Rep. Mike Krusee of Round Rock, the Republican chairman of the House Transportation Committee, was charged with first offense driving while intoxicated late Wednesday. He is not running for re-election this year.

This is the guy in charge of the Texas state House comittee in charge of Gov. Goodhair's tollway projects (and, I believe, the Trans-Texas Corridor project that has a lot of Texans rather ticked off).

No current car registration, either.

OUCH...

A previous diary last night by alaprst http://www.dailykos.com/...

asked why there was no mention of the House page scandal on Rep. Pete Sessions' (DeLay/Abramoff - TX 32) website (http://sessions.house.gov/).

Commenter drchelo says s/he actually called Pete's offices:

I did, actually ...call Session's office (I live his district), with this very question - and "we have no comment" was their answer at both the Dallas and the Washington offices..."

well, the issue has now made it into our hometown's rag in this morning's edition:

Here is a recent thorough analysis of some of what the US military (and by extension, the Bush administration) has been up to in Paraguay, "the heart of South America".  Read it and weep.

http://americas.irc-online.org/...

The author is a journalist in Montevideo, Uruguay.  Raúl Zibechi, a member of the editorial board of the weekly Brecha de Montevideo, is a professor and researcher on social movements at the Multiversidad Franciscana de América Latina and adviser to several grassroots organizations.

The main points he makes are as follows:

- US military Southern Command Strategy in S. America
- Militarization within Paraguay (with US help and training)
- Peasant land movements and soy monoculture

This is a complicated story he explains well.  Many threads to follow.  I have attempted to fill it out with previous and other information on this theme and related issues below the fold.

CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has brought a complaint to the Department of Justice (yes, AG Alberto "AG" "Abu Ghraib" Gonzalez' department) regarding my Congresscritter Pete Sessions' (TX-32) ties to Jack Abramoff.  There are three areas of complaint:

1.  Indian casino kickback scams ($20,500).
2.  A federal DHS-related contractor which contributed $55,000 to Sessions.
3.  Trip to Malaysia with indicted corrupt lobbyists.

Now this all went on over a period of time between 2000 and 2003, according to the complaint.  Details below... *UPDATE* Just my personal peeve, but I wrote to the DaMN writer (see below).

The Manhattan district attorney, Robert Morgenthau, has stopped a $3 billion scheme of alleged funds transfer through Bank of America to Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah.  Funds originated in the Tri-border area (Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay) of South America, and the operation goes back at least three years.  The New York Post reports: (yes, I know it's Murdoch's rag)
http://www.nypost.com/...

There is more going on than may meet the eye in South America, but I don't have it all figured out.  Let's see what else there is...

Just an eyewitness account here, but I just had a group of 50 to 75 middle- and high-school students march by up the street on McKinney Avenue (just north of downtown) here in Dallas.  Protesting the proposed legislation of Sens. Kyl, Cornyn and Sensenbrenner, I assume.  They had to have walked out of classes - - normally they would be in class on a Tuesday at 9:30 AM.  

They were all in their school uniforms - - black or dark pants and skirts, white shirts and blouses - - with a pair at the front of the line carrying a Mexican flag.  They were shouting slogans, but it was hard to hear inside my building.  The Dallas Police Department had what looked like (to me) an unusually large presence: 10 to 12 cars, accomanying the protesters at a walking speed along the street.  I think they were headed toward North Dallas High School, about half a mile further north up the street.  One local "talk" radio station van (KLIF 570 AM) was following the small crowd.

TX-32 Democratic Congressional candidate Will Pryor is challenging Pete "the Streak" Sessions, the multi-term incumbent in the currently Tom DeLay re-drawn district boundaries.

Now comes Will Pryor, candidate for this district, praising Harriet Miers!

Here's Pryor's Feb. 15 blog entry on his campaign website
http://www.pryor06.com/...

"Wednesday, February 15, 2006
In Praise of a Great Public Servant

Ellen and I saw our friend Harriet Miers last night (February 12th) at an SMU Alumni Recognition Dinner at the Adolphus Hotel. Harriet was, of course, being recognized for her contributions to the school and the profession. It was great to see her. We admire her a lot."

[More below...]

There were protests against the presence of US troops in the country in the streets of Asuncion, Paraguay on Tuesday (17-I-06).  http://www.abc.com.py/...

