Barton, a former oil company executive, called BP the victim of a “$20 billion shakedown;” he was referring to the $20 billion compensation fund for the victims of the Gulf Coast’s oil-spill. “I apologize,” Barton told BP chief executive Tony Hayward. “I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, in this case a $20 billion shakedown.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

This did not sit well with Republican leaders. GOP leaders summoned Barton to the Capitol and demanded he apologize. House Republican leadership publicly called Barton’s comments “wrong.”

They even went so far to threaten to strip Barton of his position as ranking Republican on the powerful panel. Rep. Jeff Miller even called on Barton to resign as the committee’s ranking member, calling his remarks “reprehensible” and “out of touch with this tragedy.”

As soon as some Republicans tried to distance themselves from him, Barton was forced to retracted his apology. He stated that he was not defending BP – which he condemns for their actions – but it was an attack on the Obama administration for overreaching in forcing BP to put aside $20 billion.

Barton’s view that the White House has overreached is not surprising. Similar concerns has been voiced here in Texas by Texas Governor Rick Perry and among Tea Partiers.

In a piece by Time, titled simply “Texas Governor Perry Declares War On the EPA,” the story highlights Perry’s opposition to federal regulation of Texas’ powerful oil industries, citing states’ rights issues and the health of the oil industry. After the oil rig explosion in the Gulf, Perry defended BP, by questioning whether the spill was “just an act of God that occurred” and that any “politically driven” decisions could put the US in further economic peril.

“Follow the money”
“Follow the money” and inevitably it will lead you to those who pull the strings. A closer look at the money trail reveals the cozy relationship BP has had with Rick Perry and Joe Barton that has gone on for years. The Lone Star Project has produced a video showing BP’s track record in Texas and Rick Perry’s constant apologies for the corporation.

BP donates $250,000 to the Governor’s mansion
When Rick Perry needed to raise money to restore the Governor’s Mansion after a major fire, he turned to his friends at BP. According to the Austin American-Statesman, “The largest donation is $250,000 from energy giant BP America.” (Source: Austin American-Statesman, January 30, 2009)

Perry paid BP for jobs already in Texas
Perry gave BP $750,000 to create 150 jobs in League City, Texas. It was soon revealed that, “50 already work for BP and live in the area.” One expert called it, “a classic case of getting paid for doing what you’re going to do anyway.” (The Houston Chronicle, January 13, 2005)

Perry has been widely criticized for his Texas Enterprise Fund after a report revealed that almost half of the companies that received taxpayer dollars have, “failed or struggled to meet job goals.” The companies, including key player in the subprime mortgage market Countrywide Home Loans, have been given a total of $363 million taxpayer dollars. (Source: Austin American-Statesman, January 28, 2010)

According to Open Secrets, Rep. Joe Barton has received $1.5 million in donations last year from big oil. Barton’s biggest donor is Anadarko Petroleum ($146,500), a company that drills heavily in the deepwater Gulf. According to Business Insider, Anadarko is one of the top 25 Energy Companies that has suffered from the drilling moratorium.

It is ironic Barton called BP the victim of a “$20 billion shakedown” considering BP first quarter profits rose to $6.1 billion from $2.6 billion a year earlier. The truth is, Barton, who holds a safe seat in Texas, is able to say what of tea partyers and conservatives are expressing. In Texas, the Republican Party has not been afraid to take stands that are far outside the mainstream, knowing they will get a slap on the wrist.

A political stand is necessary to shed light on the way the Texas Republicans like the Rep Joe Barton and Gov Rick Perry have not looked favorably on the rights of the poor and people of color, but rather favor corporations over individuals that elected them. “Power concedes nothing without a demand,” said Frederick Douglass.

