Republicans Seek To Rename The Democratic Party

Republicans ushered in totally unregulated free-market enterprise in every business and public interest quarter while they controlled all branches of government. Unregulated free markets simply means there is no rulebook and no referees to enforce rules of fair and honest play. That permitted corporations to grab monopolistic control over markets and drive reckless speculative excesses, thus overriding the power of free market competition.

As Republicans eliminated the regulatory guidelines of prudent business and banking practices, unscrupulous home mortgage lenders were free to unfairly prey on both American home buyers and securities investors. Mortgage lenders were free to aggressively market risky sub-prime home mortgages to unsuspecting home buyers and then speculatively trade those risky sub-prime loans in banking and securities markets to such unrestrained levels that the financial system was at the brink of collapse.

The resulting financial system "crisis of credit" froze business and consumers out credit markets literally freezing the flow of business transactions, particularly in the housing and auto industries. The U.S. government was forced into bailouts of banks, securities companies and "too big to fail" corporations to avert economic disaster.

An unregulated free-market system is like asking professional football teams to play a season without a rulebook and without referees to enforce the rules of play. The game of football would be reduced to chaos and a lot of casualties on the field of play.

Over the last eight years we have seen what happens when the free market rulebook is scrapped and the referees leave the free market field of play. Democrats want to restore healthy free market competition, which naturally drives innovation and economic growth, by making sure that American business and financial institutions follow some basic rules of fair and honest play.

To this idea that business must have a rule book of fairt play and referees to enforce the rules Conservative Republicans cry "Socialism."

Refering to Democrats as members the "Democrat Party" rather than the "Democratic Party" is not derogatory enough for Republican National Committee conservatives.

In an e-mail sent to the 168 voting members of the RNC committee, RNC member James Bopp, Jr. is urging the membership to adopt a resolution that requires Republicans to always refer to Democrats as members of the “Democrat Socialist Party.”

While RNC Chairman Michael Steele does not strongly support a RNC resolution to officially rename the opposing party, he supports the idea of "branding" Democrats as socialists for supporting the concept that a healthy free market system needs business to follow some basic rules of fair and honest play. “The Democrats are indeed marching America toward European-style socialism, and I will continue to criticize their dangerous policies in that regard,” Steele wrote in a memo to RNC members.

Organizing for America Office Coming To Collin Co.??

The Dallas Morning News TrailBlazersBlog:

Some news from suburbia this week... Word on the street is that President Obama's new grassroots issues campaign -- Organizing for America -- is kicking the tires on putting an office in conservative Collin County.

The chatter coincides with activity elsewhere. Earlier this month, the group [announced Luke Hayes as the Texas State Director for Organizing for America.] Now, Hayes is embarking on a Texas-wide "listening tour" to chat with and recruit volunteers.

When asked about the possibility of a Collin office, Natalie Wyeth, a Democratic spokeswoman in Washington, said in an email that nothing has been decided.

"We've asked local supporters and volunteers for suggestions on where it would be useful and convenient to have an OFA office in their area. Right now, Luke is working out of the Democratic Party headquarters in Austin. Anything else folks are saying about office space is speculative," she wrote.

Establishing an official campaign office in Collin County, of course, would be a bold move for Obama. Republicans have dominated the affluent suburban area for decades.

Still, experts say that the last few elections have revealed subtle Democratic shifts. Stay tuned.

While running to become the President of the United States, Barack Obama's campaign recruited millions of campaign supporters and contributors through online social networks. Over two million joined myBarackObama.com, a website fusing social networking with volunteer political organizing, while more than 5 million supported Obama's profile across other social websites like MySpace and Facebook. More than a million people asked for campaign text messages on their cell phones and yet more kept up with campaign information on Twitter. Most importantly, over 13 million voters signed up for regular e-mail fundraising pitches and other communications.

On January 15th Barack Obama announced the formation of a new group known as "Organizing for America" to continue the grassroots advocacy organization that supported his run for the presidency.

