Houston Area Asides(07/04/09)

The "Don't lose a finger" edition....

Texas inmates forced to sweat it out. [Allan Turner, Chron.com] - Uh...it is punishment right?

Mayor White: If HPD officers want cadet classes, HPD officers can take a pay cut for it. [Anne Linehan, BlogHouston.net] - White's anti-police stance on this issue has always puzzled me. Yet, the City just added 300K to the Disco Green budget.

I like Art #2: Carlos Runcie-Tanaka. [Wha' Happen?] - Nice

Sarah Palin's resignation UPDATED [Dr. Melissa Clouthier] - Palin was leaking popularity in Alaska and was on the way to what many thought was a string of policy defeats. Read into that what you will.

North Houston Tea Party [Hamous, Lone Star Times] - Angry Caucasians in heat.

The Yankee Doodle Boy. [Tom Kirkendall, Houston's Clear Thinkers] - A good look back.



Short round-up today as I get ready to watch the Tour de France and celebrate the anniversiary of the Declaration of Independence or, the Birthday of the United States of America. There are a ton of 4th related posts on blogs throughout my blog-roll. Enjoy your Holiday and keep all of your fingers and toes OK? (Oh, and don't set anything on fire.)

Houston Area Asides (07/03/09)

The "water your roof" edition....

Officers, Mayor square off over immigration policy. [James Pinkerton, Chron.com] - The deterioration of HPD will be a glaring hole in the Mayoral legacy of Bill White.

Tour return for Lance Armstrong could be uphill all the way. [Dale Robertson, Chron.com] - From all accounts the Astana team won't be working for Lance, but for Contador and Leipheimer. Lance could be the most high-profile domestique in cycling history.

Midtown keeps its momentum despite recession. [Nancy Sarnoff, Chron.com] - That's good news, for now. Rising oil prices help, just as Cap n' Trade could bring all of this to a screeching halt.

Houston ends deal with waste firm tied to corruption.[Purva Patel, Chron.com]

None of the principals listed on the Houston-based company’s Web site or in city documents has given any money to the political campaigns of City Council members since 2007, according to campaign finance records.

Hmmm..donate in '07, get a contract in '08. Stop donating...contract is canceled in '09. The Houston Way!

Toni Lawrence's new digs. [Bradley Olson, Chron Local Politics] - Positioning herself for a run at County Commissioner's Court. (although she'll deny this vehemently for now)

Metro making several changes in wake of light-rail derailment [Paul Knight, Houston Press] - Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.

Houston Art Odyssey [Wha' Happen?] - Good stuff.

The fallacy of "It's a federal function" [Rorschach, Red Ink: Texas] - Related: "Free tax money from the feds"

Health Care for members of Congress. [John Cobarruvias, Bay Area Houston] - I've long felt that the best way to fix health care and Social Security is to put Congress on both of them. It'd be fixed overnight.

Draft Ronnie Earle for Texas Governor. [Vince Leibowitz, Capitol Annex] - IMO he's unelectable outside of Austin. Kirk Watson seems to be the best available. Never underestimate the ability of Texas Dems to pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

That's a wrap for the special session. [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - In the end, it was much ado about nothing as the fears of partisans weren't even close to being in play.

Medina Campaign continues to strengthen. [David Jennings, Lone Star Times] - IMO Medina is unelectable outside of the right-wing of the Republican Party. Could she be enough of a protest vote to give Perry the primary win over Hutchison?

Some Clarity on the Annise Parker BARC issue....

Houston Mayoral Candidate Annise Parker released her plan to fix the City's dysfunctional Animal Control system yesterday which prompted a rebuttal from a local animal-issues PAC. The point of contention lie in Parker's assertion that she was on a committee related to the 2005 Animal Care Task Force commissioned by Mayor White.

Annise Parker did not serve on the 2005 Mayor's Task Force for Animal Protection.

Here is a list of Task Force Members:
Alison Smith, Chair
Mary Almendarez
John Chambless
Margaret Gondo
Carl Jackson
Graciela Martinez
Annie Stewart
Ellen Susman
Bessie Swindle

Here is a link to the report

Those charges led to the following response from Parker on the Noah's Ark PAC blog:

I appreciate your interest in my plan, but would like to correct the record.