While Joe Barton may be safe, Gov. Rick Perry is not. A new Rasmussen poll shows Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White is running close to Gov. Perry. I am not under any illusion. I know that Bill White is the underdog in this race. Being outnumbered and outgunned is not new. What gets Bill White motivated is the belief in the power of the people. This election about taking a stand to the unlawful conduct of the Texas Republican Party that takes our resources and disenfranchise us and treats us has second class human beings.

We need a leadership we can be proud of and the time is now.

A week after my post Sen. Hutchison formerly announced she was not resigning her Senate seat.

“I realize this will keep me in the Senate past the primary election,” Hutchison’s speech says. “These issues are too important to leave the fight to a newly appointed freshman senator who will be selected in the midst of a political storm.”

The decision came amid alarm among top Hutchison supporters about the direction of the campaign. As predicted, she did not help herself by shifting back and forth on when she will resign, especially with political figures down the line who are waiting to run for vacancies that would be created by her resignation. The Dallas Morning News’ Wayne Slater reported supporters inside the Hutchison camp were worried “answers about when she might resign made her look indecisive.”

Hutchison along with some of her advisers informed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Attorney General Greg Abbott to file for re-election, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Not surprisingly, Sen. John Cornyn was pleased Hutchison wasn’t setting down. Sen. Cornyn said Hutchison was “putting Texas first” by staying through March to fight “the Democrats’ out-of-control spending spree and government-run health care proposals.”

The announcement came on the same day as a new Rasmussen Reports poll showing Perry is leading Hutchison 46% to 35%. This is a turn around from an earlier Rasmussen Reports poll showing Hutchison in the lead.

Did I call it or what? Just call me the Oracle of Delphi. I am not bragging, I’m sharing.

War of words: Perry Pulls Another Rove
Within hours of Hutchison’s announcement, Perry began sowing the seeds of division among Hutchison’s supporters about whether her decision not to resign might mean she has given up the governor’s race altogether.

As a sign the campaign has escalated into a war of words, Hutchison took immediate action making robocalls and going on air to assure her supporters she still is in the governor’s race. Her ad focuses on an issue that Republican primary voters are passionate about – government-run health care – and reminding voters that she’s in Washington fighting it. Hutchison says her decision to stay in the US Senate to fight Democrat-backed health care carries a “risk to my political future” but is necessary because she’s fighting for Texans.

Perry countered with his usual anti-federal stimulus, anti-Washington rhetoric. By attacking Washington, he is able to portray Hutchison as a Washington insider. Perry’s commercial casts him as a tax-cutting fiscal conservative in contrast to what his campaign called the “disastrous fiscal policies of Washington.”

The battle lines of the civil war are drawn. I would not be surprised if this election tear the party apart as Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

Democrats’ hopes
Sen. Hutchison announcement created speculation that Houston Mayor Bill White might jump from the Senate special election campaign he has been running to get into the Democratic contest for governor. Spokeswoman Katy Bacon denied any switch will occur.

If Mayor White and Former Democratic Comptroller John Sharp are banking that Sen. Hutchison will resign after the primary, they can forget about it. Prior to her announcement she was not resigning, a Hutchison aide “brushed off the question of whether she would quit if she ends up losing the primary to Gov. Rick Perry” when asked by CNN.

As of this writing, there have been a surprising turn of events. The Houston Chronicle reported that Democratic candidate Tom Schieffer announced his withdrawal from the governor’s race to leave clear path for Mayor White to run for governor.

As a result of that Sunday afternoon meeting, Democratic candidate Tom Schieffer — who was a Bush administration ambassador to Australia and Japan — announced Monday that he will withdraw from the race for governor to clear the path for White. Schieffer urged other Democrats in the race to drop out and join him in support of White.

Shortly after Schieffer made his announcement, Mayor White held a City Hall news conference to say he will “agree to consider running for governor,” at the urging of Texans throughout the state. Mayor White said he will make an announcement by Dec. 4.

But there is further evidence Mayor White will run for governor. In a prepared statement, El Paso state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh openly endorsed Bill White for Governor on Monday.

