RIP Joe Tillotson

No, nobody famous, and not a takedown obit.

Joe wasn't perfect, but when I was at the Today Newspapers group years and years ago, I considered the then mayor of Lancaster a personal friend. He did a lot of good for the city in many ways. I didn't know all the places he lived, let alone that his great-great-grandfather fought at San Jacinto. An interesting story.

It does leave me nostalgic about my time in Lancaster. The city park, with new library and main fire station, was arguably the best use of the land on North Dallas, even if the fire station part of it, especially, didn't quite fit the bill of original plans for the site.

The Dallas Inland Port and related things? Yes, it was in many ways the best use of much of Lancaster's land — at least, best use in terms of the current operations of the American economy.

I don't know how long he remained in the corner of the (in)famous Larry D. Lewis as Lancaster ISD superintendent after I left. However long he did, it was too long. That would be the one real blot on his escutcheon, to use the old phrase.

==

Flip side? Even if a bit naive at times, like over the Ten Mile Creek flood, he had the city's best interest in other ways. That includes the school district under Lewis' predecessor, the widely perceived as racist Bill Ward, per this old Dallas Observer piece. (I recall the incident, the school board meeting, and the difficulty in getting anything close to a straight answer out of Ward.) Sadly, when doing teh Google earlier today, I came across a "Memories of Lancaster, Texas" Facebook group, where someone had posted his obit. One White commenter went racist by saying he turned Lancaster into a ghetto. While not saying said commenter is AS racist as white folks whose actions are noted in the Observer piece, she IS racist by what I see from that comment alone. And ignorant. (Said person, per her profile, now lives in Kaufman County. Sounds about right.)

Wilmer: A blast from the past! Albeit miswritten

Very interesting longform piece at the Dallas Observer about the town's history of abuse of involuntary annexations and related issues.

I remember when UP started developing its Dallas Railport. I remember when Our Man Downtown, John Wiley Price, being paid Perot campaign money to protect its railport on the Santa Fe next to Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, did everything he could to gut it, and if not, to try to force local communities to hire Friends of JWP as subcontractors for local development tied to that. (I heard more about that in Hutchins than Wilmer.) I remember JWP trying to gut Richard Allen's Dallas Inland Port, too, also at Perot bidding.

Part of the blast from the past? Mention of the "Wilmer Citizen."

I was unaware of this Joe Aldrich starting this website "Wilmer Citizen." I WAS pretty sure that there was an old blog by that name, and there it still is, and pretty sure that it had, in its early days, some sort of backdoor semi-connection with the convicted felon Joey Dauben, who is nowhere mentioned by the Observer. Most commenters on early posts from the site, back in 2008, are either Joey or groupies of his, from what I can tell, starting with how many have deleted or hidden blogger profiles. Also, and related? The old racist (or it at least used to be, as detailed in my Dauben link) Ellis County Press, an early landing site of Dauben's before firing him, is in links in the right hand rail. In any case, it's NOT a website, contra the Observer's author. It's a blog that's updated 1-2x a month.

So, even if Joey Dauben is not directly connected? I'd take half of what's on there with big grains of salt.

There's further reason I worry about the Observer puffing up some blogger who doesn't have a journalism background and doesn't write regularly. Even with Dauben, who did have a quasi-background in journalism, and who wrote profusely, you  still have someone who makes insinuations that get to the edge of libel (and often, probably went over that edge, but he had no money to be sued over). And, you had the Observer giving him a fawning profile in 2011. That's why I look askance at Christian McPhate even doing this level of puffery of Aldrich.

As for the issue at hand? Rather, per its backstory?

Anybody who lived in either Wilmer or Hutchins 15 years ago knew that its growth potential was in logistics. Ditto for Lancaster, between UP and Richard Allen. As long as the tax money is being put to good use (including wide, strong-based streets to and from these logistics warehouses), isn't that a good bottom line? And, if some elected officials sold their land to commercial developers, as long as the real estate version of insider trading didn't happen, isn't this America? And, if you ran for mayor and lost? (Aldrich did in 20-12, and you won't find that in the story. He also was (is? can't tell from Wilmer's website and I don't know if Bizpedia's listing is current) on the board for the Wilmer Community Development Corporation. That means, depending on when he served, he might have been in a position of authority when this forcible annexation was being abused. I think that would be relevant.

As for the details of tax abatements for UP and the returns on that? $1.5 million in net revenue, if rounded up, is $2 million, which is "millions," plural. The 30K jobs? UP didn't promise all the employees would live in Wilmer and there's no way it could do that. I don't know if it's delivered on that; the promise appears to be vague enough it's hard to measure. And, people working in Wilmer could be living in Hutchins, Lancaster, Dallas, Ferris, Combine, Seagoville or unincorporated Dallas County. After all, there's still lots of that, per map below.

