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| God's own yodeller called home | Music |
News 8 Austin confirms that yodeller Don Walser died yesterday of complications from diabetes (which can mean lots of things).
I saw Don Walser once, and it wasn't my cuppa tea but it was well done and everyone I've ever talked to who knew him respected him, which isn't always the case in the music business. The News 8 article mentions something I didn't know, which that he used to open for the Butthole Surfers. Given that he's also listed as being a "western swing" performer who kept alive the music of Bob Wills, I think I'll see what I think of his stuff now.
And I am personally looking for the third shoe to drop. Texas has had a bad September, between Don and Ann.
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| .:Posted by Michael at 08:19 AM
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| Can't really support Kinky anymore. | Texas |
A long time ago, I was in favor of Kinky Friedman's candidacy for governor of Texas.
Now I'm not. I've been more and more unimpressed by his lack of an actual campaign as the race has continued, but his big "go to hell" to me and people like me was enough to make it clear that he's not the governor I want for Texas.
"I am going to see nondenominational prayer and the Ten Commandments put back in the schools," he told the Kilgore News Herald several weeks ago.
"If you don't love Jesus, go to hell," he added.
--from Clay Robinson, via Kuff
I'll get right on that Kinky. Want me to save you a seat by the fire?
As Joe-Bob is wont to say, "Later, Gator!". We don't need this guy, and voting for him only helps the marginally more loseriffic Rick Perry, so I recommend against Kinky.
EDITED 9/14: The Chron didn't keep that editorial handy, but Chris Bell has it, so I changed the link. Also, Clay is quoting a slightly longer piece in the Kilgore News Herald:Friedman's not afraid of the controversial issues.
"I am going to see non-denominational prayer and the Ten Commandments put back in the schools."
Friedman said the Ten Commandments might have to be called the ten rules or something similar but they need to be back in the schools. "They say this is part of my wussification campaign but, as my spiritual advisor Billy Jo Schafer says, "If you don't love Jesus, go to hell." --from Kilgore New Herald
Some people think that quote changes the context, but I think it only intensifies the meaning by adding the "spritual advisor" as an authority.
Still not buying, he's past his sell-by date.
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| .:Posted by Michael at 05:11 PM
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| How anti-business "family values" hurts my family. | Texas |
I'm not gay and none of my family are, either. But Texas just voted to prevent me from having the opportunity to live in Texas and be near my family. If anyone thinks laws and constitutional amendments against "Gay Marriage" won't affect them because they're not living in sin, they're not thinking very clearly. Here's how it happened to me.
In late 1993, Williamson County, where I'd lived for two years while getting my BA from Southwestern University, was busy revoking tax incentives they'd offered to Apple Computer to move 1500 jobs to the county. Williamson's objection was the Apple offered domestic partner insurance benefits. One county commissioner voted against it because he didn't want to be seen as "the man who brought gays to Williamson" when he went to church. Aside from the fact that he hadn't paid too much attention to my alma mater if he thought it was 100% straight, this was a direct conflict between financial interests and religious sensibilities. Religious sensibilities won and Apple ultimately took 1500 jobs elsewhere, and any potential for future growth went with that.
So, 1500 jobs, like the job I had in Conroe and like the job I'm doing now, left the state. Years later, I was downsized. Jobs that I was qualified for weren't available in Texas. I know, I looked. Eventually, I had to take a job in New Jersey, and I'm in Princeton. It may freeze this week. I like my job, but it's not in Texas. Apple might have had a job for me in Austin, if they hadn't been turned away.
I wish I was in Texas. It's my home. My Great-great-great grandfather came to the Republic of Texas and we've been there ever since. My parents and my sister and her family are there now and I'm 1800 miles from them. My mother-in-law had to send her only child across the country. We can't drive across town to see her. The economy is competitive on a national level between the states, and Texas has given other states a competitive advantage.
If you want to know how Prop 2 hurts Texas families, think of all the ones it breaks up by being anti-jobs. Like mine. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help vote against this, but I got pushed out in the last purge. I am proud to know that at least some of my family and friends voted to create an environment that would have generated a job that I could have come home to.