The key idea behind "Organizing for America" — is that the 20th century model of communicating with and motivating supporters has given way to a 21st century Internet media model of communication channels built around YouTube, Social Networking, Twittering, etc. — as was evident during his campaign and as is already evident in the White House’s media strategy. (see White House YouTube video channel bar in the right sidebar of this blog)

Organizing for America is now operating under the umbrella of the Democratic National Committee. The organization is looking at ways to leverage thousands of trained field organizers and tens of thousands of neighborhood coordinators to provide valuable grassroots support for Democratic candidates committed, or thinking about, running for office in the 2010 mid-term and 2012 election cycles. And not just national and state office candidates, but also local county and city office candidates - even in Republican strongholds like Collin County.

Related Postings:

• Can Texas Go Blue Like Colorado?
• Republican Brand Growing Weak In Texas
• The Incredible Shrinking Republican Base
• Politics Is No Longer Local - It's Viral
• Texas voters increasingly unhappy with GOP - DMN
• Poll's shocking SOS for Texas GOP - DMN

May 9, 2009 Plano City and ISD Election

The Dallas Morning News: Plano city and ISD elections will be held on May 9th with backdrop of economic downturn.

Yet this is hardly a typical year to run for Plano City Council. Tax collections are down. Property values are flat or even falling. And service cuts and tax increases could be in the city's future.

That is the dour backdrop as one of North Texas' largest, most affluent suburbs prepares to choose a new mayor, a new City Council and the fate of a nearly $130 million bond package. The election is May 9.

Cuts of all kinds – from park upgrades to middle school police patrols – are already on the table. Even with those reductions, the City Council may choose to increase the property tax rate, raise city fees or both as they seek to craft a new budget by Oct 1.

Municipal elections typically draw low voter turnout. But with the next mayor and council set to decide the course of a mega suburb that is both cash-strapped and aging, voters have much at stake.

Plano City Website Election Info Page: Click here

For the City of Plano the mayor's office and two of the City Council's seven seats are contested. The mayor and council members serve three-year terms.

Plano Mayor (Place 6)

1. Phil Dyer Age: 57
   Occupation: bank executive
   Community highlights: former City Council member; former planning and zoning commission member; former parks and recreation board member; former board chairman of Plano Chamber of Commerce
2. David W. Fincannon Age: 48
   Occupation: CEO of pest control firm
   Community highlights: community volunteer; involved with Preston Meadow Homeowners Association

Plano City Council Place 2 - two former members of Plano's parks and recreation board compete in this race: Ben Harris, a pharmaceutical sales agent, and Susan Plonka, a former publisher and founder of her own Web business.

1. Ben Harris Age: 30-something
   Occupation: pharmaceutical sales
   Community highlights: former parks and recreation board member; board of directors, Plano Youth Leadership
2. Susan Plonka Age: 51
   Occupation: owner of Web business
   Community highlights: former chairman of parks and recreation board; former chairman of Plano Metro Rotary Club

Plano City Council Place 8 - incumbent Lee Dunlap, an architect who is finishing his first council term, has drawn two challengers: Greg Myer and Imran Khan.

1. Lee Dunlap (I) Age: 58
   Occupation: architect
   Community highlights: City Council member; former chairman of planning and zoning commission; former chairman of transportation advisory committee
2. Imran Khan Age: 27
   Occupation: teacher
   Community highlights: community volunteer
3. Greg Myer Age: 37
   Occupation: information technology manager
   Community highlights: former chairman of library advisory board; Republican Precinct Chair; Self describes as a Conservative Republican
   

Plano City Council Place 4 - Lissa Smith, who serves as district director for state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, is running unopposed in Place 4.