As I said in my policy brief and press release, I served "on one of the committees of the Mayor's Task Force for Animal Protection in 2005." I checked my records after your post, and I was actually the chair of the Regulatory Subgroup of the Animal Protection Working Group, the task force created by Mayor White in 2005.

You also misstate my policy. I support sweeps coordinated with rescue groups, such as the highly successful Corridor of Cruelty rescue group, so that as many stray dogs as possible can be rehabilitated and given homes. I do not advocate rounding up dogs and euthanizing them; but rather picking them up in conjunction with the spay/neuter van, getting them spayed or neutered and registered with the city.

Perhaps you can post a link to my plan so your readers can judge it for themselves: http://www.anniseparker.com/issue/houston_is_better_than_barc/

Thank you,

Annise Parker

Following the controversy I went out on a small fact-finding information and was provided a copy of a March 2006 e-mail listing the leadership of several committees that were formed in the wake of the 2005 report who's charge was to use the task force recommendations to form policy initiatives to fix the troubled Animal Control Center. The e-mail shows several committees that were established in 2006, including the following:

Public Education: Kelly Cripe (Chair), Martha McGee
Spay/Neuter: John Chambless(chair), James Weedon, Jonathan Cooper
Adoption: Joanne Smith(chair), Alison Smith, Becky Reiley, Jonathan Cooper, Jean Krchank, Linda Gilchrist, Jim Burwell
Regulatory: Annise Parker(Chair), Elena Marks, Joe Gagon, Joanne Smith
Facilities Assessment: Donna Kacmar(Chair), April Andres
Funding: Elaine Susman(Chair), Kelly Cripe, Rachel Torbor

The e-mail needs some information redacted before I can place it online, but after the Holiday weekend I'll do the work that's needed and scan the document so it can be seen in full here.

In the end, this seems to be a question of semantics. Ms. Cripe is correct in her assertion that Ms. Parker was not on the Mayor's 2005 Animal Care Task Force, but Ms. Parker is correct in her assertion that she served on a committee of the Task Force, charged with creating policy to implement the recommendations in the report.

There was one last bone of contention between the two sides:

[Noah's Ark PAC Blog]

Parker's Policy Briefing:
BARC’s failure to adequately pick up stray animals means that some of Houston’s neighborhoods are infamous for having too many strays – a situation that is potentially hazardous not only to the animals but also to people who come into contact with them.

From the Noah's Ark PAC Survey:
What steps, if any, would you take to address the problems in the Corridor of Cruelty?

The first step is to identify those parts of Houston that are areas known to be locations where strays are often abandoned. Once these trouble spots are located, BARC should perform regular sweeps of these areas to ensure that they do not become havens for stray animals.

(snip)

Noah's Ark PAC agrees with Parker in that stray animals do present quality of life issues, particularly in Houston's low-income communities. The PAC strongly disagrees that the solution to this issue is to continue to round up more animals to be taken to BARC so that they may be mishandled and killed. This is an inhumane and fiscally unwise process. The only way to effectively decrease the number of unowned animals is to invest in expansive free and low-cost spay & neuter programs and public education.

Houston and BARC deserve honest, informed representation from the city's top executive, not more of the same.

Parker's Response:(From the comments to the same post)

You also misstate my policy. I support sweeps coordinated with rescue groups, such as the highly successful Corridor of Cruelty rescue group, so that as many stray dogs as possible can be rehabilitated and given homes. I do not advocate rounding up dogs and euthanizing them; but rather picking them up in conjunction with the spay/neuter van, getting them spayed or neutered and registered with the city.

Noah's Ark rebuttal: (again, from the comments)

Thank you for your response. I do not think that I have misstated your policy, as I have printed the comments in full. Perhaps, you might want to clarify some of these points in your policy brief and in any further communications to avoid confusion.
Thank you again,
Kelly

Where the Task Force issue seems cut and dried, this issue is a matter of policy and deserves a full debate. It's of note to me that both Ms. Cripe and Ms. Parker served on committees related to the 2005 Task Force, and probably have some history of working together. The important issue, to Houston voters, should be whether or not the candidate has a viable plan for fixing BARC that is doable, affordable, and doesn't involve the mass destruction of stray dogs.