These were mostly by young people and members of workers' and other leftist parties.  The umbrella organization is "Plataforma Antimperialista Fuera Yankees de Paraguay y América Latina" (no translation necessary).  The objection is to the ongoing series of 13 monthly joint maneuver exercises with US troops (scheduled through December 2006), and to the HUGE military base that has been in place for 30 years (since Stroessner), but has been recently upgraded.  The base is in Mariscal Estigarribia, in the Paraguayan Chaco, not too far from the Bolivian border (200 km).  The other issues surround immunity from prosecution for US troops (remember the International court at the Hague?), and speculation on big personnel plans (16,000 men) for the base. More about the base: http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/2479/1/140/

This will be short, but should become a part of the Texas governaor's race real quick.  Kos' Open thread link on Dealay threatening to sue TV stations that air the anti-corruption ad is to KHOU, Houston.  

At 12:25 PM CDT the station ran a news story that Perry was making a campaign appearance in Houston, and that the "surprise guest" was Tom DeLay!

The Dallas Morning News today covers one of our local Congresscritters' relation to the unfolding GOP bribery/payoff/etc. scandal.  It seems Pete "the Streak" Sessions, TX-32, has been involved with accepting money from some tribes in apparent quid pro quo for opposing gambling in certain other states where there were other tribal casino interests.  

This story is by the DaMN's own political reporter, Todd Gilman.

http://www.dallasnews.com/...

Thanks to George who posted about this earlier this morning:
http://www.dailykos.com/...

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, mediator, educator, lawyer, and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006 from Texas made her first official public announcement for her Senate candidacy at the Student Center at SMU.

I made my way past a group of toga-clad (I kid you not) students and loud music on the first floor, downstairs to the theater where the press conference was.  More on that below.

A couple of her staff introduced themselves while I was waiting, including her field director, Robert Andrews.  His card says he's a J.D. and M. Div.  A lawyer and a theologian?  An interesting combination.

Chris Carney, candidate for PA-10 has a great idea:  Hang DeLay's indictment on his opponent, through the money he accepted from "Hot Tub" Tom.  Chris is asking his opponent to donate it to hurricane victims.  Wonderful idea, but I suggest it doesn't go far enough!

Hang DeLay's indictment around every GOP incumbent and candidate's neck IN THE COUNTRY, and shame them (is this possible?) into donating their dirty money to hurricane victims.  Don't let them run away from this!  It's timely, with the attention DeLay is getting (and it's publicity, but in this case, may not be good for Tom!).

I haven't followed the whole CPB/PBS/NPR issue closely or in detail.  

I think that Tomlinson doesn't deserve a pass.    Can we hit him with some tough questions?  I suspect there are lots of regular listeners who will call/e-mail, but how about a few Kossacks?

I think the "balance" issue (versus "fairness doctrine" that is no more), funding, the dismissal of Bob Edwards, are all open topics.  I can't do this now from work.  Anyone else?

State Rep. Robert Talton (R-Pasadena) added on a last-minute amendment to SB 6 (reforming Texas' Child Protective Services agency) to forbid LGBT parents from being foster or adoptive parents.  One of the most incredible provisions is a requirement that prospective parents be required to answer questions about their sexual orientation!  This contradicts professional practice, to my knowledge, of what a Cerified Social Worker does in a "home study" (the background investigation of prospective foster/adoptive parents).

What's next?  Pink Triangles? Loyalty oaths?  

read on...

 

Now, here's an interesting little story.  First showed up at:
The Associated Press
By Mark Sherman
Thursday, April 14, 2005; 12:53 PM (EDT, I imagine).

It has been picked up all over, but Mark Sherman's is the only byline I see.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7502570/

"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Marshals Service director Ben Reyna were to announce details of the roundup later Thursday.

Codenamed "Operation Falcon," the dragnet was the largest ever in numbers of arrests and involved local, state and federal authorities, said Marshals Service spokesman David Turner.

Congress gave the Marshals Service more money and authority to go after fugitives when it refocused the FBI's mission toward stopping terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Turner said. The Marshals Service now has five permanent regional task forces to search for fugitives, he added.

OK, this is my first diary ever.  Gently, please.

I received this e-mail from Sen. Cornyn's (R-TX) office, regarding his appearance this morning (18 Nov.) on the Christian Broadcaasting Network:

"For those of you interested in the judicial nomination process, Senator Cornyn will appear on the Christian Broadcasting Network with Pat Robertson tomorrow morning, Thursday, November 18 at 9:00 AM EST - that's 8:00 AM CST, 7:00 AM MTN.  This will be a LIVE interview to discuss the options available for moving judicial nominees. Check your local cable listing for channel information.

Thank you.

Beth Cubriel
State Field Director
US Senator John Cornyn"