Beyond that? There's other reasons people might work in Wilmer but not live there.

One is the now-absorbed Wilmer-Hutchins ISD. I don't know how much better the schools there have gotten since Dallas ISD took it over. I don't know how much newer any schools facilities have gotten. But, per what I mentioned above? If I had kids, there are other places I'd live first.

Second, Wilmer, like Hutchins to its north, is prone to flooding on its east side in the Trinity bottoms. (So is much of unincorporated Dallas County.) Speaking of, even if it's not delivered on all its vague promises, do you want the inland port of Union Pacific, along with the logistics sites, or do you want Hutchins State Jail, as your driver of growth?

 

And, maybe if JWP hadn't knifed it in the back along with the Inland Port, it would have delivered more. And, weirdly, McPhate links to Schutze stories about said knifing. I can't tell if he totally supports their angle, more supports than objects, more objects than supports, or what.

If I had to put a bottom line on the story? I'd say Wilmer civic leaders of the past 15 years before 2022 were about 40 percent civic-minded, 40 percent personally grifting and 20 percent semi-clueless about legal restrictions. And, I'd say Aldrich is about 50 percent concerned citizen, 35 percent butt-hurt failed grifter and 15 percent quasi-Daubenite winger.

Sidebar: Did not know former Hutchins Mayor Artis Johnson (from whom I heard the same stuff about JWP's shakedown attempts as did Jim Schutze) was stupidly indicted. Fortunately, Craig Watkins dismissed charges shortly before leaving office.

Willing to see the Green Party finish imploding; willing to give it a push

That, the header, is the main reason, other than her own hypocrisy, I keep bagging on Green Party presidential candidate and likely nominee Jill Stein. The "her own hypocrisy," of course, being her refusal to divest from mutual funds with pharmaceutical, oil, tobacco, and defense stocks in their portfolios.

But, there's more.

I'd said the Green Party was past its best-buy date after the 2020 election season. I held out for four more years than the likes of Brandy Baker and Mark Lause, the latter formally noting the party was dead after 2016 (and Stein's lesser evilism recount). I did mention, in a 2016 postmortem, things that needed to be improved. And, they weren't. Add in the various transgender/transsexual issues, which culminated with my saying "a pox on both your houses" (which I say as a non-twosider on this issue in general) and the nuttery of "identity movement Greens" (and don't forget censorship on the GP Facebook group before it was closed) and I am an ex-Green. And kind of hoping for it to implode more.

Back to Stein, though.

First, it's sad that she, Baraka and others were so hoping on Cornell West before he spit the bit (and then went on to spit the rest of his political future). Second, it's sadder yet that she is running again as a three-time retread, also referenced in the top post. The Libertarians have never run a three-time candidate. That is the repository of truly minor parties, or the Socialists, with Eugene Debs first, then Norman Thomas.

Second, back to Stein 2016. Beyond the "lesser evilism" of the recount, the claim the election was hacked was high-grade bullshit. And more bullshit. And, some eyebrow raising over legal fees, recount contributor lists and more. Related? I hope Brains has gotten more skeptical about Stein — more cynical, like me, would be OK, too — compared to where he was in 2016, specifically, more skeptical or cynical than he was then about her investments. (Brains works for a financial advisor/planner, and knows that "ethical mutual funds" exist, and that they did way back in the time of 2000 hypocrite Ralph Nader.)

I've already indicated that, via write-in, presuming she has her 40 electors, the Party of Socialism and Liberation's Claudia de la Cruz will be my choice. Hard pass on both Stein and SPUSA's Bill Stodden, should he get his 40 electors for write-in status.

Beyond that, here at the Texas state level, its craptacularness on two of the three 2022 candidates is indication it's past its best buy date here. I said so at the time. Stein will not get 2 percent of the Texas vote. We'll see what happens with the Texas Supreme Court, Railroad Commission and Court of Criminal Appeals. 

So far? Eddie Espinoza is a better (potential) RRC candidate than Hunter Crow 2 years ago, but that's a HUGELY low bar. And, geez, the Texas GP's website? When you click on candidates, it goes to a national list. There's so far nothing about other potential Texas candidates on there or the Texas GP's Facebook page.

Speaking of? I'm dropping a few other Green names who are in Jill Stein's campaign fundraising email mentions.

Matthew Hoh, 2022 U.S. Senate candidate in North Carolina. (That's the only big name within the GP as of the time of this, but I'll add more as they come.)

All of you are complicit in Jill Stein's hypocrisy. And, it's not just Gaza, although that's the biggie.

