amendment to the constitution of the United States was passed to end the poll tax. President Lyndon Johnson said, "There can be no one too poor to vote." The Texas Senate is determined to put lie to that.

Now, to vote you will need a driver's license or state photo ID to vote. This means you must be able to pay for those documents. In addition, you must be able to go to your local driver's license office and wait a considerable length of time to have your photo taken. If you are old, infirm or poor, especially if you don't have a car, this becomes a daunting task. Just as in the past, when the poll tax could only be purchased in the courthouse downtown, now the modern poll tax will be just as hard to access for the portion of the population that the majority of our Senate wants to disenfranchise.

Texans should be ashamed, but like their senators, too many would rather not see these people vote. "Afterall, if these people were fit to vote, they could get an ID, " is now the mantra.

Jesus said what we do to the least of these, we do to Him. Could Jesus vote in Texas?


Photo by trainmn74

Austin Presidential Debates

The Democrats are holding a debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Austin, Texas. There will be 100 tickets available for the public. The spokesman for the Democratic Party said on television that the number was limited because of safety concerns. If I used profanity, I would use it now. Barack Obama has had huge rallies in Austin. Hillary Clinton has been drawing crowds all over Texas. The tickets to the public are not limited because of safety concerns. The tickets to the public are limited because the Democratic Party in Texas wants to hand out these tickets to their select, just as old party bosses handed out favors in years past.

The Democratic Party in Texas has been so afraid of offending the Republican majority that they offer only token opposition. The Democratic Party in Texas is a hollow shell filled with politicians of questionable merit.
The party structure does not want new ideas or new blood that might upset the status quo. They do know how to make money: you can buy tickets to a private debate viewing party.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton obviously don't want the public either. I am sure they will reward big money donors with tickets. Whatever their rhetoric, their true constituencies will be there, the wealthy and the well-connected. The poor, the handicapped, the elderly will not be allowed. The audience must have the proper image.

I will vote for the Democratic candidate for President because of the potential to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court. I doubt that once elected that they will do anything for most people. Just like tickets to the debate, benefits will go to business and the well-connected.