And I think the best thing that was said about this was by Drive-In Movie Critic Joe Bob Briggs, back in 1993. It applies equally to the current law.
Because, when you get right down to the bottom of it, it's those county commissioners who aren't REALLY Texans. Otherwise, they would know the following true facts that have existed since the Alamo and before:
First, Texas is made up ENTIRELY of people who got kicked out of every decent state in the union. That's the only reason anybody would come there before air-conditioning was invented.
Second, we accepted every misfit, no questions asked, EVEN INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM CALIFORNIA. Heck, we accepted MURDERERS, as long as they didn't talk about it too much.
Third, the first Babtist preachers in Texas set up their church right next to the whorehouse. Whatever they didn't approve of, that's the people they SOUGHT OUT, made friends with. They WANTED those people to be right across the street from em. Whether they came to church or not, they accepted em.
Fourth, nobody in Texas ever believed in "family values." We're talking the White Trash Capital of the World. There's never been a functional family in the whole history of the state. What Texans always believed in was COMMUNITY values--meaning everybody in town, no matter how different they were at first, was included.
We always needed every immigrant we could get. As the Lyle Lovett song says, "No, you're NOT from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway."
--Joe Bob Briggs, "Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In" for 12/10/93
--And Joe Bob describes John Washington Croft perfectly in his first fact.
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| .:Posted by Michael at 09:51 AM
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According to Save Texas Marriage, the unequal rights folks in favor of constitutionally banning same-sex marriage in Texas were so hot to get it on the ballot that they forgot a few words in their ban. Like an exemption to the ban for male-female unions.
As written, it bans the state from recognizing any marriage.
I suppose that's fair. It's dumb, but it's not a special status based on gender.
The sorry thing will be if this poorly polished turd manages to pass. It takes a while to fix broken constitutional amendments.
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| .:Posted by Michael at 02:26 PM
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| Tom Delay "temporarily steps aside" | Texas |
Persuant to rules he couldn't get changed, Tom Delay is stepping aside as Majority Leader for the time being.
I think that in times like this it's important to gain a little perspective by consulting celebrities like Bruce Campbell.
WWBCD?
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| .:Posted by Michael at 01:37 PM
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| What did we do to you? | Texas |
Chris Bell didn't just piss away my vote (since I don't currently live in the Great State), but he's definitely trying to lose people like me with this press release:Bell: Limit Kids' Access to Violent Video Games
"I think Texans deserve a Governor who will call for imposing criminal penalties to those who would profit by selling this morally repugnant experience to children."--Chris Bell
Why? Is this some sort of punishment for letting both Dubya and Delay out of the state at the same time?
I agree with (Game Designer) Greg CostikyanI do wish Democrats would get it through their pointy heads that the reason the Republicans have been as successful as they have is not because they cater to the "moral values" of fanatical religious nutcases, but because they emphasize freedom--and portray liberals as out-of-touch elitists who want to reduce individual liberties in order to achieve woolly-headed ideas about equity of outcomes. They way to fight that is not to cater to moral-values fanatics, who are about as likely to vote Democratic as to volunteer to be inoculated with leprosy, but to emphasize the aspects of freedom that Democrats support, and Republicans generally attack--like, say, freedom of expression.
If I were in Texas, I'd strongly consider crossing over to vote for Kay or Carole in the Repugnant Primary (where my vote might help keep Governor Goodhair from returning) and then Goin' Kinky in the general election.
I hate it when our politicians look like bad comedians and our comedians look like good politicians.
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| .:Posted by Michael at 04:38 PM
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Kinky Friedman for Governor
Kinky Friedman, singer, writer, gadfly, and Texan is running for governor. If we're there in 2006, he's very likely to get my vote.
Given that I'm at least 80% in agreement with his positions on the issues, which is generally 80% more than I have been with the two men I'm hoping will be known as "his predecessors in office", I don't see a downside. Run, Kinky, Run...
For reference, here are a few of his slogans- "Kinky for Governor, How hard could it be?"
- "My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy"
- "He Ain't Kinky, He's my Governor"
- "Kinky for Governor. Why the Hell Not?"--my personal fave
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| .:Posted by Michael at 09:19 AM
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