The Plano City Ballot includes several bond propositions totaling nearly nearly $130 million:

• Proposition no. 1 - The issuance of $11,368,000 general obligation bonds for public safety improvements
• Proposition no. 2 - The issuance of $8,000,000 general obligation bonds for renovations to municipal facilities for technology services purposes
• Proposition no. 3 - The issuance of $34,754,500 general obligation bonds for street improvements
• Proposition no. 4 - The issuance of $1,750,000 general obligation bonds for library facilities
• Proposition no. 5 - The issuance of $48,650,000 general obligation bonds for parks and recreation improvements
• Proposition no. 6 - The issuance of $24,100,000 general Obligation bonds for recreation centers
• Proposition no. 7 - The revocation of $3,500,000 general obligation bonds for an overpass project to provide grade separation at preston road and legacy drive

For the Plano Independent School District two places for the seven member Board of Trustees will appear on the ballot:

Plano ISD Board of Trustees Place 6

1. Marilyn Hinton
2. Nathan Barbera
3. Steve Navarre
4. Rama Lavu

Plano ISD Board of Trustees Place 7

1. Missy Bender (incumbent)
2. Robert Canright

The Dallas Morning News:

• Plano elections held with backdrop of economic downturn
• Voter Guide: Compare the Plano City Council District 2 candidates
• Voter Guide: Compare the Plano City Council District 6 mayoral candidates
• Voter Guide: Compare the Plano City Council District 8 candidates

May 9, 2009 Municipal Election Early Voting Locations & Times

May 9, 2009 General Election Early Voting for

• The City of Plano and the Plano ISD,
• The City of Frisco and the Frisco ISD and
• The City of McKinney

will be conducted at several early voting locations in those cities (see table below) on behalf of those municipalities by the Collin County Elections Office. Early Voting will run from 8:00 AM Monday, April 27, 2009 through 7:00 PM Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

Early voting for Allen, Anna, Celina, Lovejoy ISD, Lowry Crossing, Melissa, Princeton, Prosper, Wylie is available at the Collin County Main Elections Office in McKinney and at a designated municipal or ISD building in your city. Click on the city name to find more early voting information for that city.

What are we voting on?

• City Council and Mayor Seats - depending on the city
• City ballot initiatives and bond issues (some cities)
• School Board Trustees (Most ISDs)

As a general rule, if you are registered to vote in Collin County and live in Plano, Frisco or McKinney, you can vote the ballot for your particular city, council place and school district location at any of the Early Voting Locations located within those cities.

MAY 9, 2009 Election Early Voting Locations for Frisco, McKinney and Plano:

POLLING PLACE	ADDRESS	CITY
Collin County Elections Office (Main Early Voting Location)	2010 Redbud Blvd., Suite 102	McKinney
Carpenter Park Recreation Center	6701 Coit Rd.	Plano
Christopher A. Parr Library	6200 Windhaven Pkwy.	Plano
CCCCD – Central Park Campus	2200 W. University Dr.	McKinney
CCCCD – Spring Creek Campus	2800 Spring Creek Pkwy.	Plano
CCCCD – Preston Ridge Campus	9700 Wade Blvd.	Frisco
Frisco Fire Station #4	4485 Cotton Gin Road	Frisco
Haggard Library	2501 Coit Road	Plano
Harrington Library	1501 18th Street	Plano
McKinney Fire Station #5	6600 W. Virginia Pkwy.	McKinney
McKinney Performing Arts Center	111 N. Tennessee	McKinney
Murphy Municipal Complex	206 N. Murphy Road	Murphy
Plano ISD Administration Center	2700 West 15th Street	Plano
Renner-Frankford Library	6400 Frankford Road	Dallas

The dates and hours designated for early voting are as follows:

Dates	Hours
Monday, April 27, 2009, through Wednesday, April 29, 2009	8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, April 30, 2009	8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, May 1, 2009, and Saturday, May 2, 2009	8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, May 4, 2009 and Tuesday, May 5, 2009	7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Absentee Voting and Ballots By Mail

All currently registered voters in Collin County are eligible to request a ballot by mail if any of the following conditions prevents them from voting in person during the early voting period or on election day:

• Expected absence from the County during both the early voting period and election day.
• The ballot must be mailed to an address outside the county.
• Disability
• 65 years of age or older
• Confinement in jail and not finally convicted of a felony

Applications for ballots by mail must be received and processed by the Collin County Elections Administration, 2010 Redbud Boulevard, Suite 102, McKinney, Texas 75069. Applications must be received no later than May 1, 2009. Contact the Collin County Elections Administration at 972-547-1900 to request an application for a ballot by mail. More information on Ballots By Mail

To find May 9, 2009 election ballot and voting locations for other cities in Collin County, not list here, please contact your local city hall.