On a personal note: I've spent parts of the last five years working with various dog rescue groups, mostly behind the scenes with donations and, more recently, through foster and adoption efforts. I've seen simple disagreements over inane policy matters implode an organization, ruin friendships, and ultimately, ruin good organizations because the egos involved couldn't be assuaged. While I don't think that's the case here, I do hope that Houston's animal rescue & adoption community is able to put aside small differences and join the new administration (whomever wins the election) in fixing BARC and changing the toxic culture that's gotten us to this point. As with any policy issue, Ms. Parker's motivation on the sweep issue won't be truly known unless she's elected and her policies implemented. My sincere hope is that she's honest in her desire to have BARC work closely with rescue groups to pull these unfortunate (in most cases abused) animals off the streets and into forever homes. As I write this, I'm watching Simon, our latest foster, who was pulled off the streets, given medical treatment, and is now attending adoption events looking for a new family. Unfortunately there are thousands of dogs and cats out there who are just looking for the same chance in life.


Thank you to Jerri Brooks, Director of Communications for Annise Parker, and Kelly Cripe, of the Noah's Ark PAC, for their quick responses to my questions and requests for information.


OTHER EYES: Chron: Local Politics

Annise Parker releases BARC clean up plan (UPDATED)

This just in...

• Listen to the experts - We must implement these recommendations: the Mayor’s 2005 Animal Task Force (on which I served); the Controller’s audit (which I led); and the $11,000 MCV Consulting study, which needs to be made public. I supported, for example, bringing in no-kill shelter advocate Nathan Winograd to help BARC improve operations.

• Maddie’s Fund coalition - Ultimately, we need to form a regional or city coalition similar to the New York City mayor’s coalition that created a 10-year, no-kill transition plan and won more than $10 million in Maddie’s Fund grants. This represents the gold standard and is by far the most money out there to help animal service agencies.

• Transferring adoptions - In the meantime, I would strongly consider transferring the city’s animal adoption responsibilities to more successful groups in exchange for the city assuming sole responsibility for – and hopefully drastically reducing – the number of animals so old or sick they must be euthanized.

• Education - More emphasis needs to be given to general animal education outreach – stressing the importance of spaying and neutering as well as having a valid license for all animals. I’d like to see regular neighborhood “sweeps” to identify unlicensed pets and those that have not been spayed or neutered.

• SNAP and Fix Houston - We must increase the city’s partnership with organizations such as SNAP and try to restart the Fix Houston initiative to dramatically increase the number of animals spayed and neutered. BARC just added funding for 4,000 more spays and neuters this year.

• Puppy mills - More emphasis needs to be given to identifying and shutting down these houses of horror.

In her list of "problems" Parker cites the Corridor of Cruelty as an issue of main concern. As a rescue-group volunteer working with Deborah Hoffman (who, unofficially coined the term) I can attest to the despicable conditions that animals in that area are living. Working with rescue and adoption groups is going to be key to BARC finding any future success. The fact is most of these groups do a better job at placing animals in forever homes than does the City shelter.

There's a lot of homeless animal expertise in Houston, BARC and the City would be well-suited to tap into that when making plans for the future.


UPDATE: Not everyone is impressed

[Noah's Ark PAC]

After being sent a link to Annise Parker's facebook, I feel compelled to make this very clear-

Annise Parker did NOT serve on the Mayor's Task Force for Animal Protection. Her continued assertion that she did is a fabrication. She did not.

Furthermore, Parker advocates for increased sweeps (to round up and kill more animals) and opposes trap/neuter/release programs.

Parker does not share the same views held by mainstream animal welfare advocates and rescuers, and has continued to make false claims about her involvement in BARC.

Houston and BARC deserve honest representation from the city's top executive, not more of the same.

Either she was or she wasn't it's pretty cut and dried. I've submitted a FOIA request from the Office of the Mayor requesting the roster of the task force as well as the report of their findings. Once I receive a response I will update with a new post.

Investigative News

Last night I pondered whether or not the new media could effectively take the place of the old should the old continue down their path of financial insolvency. I also forwarded the idea that, in Houston, the newspaper of record has already abdicated itself of the responsibility of being the regions watchdog.