“I am very excited today to endorse Bill White as the next Governor of the great state of Texas,” said Shapleigh, D-El Paso, in a prepared statement.

“Under his proven, responsible leadership, our great state can finally deal with the challenges of our times: better paying jobs, great schools, affordable college, water, real access to healthcare, 21st century infrastructure and sustainable energy.”

This is very significant because it ends speculation that he may run for Governor, According to the Rio Grande Guardian, there is now speculation that Shapleigh might run for Lieutenant Governor or Land Commissioner on a possible statewide Democratic ticket.

I have expressed my views on this matter openly and I do hope Mayor Bill White decides to run for Texas Governor. Not because Bill White was my Mayor when I lived in Houston or that the Democrats are sorely lacking star power. Its because I have witness the kind of leadership Texas sorely needs. I can personally testify his record as Mayor speaks volumes and he truly can be Texas’ Great White Hope.

I rarely make endorsements. If Bill White decided to run for Governor, I will have no problem posting my endorsement.

In my last post, I mentioned that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison decided to delay her resignation from the Senate as she pursues her gubernatorial campaign against incumbent Gov Rick Perry in the Republican Primary.

When Senator Hutchison formally announced that she was a Republican candidate for Governor of Texas, she said she would resign from her Senate post in October or November. She later decided to delay her resignation until after the health care vote. For right now, all would-be candidates are forced to watch and wait.

What does this mean for Texas and why does it matter. It matters a lot. Political junkies note that her resignation would could set off a political chain reaction that could affect the Republican strong hold regarding statewide offices.

Background Information
If Hutchinson were to resign, Gov. Perry would name an interim senator and then call a special election to fill Hutchison’s term through 2012. The date Hutchinson resigns plays a factor on the date and mechanics of actually filing for office. Usually, there is a 30 day period during which a candidate must file for office in order to have their name on the ballot. For next year’s Democratic or Republican Primary ballot, a candidate must file for office between December 3, 2009 and January 4, 2010.

Since her announcement, several candidates have stated their interest for Hutchison’s seat.Democrats in the race are Houston Mayor Bill White and Former state Comptroller John Sharp.

On the Republican side, it is a different story. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams are considered leading contenders for the appointment. However, other Republicans interested in Hutchison’s seat are former Secretary of State Roger Williams, Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones and state Sen. Florence Shapiro.

Will She or Won’t She
Her wait and see strategy is beginning to frustrate members in her party because they are frozen in place by her non-decision. So what is her strategy?

Before Senator Hutchison officially announced her intentions to run, Texas’ junior US Senator John Cornyn made it known that she not resign her seat. As chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the political committee dedicated to electing Republicans to the US Senate, Sen Cornyn will have his hands full next year as the NRSC will try to hold onto six seats now held by retiring Republicans.

In July, responding to Senator Hutchison announcement to step down, Sen Cornyn told POLITICO: “I’m not in a position to influence her decision as to time. All I’m in a position to do is to try to do everything that we can to hold onto that seat.”

It is not hard to see that Sen. Hutchison’s strategy is to make sure it is a win-win for her and the GOP. Current election laws in Texas allow her to do so.

In Texas, certain officials are required to resign their post before running for another office. However, Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution does not require state and federal legislature to resign their current seat in conjunction with the filing of an application for a place on the ballot. The “resign to run” rule reads:

This section applies to the following offices: District Clerks; County Clerks; County Judges; Judges of County Courts at Law, County Criminal Courts, County Probate Courts and County Domestic Relations Courts; County Treasurers; Criminal District Attorneys; County Surveyors; Inspectors of Hides and Animals; County Commissioners; Justices of the Peace; Sheriffs; Assessors and Collectors of Taxes; District Attorneys; County Attorneys; Public Weighers; and Constables.