Today is Earth Day. Stein's hands are oily with eXXXon and other oil stocks in her personally chosen mutual funds. One of them is Shell; maybe Charles Kuffner of Off the Kuff could stop being a BlueAnon and vote Stein instead.

Presidential politics, April 19 — mouthy Jesse Ventura, Luciferian RFK Jr, Watermelon Oreos

I had already written this up yesterday, but we now have a new top story!

Jesse "the Body" Ventura (because his stanners hate that) now says he can beat Biden and Trump. So? Get No Labels or whomever to nominate you.

As of right now, this is just Jesse running his fucking mouth just like in 2020. He wanted the Green Party nomination back then, but didn't want to campaign for it — like Cornel West this year. He wanted it handed to him on a platter. More bluntly, as I said then? He wanted his ass kissed. But, he avoided directly saying that, showing that he's a better retail politician than West. (That's a low bar to hurdle; my left butt cheek is a better retail politician than West.) When that didn't happen, to be blunt again? He became chickenshit.

Anyway, how that all played out?

Some of Jesse's stanners used Dario Hunter as a stalking horse. (You did.) He was, I first thought, too dumb to notice that, but per link below, he eventually admitted this was deliberate. But, the effort failed anyway. Sorry, William Pounds, Primo Nutbar especially, and other pseudoleftists, conspiracy theorists, etc. It's all true. The fun after that was when, after going all hasbara in the campaign (ye gads, imagine him this year) Hunter played the race card.

==

RFK Jr. NOT not running as a Libertarian. He said he thought he would get on all 50 states' ballots on his own line, either by his individual name or a carve-out/SPAC third party created for that purpose. A couple of thoughts following.

First, I figured all along it would be too hard a fit to go Libertarian. He'd have to junk his environmental stances, which would sink his standing with one portion of his backers.

Second, he and his advisors are clearly looking for every loophole or angle in various states' ballot access laws, and finding them. Will state legislatures, under duopoly prodding, close more of these in the next year or so?

Third, it seems clearer than ever that the LP was in part just a stalking horse for Bob Jr. LP Chair Angela McArdle, running a party that's going broke and facing internal dissents, said she would not comment for "at least a few days."

I guess, per that link, that Bob Jr. is now McArdle's Luciferian master.

==

I'm not sure what the Muslim word for "Oreo" might be. Maybe, per the watermelon symbol for Palestinians, we could adopt the US frontier West's phrase of "all hat, no cattle," to "all rind, no red." Anyway, "on the US street" but politically engaged Muslim-Americans are seeing plenty of "watermelon Oreos" among leadership of groups claiming to represent the Muslim-American populace, but really, representing the Genocide Joe Biden re-election campaign. Mondoweiss has details.

==

Remember when #WallbuilderJoe, just a few weeks ago, said that Congress had to give him the authority to tighten up the border with Mexico? Guess that was another lie. Per Axios, he told Univision that he's going to do a Trump-style executive order. He's already kept Trump's Section 42 in place by other means, with the buggy app to apply for asylum. Now this.

==

Trump has officially opposed supporting a national ban on abortion. How many of the right-to-life wingers will stay home in their disappointment? That said, this is THE WORST granting of on-background commenting ever, with the weaselshits at Axios talking about a number of Rethuglicans in Congress "breathing a sigh of relief" over this, but letting them comment on background, namelessly.

==

Cornel West being Cornel West again. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got national news hype of some sort out of his vice-presidential announcement, including through the use of various leaks before it became official. West just "drops it out there" in an interview with Tavis Smiley, when he announced Melina Abdullah as his choice. (There was a press release, but it came out AFTER the interview, and I suspect was written on the fly afterward.)

==

Warmonger Joe has decided NOT to restock the Strategic Petroleum Reserve after all. Reading between the lines? That means Team Biden expects oil prices to go up further, which means inflation will go up.

Gee, can you guys think of a country with LOTS of oil? Let me help you out. Its name starts with an "R."

==

Mormons, and especially Mormon women, showing less hypocrisy than Protestants of the Religious Right, are tilting Biden. Won't matter in Utah and Idaho. Will matter in Nevada and Aridzona. And, downballot, not just in presidential races. Many of these people say they feel abandoned by the GOP in general.

OTOH, Biden's continuing to lose ground among younger non-white voters.

Texas Progressives talk Stickland, Goeb, more

Updating my old name for him, Former Fetus Future Fascist Forever Fuckwad Jonathan Stickland, in conjunction with Matt Rinaldi is venturing into new fields of wingnuttery squared.

Lite Guv Danny Goeb says fighting antisemitism is part of his call to the Texas Senate in 2025. This is a lie in three ways. First, most Christian Zionists, like Tex-ass' own John Hagee, are antisemitic in their own way. Second, it of course, as is usually with those people, conflates anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Third, lemme know when, within the Tex-ass Rethuglican Party and auxiliaries, Goeb does more about Stickland and Rinaldi.