This is troubling for many reasons:

1. Government agencies, when not monitored, have a tendency to grow corrupt and bloated, often to the point of great waste and abuse.

2. Businesses, without independent monitoring, have been known to not act in the public interest, with some unscrupulous players pushing the envelope of legality and, in some cases, ignoring the laws altogether.

3. There's a societal benefit to having an engaged, informed public with access to independent professionally vetted information.


According to this unscientific poll by the Houston Business Journal, 54% of area readers currently state that they would not miss their print newspaper if they discontinued production.*

My contention is that Houston has been without an effective watchdog media presence (in the mainstream sense) for quite a while now, the Chron having relegated that to a background role in favor of bar photos, reader blogs and other non- 'hard news' material. The fallout from the firings in March bear that out, as the newsroom was decimated.

The question now becomes: "What's going to fill the void?"

The staff at Texas Watchdog seems to be working hard to answer that question.

I just got back from the Pocantico Conference Center, located at one of the Rockefeller family’s former estates about 45 minutes or so out of Manhattan. The conference center is used for many events connected with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

I was invited to the stone, ivy-covered mansion that the infamous oil baron once called home to participate in a conference of nonprofit investigative news groups. There were about 30 of us there, from the well known (The Voice of San Diego) to the not-quite-started-but-will-soon-be well-known (The Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network.)

The goal was to figure out how we can help each other, how we can stay funded and how we can collaborate on stories.

Ultimately we came up with the The Pocantico Declaration: Creating a Nonprofit Investigative News Network.

Here's hoping their venture is a success, and that Texas Watchdog starts picking up the reader share that the Chron is losing.

I truly believe there is a strong market in Houston for good, solid investigative journalism presented in a professional, accurate manner. The Chron losing viewers faster than George W. Bush lost people who would admit to voting for him isn't, in my opinion, due to a changing of technology as much as it is their failure to hire editors and executives who are steering the Chron in the correct direction. My experience with Chron reporters is that they are hard working, dedicated, and take their jobs very seriously. They've also been beaten down and demoralized by ineffective management and a core mission that seems to devalue their input and contributions. They're being asked to do more with less while defending the sacred cows of the Masthead (and their spouses).

Good luck to the folks at Texas Watchdog, whose ranks now include a former Chron staffer who did some of the best watchdog on Metro seen in the pages of the Chron in years.

Houston Area Asides (07/02/09)

The "Pop! Pop! Pop!" edition....

Mexico's violence reaches even the clergy. [Dudley Althus, Chron.com] - Geez.

Webster pastor tasered by police. [Thayer Evans, Chron.com] - Uh.....Geez.

Spoke too soon on BARC [Lisa Falkenberg, Chron.com] - Whoopsie!

Toll road plan falters as special session opens. [Peggy Fikac, Chron.com] - Ooops!

Immigration plan goes after employers. [Susan Carroll, Chron.com] - Great.

Paperwork glitch delays some paychecks at HCC. [Jeannie Kever, Chron.com] - D'oh!

Chron: Federal agents investigate Hosuton gun owners. [Kevin Whited, BlogHouston.net] - Huh?

McCain staff leakers, whomever you are, are scum, should be outed and should never get another job. [Dr. Melissa Clouthier] - Daaaamn.

Business Pulse Survey: If you're daily newspaper stopped circulation would you miss it? [Houston Business Journal] - Yes.

Houston still 4th largest City. [Houston Business Journal] - Whirled Class!

Thousands of trees wilting in Houston's record heat. [Alex Saenz, KHOU] - Suck.

Record heat rocks home foundations. [Brad Woodard, KHOU] - Suck. (Get a soaker hose and water your foundation)

Governor to top new General: Wrong move [Mark Greenblatt, KHOU] - Ya think?

People are getting paid to write these editorials?

It's been a while since I've been critical of the Chron's Caucasian Think-Tank. The main reason for that is because I find them irrelevant.

Occasionally however they write an Op-Ed that's so blatantly incomplete that something has to be said. tomorrow's Op-ed (already posted on Chron.com) is one of those cases.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher and member of the Honduran oligarchy, was elected on a moderate platform but steered the country into an economic alliance led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Conservative opposition in the Honduran military, Congress and Supreme Court became alarmed when Zelaya sought a nationwide referendum to rewrite the country’s constitution to get rid of the term limits that now prevent him from seeking re-election.