Texas Sec. Of State May 9, 2009 Election Law Calendar

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.


Republicans, now largely reduced to a regional party south of the Mason Dixon Line, have found their issue to regain national power -- abandon their pledge of allegiance and build up a head of steam to secede from the republic altogether. Texas Gov. Perry hinted that Obama's programs to save the nation from economic disaster may be such a blow to the constitution that the people of Texas may raise up to secede from the Union.

Texas Republican conservative icon Tom DeLay, who also thinks secession is a valid option, said on Hardball Thursday he thinks Governor Perry is "standing up for the sovereignty of Texas."

If the situation were reversed, if a Democrat suggested secession when Pres. Bush was still in office and Republicans controlled congress, that Democrat could well have been "renditioned" to Git'mo as an anti-American terrorist, or at the very least pilloried by Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the conservative media. To Perry's suggestion of secession Rush says,

"In light of all that's happening, Obama's speech on the economy justifying the basic destruction of the US... [Perry's] Support of States' Rights... is great stuff..."

Some other prominent Texans sum up my thoughts better than I can manage:

Texas state senator Rodney Ellis:

“It was only 12 years ago that Texas had a deadly stand-off with those [Republic of Texas movement] urging secession. Governor Bush stood up to those fringe elements. I urge Governor Perry to ramp down the rhetoric and state unequivocally — as Governor Bush did in the 1990s — that secession is not only not an option, it isn’t going to be part of the political discussion.

“In the last week, we’ve seen an extremely troubling escalation of rhetoric. Talking about state’s rights, the oppressive hand of the federal government and secession brings up some pretty bad memories in this state. It was not all that long ago that those were the exact words used by those who opposed desegregation and the civil rights movement. The top elected official in the second largest state with our history simply cannot be so loose with his comments. He’s not a radio or cable TV talk show host."

Texas State House Democratic leader Jim Dunnam, had some words for the governor as well:

Every Texas elected official takes an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. I take oaths seriously, and that one most of all. And every day during the legislative session we pledge "allegiance" to the flag of the United States.

We even require every public school child to recite the pledge -- every day. That is "one nation, under God, indivisible."

"Indivisible."

Yesterday, our Governor had the opportunity to disavow anti-American rhetoric of secession. He chose not to, and instead he chose affirm those who believe and actually contemplate that our nation is divisible.

What do I say to my youngest daughter when she asks "why do I recite the pledge every day at school, if our Governor doesn't believe it?"

Hopefully Gov. Perry simply made a mistake; a mistake I call on him to correct by unequivocally declaring that our nation is one and indivisible, and that talk of secession from the union is thoughtless and reckless.

Perhaps he did not understand that words are important and that talk of secession carries heavy meaning.

Some hear this talk and associate it with racial division - an issue that caused over 600,000 Americans to lose their lives in a Civil War.

Others are incited by this kind of reckless rhetoric. I believe that the role of Texas Governor is to lead us to a better place, not stoke the fires of divisions.

Talk of secession is an attack on our country. It is the ultimate anti-American statement. Serious discussion that we would even contemplate dividing our country, the greatest country in the world, shows lack of judgment -- and any words from the Texas Governor will be taken seriously. Finally, such statements -- particularly in a time when we are at war overseas, with over 4,000 American lives lost, and thousands in combat as we speak -- are both offensive, irresponsible and not the words of a patriot.

I am surprised that Governor Perry would reinforce a sentiment that is so clearly anti-American. He should choose his words more carefully unless they are intentional, and if his words were intentional, they should be condemned.

Something Lighter - The Economy In Her Own Words

And a bonus video; Obama "RAISING KEYNES"

Something Lighter - Internet Symphony

The Tan Dun composition "Internet Symphony, Eroica" as selected and mashed up from thousands of video submissions from around the globe.

Gov. Rick Perry Declares Texas Sovereignty; Suggests Secession!

Texas Gov. Rick Perry so incited an anti-tax (and largely anti-Obama) "tea party" Wednesday with his anti-Washington and states' rights rhetoric that the audience began to shout, "Secede!"

