Found On The Web 090528

Introducing Judge Sonia Sotomayor President Obama video

Rachel Maddow Interviews Dahlia Lithwick On Sotomayor Spin

The Right's leading bigots calling Sonia Sotomayor a 'racist'

Justice Sam Alito on empathy and judging

Republican Party Shrinks to Lowest Level in 30 Years

Why Republicans Make Sore Losers

Cheney's speech contained omissions, misstatements

Countdown on Cheney's Speech -- In the Name of God, Go!

Former military interrogator says torture cost American lives

Mancow Learns that Waterboarding is Torture

Mancow Waterboarded; Hannity Said ‘It’s Still Not Torture’

Remedial Hissy Pelosi flap is a manufactured fit

Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog roundup

June Is Big Month For Judicial Campaign Receptions

In 2010 dozens of Democratic Judges in Dallas County will be seeking reelection. More Democrats will be seeking to replace the few remaining Republican Judges up that year -- though it looks like none of them may be seeking another term, seeing the political handwriting on the wall after the Democratic sweep in 2006. And some of our Democratic incumbents may even face primary challenges themselves. All of these candidates, even those with no opponents, will have to submit petitions with the signatures of hundreds of voters to get on the primary ballot. On June 2 a petition signing party and candidate forum will be held at 5:30 at Poor David's Pub, 1313 S. Lamar Street in Dallas. This will no doubt be only the first of many such opportunities to sign for candidates between now and the filing deadline at the end of this year.

While many of these candidates have already been out seeking signatures, June will see a huge burst of campaign kickoffs, receptions, and fundraisers for incumbents and new office seekers. So far, it looks like there will be at least twenty such events next month, starting with Judge Jeanine Howard's on June 9. We've only listed the first few in the DCDP's weekly email Roundup, not including at least a couple that still haven't confirmed a location. We'll add more as the dates approach and details are forthcoming. For a look at the delightfully large list up till now, go to the party website and look at the Calendar for June at this page.

Found On The Web 090520

Barton: We Shouldn’t Regulate CO2 Because "It’s In Your Coca-Cola"

Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Blog Roundup

Badge Engineering Republicans never learn

How Hate Groups Went Mainstream

The Supreme Court’s stealth hard-liner

All About Torture (starting with one of Mad Kane's most hilarious parodies):

The “We Did Nothing Wrong, & Nancy Should Have Stopped Us” Song

Sen. Bob Graham backs up Pelosi and says he was never briefed on waterboarding by the CIA

Another Democrat Says CIA Records On Briefings Were Not Accurate

Rachel Maddow Show: Tracing Torture's Trail

We tortured to justify war

Why Bush’s ‘Enhanced Interrogation’ Program Failed with lots of links

Why isn't THIS memo front and center in the torture debate?

The Coward's Creed

The 13 people who made torture possible

And The Result Of The Republicans' Scare Tactics?:

Survey Reveals Obama Closing Democrats' Historical National Security "Gap"

Which includes this key paragraph:

"Nearly two-thirds of likely voters - 64 percent - approve of the job Obama is doing on national security. That is 6 points higher than his already strong overall job approval rating (at 58 percent, the highest we have yet recorded). On other aspects of national security - from Iraq, to Afghanistan, to terrorism, to the president’s foreign diplomacy - the same is true: higher job approval ratings than on the President’s overall job approval."

Found On The Web 090513

Obama is Spock: It's quite logical

Another Obama/Spock photoshop

Texas is only 6000 years old!

Raped and Dunned: Texas Victims Must Pay for Evidence Gathering

Pete Sessions: Obama wants to wipe out capitalism

Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly blog round-up

The Truth Behind the Social Security and Medicare Alarm Bells Robert Reich

GOP, RNC to rebrand Democrats as 'Socialists'

The GOP's New "Evil Empire"

The Republicans Lost In Space photoshop

Memo to the (Republican) Titanic

Republicans ARE Terrorists hilarious Rachel Maddow video

Satire? Still dead. (Rightist "think" tank thrown under car.)

Wanda Sykes' Offensive Routine "Oh wait. Wanda Sykes didn't say...."

Rachel Maddow deconstructs Rush Limbaugh video

Mr. Cheney, You Did Not Keep Us Safe Paul Begala

Dick Cheney: A Life Pattern of Sabotaging the Security of the United States

Bush Did the Same Thing That Landed Don Siegelman in Prison

Dallas Democratic Forum - Change In Latin America

On Friday, May 15, the Dallas Democratic Forum will present "Change In Latin America -- What It Means For The U.S.", with former Ambassador James Cason. President Obama is turning a new page in the U.S. relationship with Latin America. Come hear distinguished expert and diplomat Ambassador James Cason report to us on what is happening now on trade agreements, border disputes, drug wars, immigration and the flu epidemic. This exciting program will cover not only current developments, but also historical background on the relationships between the U.S. and Mexico, Cuba, Columbia, Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela. He will also give his suggestions for direction in US policy based on his 36-year career with the U.S. State Department. (He also recorded an album of traditional folk songs in Guarani, the native language of Paraguay while he was Ambassador there.)

Tickets for 2009 Forum Regular Members are $25, and for guests $35. Please RSVP by email to wdgriggs AT yahoo DOT com or by voicemail to 214-855-7151. As usual, the times are 11:30 for Registration / Buffet, and 12:00 Noon for the Program. The location is The Belo Mansion at Ross and Olive Ave., in downtown Dallas.

Found On The Web 090505

ACLU Prevails in Crawford War Protesters Case

Rick Perry Top Beggar for Federal Handout Bucks

Why Is Texas So Psycho? (Jim Hightower on Perry)

Secession? Did I Say Secession? (Mad Kane on Perry)

GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

The GOP: divorced from reality (Bill Maher)

As their power spirals downward, Right's rhetoric gets nuttier

Housing Needed For Summer Interns

Organizing for America is a project of the Democratic National Committee. It will have interns in the Dallas area this summer and is looking for people who could house an intern for 4-8 weeks (no obligation to provide meals, entertainment, or incidentals). If you or someone you know might be able to do this, or would like more information, email to interns AT organizingfornorthtexas DOT org.

Vote Saturday May 9

Early Voting for the Saturday, May 9 local elections ended Tuesday, May 5. If you missed voting early, the actual election date is this coming Saturday, when the polls will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM. On that day you will have to vote in the precinct you are registered in, listed at this page. If you are not sure about your precinct number, you can search for your voter registration on this page.

County-wide there are contests for the Dallas County School Board (which primarily operates the school buses for the ISDs). Dallas has city-wide referendums on two propositions, the first one being the heatedly contested question about a city hotel, and several contested City Council districts. As usual in such contests, the Dallas County Democratic Party has not taken any position on the referendum (and we know of Democrats on each side of the issue), nor has it made endorsements of candidates in any of the (all non-partisan) election contests.

District 30 Telephone Townhall May 6

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson will hold a telephone townhall with constituents from Congressional District 30 on Wednesday, May 6. The townhall will take place from 7:10 to 8:10 PM CST. Constituents' phones will ring at the designated start time; to participate, constituents simply have to stay on the line. The townhall can also be accessed using the participant dial-in number (877) 229-8493 and the PIN 12854. During the telephone townhall, Congresswoman Johnson plans to discuss a wide range of issues of interest to her constituents, including the economy, health care and education