When Zelaya fired the head of the Honduran military for refusing to assist in the referendum effort, the military struck back, sending him into exile. The Honduran Congress appointed its president, Roberto Micheletti, to serve out the remainder of Zelaya’s term. Micheletti and the coup leaders have shown no willingness to negotiate.

If that's what happened, then tCCTT would be correct. Unfortunately, the facts are a little more complicated than how they presented them.

[Paul Kiernan, Jose de Cordoba & Jay Solomon, WSJ]

Honduras's Supreme Court gave the order for the military to detain the president, according to a former Supreme Court official who is in touch with the court.

Later, Honduras's Congress formally removed Mr. Zelaya from the presidency and named congressional leader Roberto Micheletti as his successor until the end of Mr. Zelaya's term in January. Mr. Micheletti and others said they were the defenders, not opponents, of democratic rule.

"What was done here was a democratic act," Mr. Micheletti, who was sworn in as president Sunday afternoon, said to an ovation. "Our constitution continues to be valid, our democracy continues to live."

Is being 'against' the Coup being on the 'right side' as tCCTT contests? Maybe, maybe not. As with any political situation in South America there are three sides to every story. The 'truth' in this case is shrouded in shades of gray and is hardly as black and white as tCCTT purports it to be.

When a President violates Congress, runs against the Supreme Court and plans an illegal referendum with the idea of removing his term-limits allowing him to stay in power, what IS the 'right side'?

I'm not going to pretend at this point that I know the answer, but I'm also not going to pretend that tCCTT has a clue on this one either.*




*Of course, neither am I going to criticize Obama or anyone else for whatever position they take, provided they acknowledge all of the facts (something tCCTT obviously decided NOT to do). Hopefully Honduras can work this one out without further bloodshed.

Disconnects

The Chron's Caucasian Think Tank writes this:

Texas has much to lose if global warming continues unabated and much to gain as a leader in future alternative energy development. The energy bill may not be the perfect solution, but it is a vital first step toward one.

While Rasmussen releases this:

Americans have mixed feelings about the historic climate change bill that passed the House on Friday, but 42% say it will hurt the U.S. economy.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 19% believe the climate change bill passed by the House on Friday will help the economy. Fifteen percent (15%) say it will have no impact, and 24% are not sure.

Now, you and I both know what this means....Here comes the 'media bias' charge again...

The thing is, when it comes to Global Warming, they're right. But why is that? Why is it that a rather large plurality of Americans are leery of the Climate Change bill but a substantial majority of the MSM is forging full steam ahead with accolades and drooling all over themselves because Congress passed a 1500 page bill without reading it?

Rasmussen again provides some insight:

The divide on the question between populist or Mainstream America and the Political Class is a wide one. Fifty percent (50%) of Mainstream Americans say the climate control measure will hurt the economy, but two-thirds of the Political Class (67%) say it will help.

That's the operative paragraph right there. The fact is that the Chron's Caucasian Think Tank and Masthead Executives associate with the political class and not mainstream America. All of the blogging about the Chron being out of touch, of how they neglect their readership base, and how they are biased on certain issues, has no effect because the people that the Editorial board and Executives associate with are telling them something entirely different. It's the same reason certain pundits continue to point at each news story critical of a specific Democrat (even when they deserve it) as proof of case that media bias doesn't exist. It's also the same reason that Republicans look at every negative story about Republicans (even when they deserve it)as the closing argument that the MSM is biased.

I've often criticized blogging as nothing more than a series of small echo chambers where like-minded people can circle-jerk their opinions until they succeed in convincing themselves that they are mainstream on the issues. It's the same dynamic in newsrooms today. Since there's no credible voice standing up and calling bullshit at the Chron, all arguments to the contrary are automatically marginalized. When a dissenting opinion does surface (for example Rosanna Ruiz) the idea is that its the reporter who's cracked, not the message.

What's left isn't a news organization at all. It's just a big blog with a print product engaging in a city-wide reach-around. I've seen a lot of blogs and pundits bemoaning what will happen in Houston should the media go away.

My argument is that, for the most part, it already has. How else do you explain Metro, BARC, One Park Place, etc. etc?