Perry told the crowd at Austin City Hall -- one of three tea parties he attended on Wednesday that,

"I believe the federal government has become oppressive. It’s become oppressive in its size, its intrusion in the lives of its citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state.

Texans need to ask themselves a question. Do they side with those in Washington who are pursuing this unprecedented expansion of power, or do they believe in individual rights and responsibilities laid down in our foundational documents.

Where’re you gonna’ stand? With an ever-growing Washington bureaucracy, or are you going to stand with the people of this state who understand the importance of state’s rights.

Texans need to stand up. They need to be heard, because the state of affairs that we find ourselves in cannot continue indefinitely..."

Perry told the crowd he didn’t believe they were all “right-wing extremists,” as others had sought to portray them. “But if you are, I’m with you!” he shouted.

Later, in response to reporters' questions, Perry said,

"At some point Texans might get so fed up they would want to secede from the union. There's a lot of different scenarios. ...if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that..."

Perry added that when Texas entered the union in 1845 it was with the understanding it could pull out. Perry got that wrong, however; Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point, but Texas did not reserve the right to secede.

In this video of a press event several days ago, Governor Rick Perry declares Texas' sovereignty from the U.S., saying that,
"...We think it’s time to draw the line in the sand and tell Washington that no longer are we going to accept their oppressive hand in the state of Texas.

That’s what this press conference, that’s what these Texans are standing up for. There is a point in time where you stand up and say enough is enough, and I think Americans, and Texans especially have reached that point."

Perry is appealing to the Republic of Texas movement members. The Republic of Texas is a group of secessionists that claims annexation of Texas by the United States was illegal and Texas remains an independent nation under occupation. The issue of the Legal status of Texas led the group to set up a provisional shadow government for the sovereign nation of Texas on December 13, 1995. The movement had been discredited after two of its members, Jack Abbot Grebe Jr. and Johnie Wise, were convicted in 1998 of threatening to assassinate several government officials, including President Bill Clinton, and the group, while still active, had remained largely out of public view. Activists within the secessionist movement claim over 40,000 active supporters; however, there has been no public support for an independent Texas -- at least until Governor Perry breathed new live into the movement with his recent public statements of support of a sovereign Texas.

Gov. Perry publicly supports Texas State Rep. Brandon Creighton's Concurrent House Resolution (HCR50) of Texas "states’ rights" submitted in the 2009 81st session of the Texas legislature.

Tea Bag Letters Triggering National Security Alerts

Envelopes with soft powder-like lumpy contents and no return address sent through the U.S. Mail are increasingly triggering security alerts across the U.S. Postal system, in the mail rooms of Washington DC congressional office buildings and in the state and district offices of U.S. Senate and House members. These security alerts result in the evacuation of congressional office buildings in anthrax-like scares as Department of Homeland Security resources are diverted to investigate these national security alert calls .

One doesn't normally think of a tea bag as a threat to national security. But the small packets, when mailed to a member of Congress as a form of tax protest, can trigger alarms, given the post-9/11 anthrax scare. But as innocent as tea bags seem, they can cause false security responses when mail processing center sensors detect an unknown substance. After the anthrax scare of 2001, when letters with the deadly spores were mailed to Congress, authorities don't take anything, even tea bag letters, for granted.

Such letters sent to Congress must undergo costly special handling at tax payers' expense as they are diverted to special facilities to be irradiated, opened and inspected before they are delivered.

People sending tea bags in the U.S. Mail are not only jeopardizing the security of Americans by diverting Homeland Security resources, they are wasting millions of tax payer dollars -- the very thing they are protesting -- in unnecessary security operations!

Then again, maybe the Department of Homeland Security has good reason to be on alert. If you think the conservative "Tea Party" movement is just a passing fad, then take a look at a new report issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that says right-wing extremism is on the rise throughout the country. DHS reports no specific information about pending violence saying threats had so far been "largely rhetorical." Even so, DHS warns that the current political climate could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists."

Next Sunday will be the fourteenth anniversary of the worst act of domestic terrorism in US history.

On April 19, 1995 right-wing extremist Timothy McVeigh blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring over 800.

