Texas Progressives talk Harvey, Howie Hawkins, Friday Night Lights and more

It's September, which means across north Texas, the season is transitioning from what this blogger knows as the end of "high summer" per the five climatological months of summer the area has to the month of "late summer" that is September. That said, the transition doesn't appear totally smooth, as 95-plus has returned to the area.

And, while the games actually happened in August, the transition to late summer was accompanied by the start of Friday Night Lights. Your blogger, after a few years absence, was back on the sidelines with a few observations about games while shutterbugging.

With that, hopes that you didn't have to work on Labor Day, and hopes that America gets real unions, let's dig in.


Texas politics

At the Observer, Justin Miller notes Greg Abbott still doesn't want to own up his part on fueling anti-immigrant rhetoric. One thing that would make this even better? A folo story asking the likes of Rick Perry and other Texas Rethugs no longer holding state level office if they'd care to comment on Abbott and Danny Goeb. At the Dallas Observer, Stephen Young has similar thoughts.

Also at the Observer, Michael Barajas says that the LegisLater eliminating mobile early polling places will suppress early vote numbers, but by how much?

At least eight people were killed by a mass shooter in Midland-Odessa. Wingnut Legiscritter Matt Schaefer couldn't wait to Tweet that he would oppose any new gun laws. That's as new bad gun laws took effect Sept. 1. Three of the worst? Churches now have to post gun-free signage if they want to be gun free, just like any business. Frankly, I'm wondering if that's a First Amendment issue. Second? Apartment owners and other landlords can't ban guns by renters. Third? Foster homes can allow guns.

John Coby drags Rep. Matt Schaefer for his gun worship.

Green Party prez candidate Howie Hawkins will be in Dallas and Houston in days ahead. Dallas is 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at 2 Guys from Italy, 11637 Webb Chapel Road. Unfortunately, as an afternoon not evening event I may not be able to get there. We'll see. In Houston, he'll be at the house of Don and Laura Palmer, 5402 Bent Bough Lane, Sept. 9. I have a separate piece offering up my take on Howie's controversial-to-some Russiagate comments.

Off the Kuff checks out the Bitecofer Model, which suggests that quite a few Republican-held Congressional seats in Texas could be flipped in 2020.

Rosemary Kowalski eulogizes Lila Cockrell, former Mayor of San Antonio.

Dallas-Fort Worth

The Guardian says RIP to James Leavelle. Who? The Dallas PD detective handcuffed to Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby shot him, that's who. And, from the memoriam piece, it's clear he believed Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. He was almost surely the last living person with some degree of significant connection to the assassination. The NYT has more. Here's the Sixth Floor Museum's interview history. Kind of laughingly, the Snooze, whatever story it has, doesn't have it pop up in the first page of Google search results. (A 2010 story on his 90th birthday did.) When I limit the search to the last week, ditto. That said, the Observer has nothing up, either. Oy.

Jim Schutze wonders what the hell is behind soaring appraisal values in the neighborhood of South Dallas. Before he even mentioned it, I was wondering if, beyond general development issues, the new management contract for Fair Park was part of it. Like him, I hope the old black residents there don't get screwed.

Stephen Young rolls his eyes at the Engage Texas tactic of politicizing DPS parking lots in the Metromess and elsewhere.


Houston

While I never met him, he occasionally commented on this blog. I join David Bruce Collins and Brains in saying RIP to the blogger known as Harry Hamid, IRL an HIV/AIDS legal support lawyer.

Houston is hosting an Extinction Rebellion event Sept. 8.

The Texas Signal reports from a Houston town hall on health care. Per Brains, the Chronic might have a better take on the popularity of M4A vs the unpopularity of Lizzie Fletcher's Obamacare-plus or whatever.

Harvey 2nd anniversary

Grits wonders how long before people actually get money for home damages, especially home buyouts if needed.

The Observer follows by wondering how many more disasters might hit before that money is all delivered. 

National

SocraticGadfly is disgusted that Christmas Creep is now apparently "officially" being preceded by Halloween Creep.

The Texas Observer writes the kind of story that used to piss off Bernard Rapoport and have him threaten to stop funding it. This time, it's a puff piece about Bob on a Knob O'Rourke's "last chance" for the 2020 presidential nomination, which contains inside it a puff piece about Beto's 2018 Senate campaign.

Per the latest shooting, one of the gun loopholes that needs to be closed is buying imported assault rifles. The law needs to be rewritten tightly enough to eliminate executive agency "discretion" in its interpretation.

Therese Odell is loving the Trump/Fox News slap fight.

Juanita keeps calm in the face of that DARPA announcement.