Currently Houston is City that is operating without an independent newspaper intent on fulfilling the watchdog role that's needed in a healthy democracy. The Chron is more focused on publishing user content and fluff pieces (Bar pictures!) than hard journalism. As a private entity this is their right. It leaves to the citizens to decide what the next vehicle of public information will be however.

Can television news, advocacy, political and hobby bloggers pick up the slack?

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

LaE Book Club: Books you'll never see....

Don't expect to find any of these titles on your reading list for the Summer...

Advanced Procurement Strategies for the 21st Century Executive - Frank Wilson, CEO Houston Metro.

A Guide to Animal Care - Bill White, Houston Mayor & Texas Senatorial Candidate

Managing Large Donations - The Texas Blog PAC

Hola! - Welcoming Latinos into your community. - The Lone Star Times Editorial Staff

Clean and Sober: Houston through the eyes of a teetotaler - IJ Reilley, Bayou City Madman

Winning Political Strategy - Jared Woodfill and the Harris County Republican Party

20 Things to Like about Texas - John Cobarruvias, Bay Area Houston Blog

For and Against: Global Warming From all Sides. Eric Berger

When PC is better than Apple. - Dwight Silverman

Losing with Grace. - Rorschach, Red Ink: Texas

A Guidebook for Entertaining Radio - Pat Gray

Tips on Flowing Prose - Jonathan Feigan

Inspring Loyalty from Subordinates - Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

The Ethical Man: Life in Business and Politics - State Rep. Alan Fletcher

The Benefits of Humility - State Sen. Dan Patrick

Total Transportation: The Importance of Automobile Infrastructure in a Healthy Urban Transit Mix. - Citizen's Transportation Coalition

Give 'til it Hurts! A Christians' Call to Charity - Joel Osteen

A Christ-centered Guide to Conflict Resolution - Victoria Osteen

Star! A Review of Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalism in the Chronicle - Houston Chronicle Editorial Staff

Create a Winning Website. - Dean Betz

Leveraging Social Media to Build a Winning Political Brand. - Bill Kneer, Harris County GOP


And...finally...

Winning Friends and Influencing People Redux: Blogging Edition. - Cory Crow, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.

Houston Area Asides (07/01/09)

The "much hotter than June" edition....

Houston has hottest June on record - maybe. [Eric Berger, Chron.com]

The official weather station, however, moved from downtown to Bush Intercontinental Airport in 1969, and before that it bounced around from Cotton Station to the Stewart Building, Shell Building and Federal Building. And, Roeseler said, there have been changes from human-read mercury thermometers to more sophisticated digital instruments.

So all of those factors add significant doubt as to whether or not the weather in June was the "hottest ever", yet we're forced to accept as rote the idea that the same weather technology offers up definitive proof that the world is, indeed, microwaving itself due to human activity? (Obviously science just ain't what it used to be.)

Grocery showdown in West U. [David Kaplan, Chron.com] - Competition will mean better sales and better prices for local residents. (Not that the West U. denizens need it mind you)

UT Chancellor sounds alarm on higher ed. [Gary Martin, Chron.com]

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that minorities are expected to comprise 54 percent of the overall student population in 2050

Wait....what? (Of course, the solution to this will be to take Mrs. White's catapult out of mothballs and load it up with money.)

White keeping eye on D.C. not Austin. [Rick Casey, Chron.com]

He reportedly has said privately that another reason is that he could not with a straight face say as a gubernatorial candidate that he wouldn’t raise taxes in the face of the problems the state faces.

So? Say it. (Left unsaid by Casey is that he's not keeping his eye on Houston either.)

KTRK: City Council tackles pressing problem of...electronic signs? [Kevin Whited, BlogHouston.net] - When you hear the words "visual pollution" run away. (Or, better yet, flog the offender with a wet noodle and run them out of town)

A Q & A with the man who oversees BARC leaves more Q's than A's. [Craig Malisow, Houston Press] - Malisow's coverage should win multiple awards on this. (On the other hand, the situation at BARC should be a source of civic shame - and anger that our leaders are building stadiums while his goes on.)

And they're off. [Charles Kuffner, Off the Kuff] - It's special session a go-go. (Odds on the Lege breaking something they have to come back and fix: -900)