It used to be my job to stay abreast of developments in Texas politics and write about them. I have not been a resident of my native Lone Star State since 1988, so I may not be aware of some of the finer details these days. For example, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is planning to run against Rick Perry for Governor of Texas. Why?
Hutchison's campaign tag line is "I'm running for Governor because I love Texas and I know we can do better." How? As states go, Texas is in pretty good shape. It has suffered less in the recession than most states, thanks to Perry's protection of the rainy day fund. It has lost fewer jobs. So if it isn't the economy, what is it? What does Hutchison expect to do better?
"On key challenges like property taxes, education, private property rights, transportation, utility rates, insurance rates and health care; we need results, not politics." What sort of results? What has Perry not accomplished? Seems to me there may be differences with regard to some policies or projects, but Perry has gotten things done.
Most recently Perry has been in the news for standing up to the Obama administration. He has appeared at various TEA parties. Some people tried to distance themselves from him when he made remarks that suggested support for secession, though that raised his stock with me.
A couple of years ago Perry told a group of black ministers, "It's a ridiculous notion to say you cannot legislate morality." Perhaps he realises that all legislation is, in fact, morality.
And who would have thought back in 1985 when I was helping to coordinating efforts to get the Texas Board of Education to leave homeschoolers alone that one day a homeschool mom would be on the Board. Word is that Perry is considering her for board chairperson and the liberals are frothing at the mouth. Yep, another tick in the Perry column.
Except for voting in favour of the federal bailout, Hutchison is rather conservative. NARAL don't like her, though National Right to Life only rate her at 75%. The NEA rate her at 36%, which is a little high for my comfort but still no sell-out to their liberal education agenda. The environmentalists don't like her, so that's good.
But as conservative as she may be, the only reason for her to run for governor is that she wants to. She's always wanted to be governor and at 66 she's no spring chicken. In fact, if elected she will be the oldest Texas governor inaugurated to a first term. So this is her last shot, really.
Is that reason enough to send Rick Perry back to Haskell County? I don't think so.
The eye of Hurricane Ike is not longer headed for my home town. It has taken an unexpected turn over the last day and now looks to go ashore about 120 miles up the coast.
Hurricane force winds extend 120 miles from the center, so it is still going to be rather breezy. Flood water from the storm surge shouldn't reach my parents' house, but the wind could still do some damage to the woodwork, the roof, the trees, and the fence. By mid-day Saturday it will have passed over and moved away.
The Older Unnamed Child is all excited about the hurricane in Texas. He was upset that I wouldn't promise to wake him up throughout the night when a new map is issued about the National Hurricane Center. I promised to record the CBS Evening News, so he can see any report on it.
Today is the 172nd anniversary of Texas' independence from Mexico.
It is also my parents' 46th wedding anniversary.
So may God grant all Texans, and especially my parents, many years.
Here in the UK is also Mothering Sunday, as it is Laetare Sunday in the Western Church calendar. After the unnamed first child participated in a karate tournament (from which he did not received a trophy, to his continuing consternation), we looked for a place to go out and have dinner. Having not planned ahead, it was not easy to find anywhere with an available table on such short notice.
Having exhausted the possibilities in Hooterville, we tried to see if we could go to our favourite Chinese buffet in another cathedral city. They didn't have a table until 6:00, so we tried their other location, also in a nearby cathedral city. They had one available at 3:00, so we went there.
It was heaving. There were a lot of English people eating Chinese food on Mother's Day. The food was okay – not as good as our usual location – but all you can eat.
As this is Meatfare Sunday, I will now be giving up mentioning meat dishes on my blog until Pascha.
When I was Republican County Chairman of Gonzales County, Texas, we were definitely the minority party. Way in the minority. This was at a time with the only winnable statewide race for Republicans was the governorship. Pockets of GOP support on a more local level were beginning to emerge in places, but for Gonzales County, as well as most other rural counties in South Texas, to win the Democratic primary was to win the general election.
So imagine my surprise when I was going through one of the regional daily papers online and learned that the candidates for District Attorney are both Republicans. Whoever wins the Republican primary will be unopposed in the general election.
I'm not particularly surprised that both candidates are women. Texas has a long history of electing women, including the second woman governor in US history in Ma Ferguson. Ferguson would have been the first woman governor in US history, if Nellie Ross hadn't been inaugurated two weeks earlier to finish her husband's unexpired term. Ferguson's husband had also been governor, but had been impeached and removed from office eight years before.
That's why I won't be surprised if Hillary wins the Democratic presidential primary. I would, however, be very surprised if she were to win the state in November. No Democrat has carried Texas since Jimmy Carter barely did so in 1976.
But it's local politics where things have changed. This is the proof that Texas has really become a Republican state. I just wish I was there to enjoy it.