If Patrick really wants to investigate school districts for anything, ask why more high schools aren't following Texas law and registering 18-year-olds to vote. Could it be connected to how few people vote in Tex-ass Rethuglican primaries and their continued winning of statewide races? While you're at it, investigate Jane Nelson as Secretary of State for not enforcing compliance.

After Chief Justice John Roberts, under color of the Judicial Conference, introduced policy changes to stop judge-shopping for people like Matthew Kacsmaryk, both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have introduced separate bills to codify that. Morphine Mitch claims Judicial Conference policy is not legislation. Sadly, in the sense that John Marshall Roberts can't enforce it, and Northern District of Texas chief judge David Godbey has already said he won't follow it, he's sort of right. OTOH, Congress created the Judicial Conference, and delegated things like case assignment authority to it. It could also impeach David Godbey, but won't. Oh, this is why I don't "revere" the Constitution. Morphine Mitch's bill is a more narrowly written version of Schumer's, and it's clear why.

SocraticGadfly, in an extended review of Stephen Vladeck's book, talks about the problems with the Supreme Court's shadow docket.

Hellz yes on fighting TPWD's plan to give Elmo Musk part of Boca Chica State Park.

Elmo Musk is now getting punked by phishers. 

Here's the anti-Palestinian, pro-Zionist facts about World Central Kitchen — from a former employee.

The Current highlights allegations of unsafe working conditions at Elon Musk's Boring Company made by its employees. 

H-E-B is selling over-the-counter birth control pills.

John Whitmire sux.

Dallas Express owner Monty Bennett faces a shareholder lawsuit. Sidebar: Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson hired a staffer from there as a communications consultant. Sidebar 2: Rinaldi and Candy Evans of "Candy's Dirt" (which does have some real dirt) are on the Express' board. Sidebar 3: The lawsuit shows just how unprofitable much "pink slime" journalism is.

Off the Kuff has interviews with two of the candidates for the HCAD Board, Pelumi Adeleke and Austin Pooley.

Neil at the Houston Democracy Project said that police union support of far-right extremists is a threat to public safety.

Texas Highways tells the story of El Paso's failed theme park Magic Landing.

The TSTA Blog doesn't think much of Mike Morath's comic stylings.  

Evil MoPac evaluates the Austin of 2024 as a place to live. (Contra the piece, traffic is probably worse than being sold, prices are worse than being sold, and a lot of the residents are Californicators.)

 Ken Hoffman knows what to do with clickbait listicles.

Basic income showdown in Houston

Harris County Attorney Christian Menafee is ready to take on Kenny Boy Paxton in a legal battle over the county's guaranteed income. (Kenny Boy should just leave well enough alone; if Harris Uplift is like most such, it will die on its own. And, Andrew Yang is at least halfway right in saying this is "not socialism." Sadly, the biggest fanbois of basic income want to use it in a libertarian way to gut things like unemployment insurance, SSDI, etc.)

Update, April 23: The Texas Supreme Court has granted a stay to Kenny Boy on his writ of mandamus.

Just look at basic income guru (and that's used with ALL connotative as well as denotative meanings of "guru") Scott Santens:

• Called Trump "the basic income Moses," per a piece where Scott is himself associated with the World Economic Forum, as in Davos, while getting more alarmist about AI then than Lanier is today;
• Wants to junk entitlements, including even trimming Social Security — more here;
  
• Is a crypto-bro;
• Denies that there are libertarian and non-libertarian versions of BI that don't square with each other;
• And on all of this, can't do math on how to pay for his ideas.

As for "die on its own"? Most BI pilot projects, at the municipal, county, or, IIRC provincial level in Canada in the past, have been terminated by later local governments, as in, terminated before the drop-down date on them set by the original, approving governments. (Harris Uplift is also a pilot. The $500 a month is not bad. The 2,000 households out of what could easily be 100,000 in Harris County, if not 200,000, is a drop in the bucket.) Alaska's Permanent Fund will be as oil production there continues to decline, since that's what funds it. (The 2023 payout, full year, was just $1,312, which is really a drop in the bucket on Alaska cost of living. That's $110 a month, or about $70 a month, if that, in Houston dollars.)

Also, in addition to the above, BI is not a magic wand. And, if you don't believe in Modern Monetary Theory (I don't, and "believe" is the right word, as I a few years ago said it's "Maoism or New Ageism") how do you pay for anything beyond a pilot?

Finally, this IS income. If Kenny Boy loses his lawsuit, while Texas doesn't have a state income tax, Uncle Sam does. Let us hope that County Judge Lina Hidalgo informs people of that.