McVeigh, a former soldier, was connected with the ultra-conservative right through ulta-conservative books, pamphlets and early right-wing radio that prominently featured Rush Limbaugh.

If the ultra-conservative right had been using the Internet in the early 1990's as they are today, no doubt McVeigh would have been soaking his terrorist rage against the U.S. government from the online anti-government content too.

From the New York Times:

Mr. McVeigh was an avid reader, his barrack mates recalled; he devoured Soldier of Fortune and Guns & Ammo magazines, the genre of paperback novels about survivors of apocalyptic war and lone commandos that are part of the post-Vietnam culture described by [sociologist James William] Gibson and, above all, "The Turner Diaries," a venomous novel by William L. Pierce, a former physics professor and official of the American Nazi Party. " 'The Turner Diaries' was Mr. McVeigh's bible," said a person closely involved in the case.

Mr. McVeigh's reading, which he pressed on his sister, Jennifer, among others, also included Spotlight, the newsletter of the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby, Patriot Report, a far-right Christian identity newsletter that would later declare the Oklahoma bombing a plot by "the real hate groups," namely the F.B.I. and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, to crack down on armed paramilitary groups, and a strange document titled "Operation Vampire Killer 2000."

Written by Jack McLamb, a former Phoenix police sergeant, it seeks to enlist police and military personnel against "the ongoing, elitist covert operation which has been installed in the American system with great stealth and cunning." It continues, "They, the globalists, have stated that the date of termination of the American way of life is the year 2000."

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Operation Vampire Killer 2000 author Jack McLamb

. . .embraced a panoply of conspiracy theories. He told a 1996 rally that government officials were smuggling drugs into the country in a bid to incite racial hatred.

In 1999, he asserted that Vice President Gore intended to reduce world population by 90% through some kind of end-of-the-millennium Y2K plot. He suggested that Communist-led Latinos planned to take over the Southwest.

Along with his friend, Green Beret-turned-Patriot James "Bo" Gritz, he sold plots of land in Idaho as the perfect place to survive the coming troubles.

But when the much ballyhooed "Y2K" collapse failed to materialize, McLamb began to peddle his ideas on the tax protest circuit, instructing students last fall that "Taxes are Voluntary!"

Click hear to read more about how right-wing rhetoric, when transmitted long enough and loud enough, results in the terrorist bombing of federal buildings.

Read the whole Department of Homeland Security right-wing extremism threat report here:

If you are planning to attend one of the several tea party events schedule across Collin County on Wednesday, stop and think about the if the anti-government message being promoted by conservative tea party organizers is good for America...

Texas Voter Photo ID, The Next Step

Texas lawmakers are back to work from Easter break with 27 days left in the 2009 legislative session to move bills out of committees. Monday, May 11, 2009 is the last day for Texas House committees to report house bills and house joint resolutions.

Last week hundreds gathered in Austin to make comment on the voter photo ID bill (SB 362) before the House Elections Committee. The Texas Senate already passed Senate Bill 362 on Mar 17, 2009 in a party line vote. Sometime in the next 27 days the House Elections Committee Chaired by Euless Republican Todd Smith, who supports the bill, will vote to pass the bill out of committee to the house body for floor debate in a probable party line vote of 5 Republicans for and 4 Democrats against the bill.

SB362 would pose untold hardships on senior citizens, minorities, rural residents, high school students who turn 18 during the school year. During public comment on the bill before the House Elections Committee Republican Senators Dan Patrick, Tommy Williams and Steve Ogden verbally attacked Daniel Kohrman, Senior Attorney for AARP, during his testimony against the bill. They called him a liar and a political hack. They challenged him to name one Texas AARP member whom he represented. (Of course, Mr. Kohrman didn't have an AARP Texas membership list with him.) They claimed that ALL their elderly constituents favor SB362. They accused Mr. Kohrman of lying about a brief that the AARP prepared on the voter ID issue.

Harris County Tax Assessor Leo Vasquez is under fire this week amid accusations that staffers from his office misled the House Committee on Elections during testimony on a controversial voter identification bill last week. The Texas Capitol Annex has more: