Yep.

Texas school employee shot in gun safety class.


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Texas Deserves Itself.

So the world would not be the world unless someone somewhere in Texas was doing something that annoyed me.

In the latest bit of bother, Governor Rick Perry has been blowing a nice chunk of taxpayer cash on a not-too-shabby pad outside of Austin.

Here is the first paragraph from the AP article on Yahoo:

AUSTIN, Texas – With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to live in a sprawling rental home in the hills above the capital, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

And here is the link: Click me! Click me!


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The House of Representatives is a Classy, Classy Place.

So do you remember how there was a time when the US House of Representatives was distinguishable from a monster truck rally?

Here is an article about how Congressman Randy Neugebauer of Texas shouted “Baby Killer” at one of his compatriots. This is just the kind of high-minded debate that I was hoping for from the leaders of the free world.
It is so short that re-posted it below.


Texas lawmaker: I yelled 'It's a baby killer'

(CNN) -- Texas Rep. Randy Neugebauer says he was the Republican House member who called out "baby killer" during the chamber's debate Sunday night on the health care reform bill.

Neugebauer issued a statement Monday apologizing for the outburst. His statement said he called out, "It's a baby killer," in reference to the last-minute deal between Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak and the White House that secured the support of Stupak and other anti-abortion Democrats for the health care bill.
"Last night was the climax of weeks and months of debate on a health care bill that my constituents fear and do not support," Neugebauer's statement said.

"In the heat and emotion of the debate, I exclaimed the phrase 'it's a baby killer' in reference to the agreement reached by the Democratic leadership."

The interruption occurred as Stupak was delivering an emotional speech defending the deal with the White House that called for President Obama to issue an executive order guaranteeing that the bill would not change existing limits on federal funding for abortion.

The phrase yelled by Neugebauer was initially believed to have been directed at Stupak personally.

"While I remain heartbroken over the passage of this bill and the tragic consequences it will have for the unborn, I deeply regret that my actions were mistakenly interpreted as a direct reference to Congressman Stupak himself," Neugebauer's statement said.

"I have apologized to Mr. Stupak and also apologize to my colleagues for the manner in which I expressed my disappointment about the bill," the statement concluded.
"The House Chamber is a place of decorum and respect. The timing and tone of my comment last night was inappropriate."

The incident evoked memories of Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, who yelled "you lie" during Obama's health care speech to a joint session of Congress in September.

Wilson also apologized, and the House formally reprimanded him for the outburst.
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Despite My Suggestions, Texas Still Exists.

Is there too much lead in the water in Texas? Is that what it is? What the hell else could possible be wrong with them?

You’ve probably heard about this already, but the Texas State Board of Education gets to make “suggestions” to the publishers of school text books and since Texas is so god damn big and has so many school children, publishers basically just write their books to comply with Texas and everybody else in the country just has to deal with it.

Here are a couple of the most are you fucking kidding me? suggestions:

- Thomas Jefferson no longer included among writers influencing the nation’s intellectual origins. Jefferson, a deist who helped pioneer the legal theory of the separation of church and state, is not a model founder in the board’s judgment. Among the intellectual forerunners to be highlighted in Jefferson’s place: medieval Catholic philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, Puritan theologian John Calvin and conservative British law scholar William Blackstone. Heavy emphasis is also to be placed on the founding fathers having been guided by strict Christian beliefs.

- A recommendation to include country and western music among the nation’s important cultural movements. The popular black genre of hip-hop is being dropped from the same list.

If your stomach is amenable to bullshit, here is the article.

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