Earlier in the year, Attorney General Greg Abbott answered a question submitted by state Rep. Leo Berman, which he wanted to know whether a legislature is required to resign their position after announcing their candidacy for Governor. In response to Rep. Berman’s question, Attorney General Abbott ruled that a “legislator is not required to resign from office upon announcing his or her candidacy for Governor.”

Multiple provisions within the Texas Constitution restrict certain officials from running for one elected office while serving a term in another office. For example, no person holding a “lucrative office” in state or federal government or in a foreign government is eligible for the Legislature during the term for which that person is elected or appointed. Tex. Const. art. III, § 19. Similarly, certain district and county officials, upon announcing their candidacy for any other office, must resign the current office held. Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 65(b). However, we find no constitutional or statutory authority that prohibits a legislator from running for Governor while continuing to serve as a legislator.

It is important to remember that prior to being elected to the Senate, John Cornyn was the Texas Attorney General. Therefore, he is well versed in Texas’ election laws and it would not surprise me if Sen. Cornyn, as head of the NRSC, is playing an important part in Hutchison’s decision to be coy in setting a date to resign her seat.

It is amusing to see the local media around the state trying to speculate what Kay Bailey Hutchison reasoning for being so coy. There really is no reason for her to resign. If she were to lose in the Primary, its not like she will be out of office, she will still keep her Senate seat. Even if she were to win the primary, she is not obligated to resign. Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution allows her to remain office until the Nov election. Its a win-win situation for her and the GOP.

I also said in my last post, Hutchison’s indecision could also backfire. It looks like I was correct in my assessment. The latest poll shows Perry retaking the lead. According to the inaugural University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, Perry now has a 12 point lead over Sen. Hutchison. Unfortunately, with those numbers, there is no reason for her resign now.

There is further evidence Sen Hutchinson will not be resigning. Dan Branch and other state Republicans are now opting to seek re-election instead of seek a higher office. The plan was, Branch run for attorney general, Greg Abbott run for lieutenant governor, and Lt. Gov David Dewhurst would run in a special election to replace Hutchison.

It is obvious Sen. Hutchinson and her inner circle are withholding crucial information from members of her own party. If I am correct that Senator John Cornyn played a major role in Hutchison’s wait-and-see game. This strategy may come back and haunt them.

It is frustrating to see some Democrats spend so much of their resources on a special election that most likely will not happen. The fact is, the Democrats are sorely lacking star power. The latest polls show neither Tom Schieffer, Kinky Friedman and Tyler rancher Hank Gilbert would give either Perry and Hutchinson run for their money.

On the Democratic side, nobody had great numbers. Kinky Friedman leads the pack, with 19 percent, followed by Tom Schieffer, with 10 percent, former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, with 5 percent, Mark Thompson, with 3 percent, Felix Alvarado, with 2 percent, and Hank Gilbert, who got 0.3

I hope Mayor Bill White would reconsider running for Senate and decide to make a run for Texas Governor. Although I believe we would make a great Senator, the writing is on the wall, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will not resign, making it one less seat the GOP has to worry about as they try to save as many Senate seats as possible.

In a recent interview with the Dallas Observer, Mayor White insist Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will resign. Maybe he knows something many of us don’t know. But truthfully, I still think it is wishful thinking, I honestly don’t think she will.

This week, it seems like the Republican inner circle is sending Gov. Rick Perry a clear message – he is too much of a liability. This week, former Vice President Dick Cheney has endorsed and will campaign for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s bid to unseat Perry in the Republican Primary. Cheney will officially endorse Hutchison at a Houston fundraiser on Nov. 17.

Cheney’s endorsement comes right after Rick Perry has come under fire for a 2004 execution cover-up that has made national news. The controversy that is now plaguing Perry’s re-election bid is the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in 2004 after being convicted of setting a house fire in Corsicana that killed his three children.

The Texas Forensic Science Commission hired a nationally recognized arson expert, Craig Beyler, to examine the fire science used to convict Willingham. Just as the commission was set to hear from Beyler’s report, Perry abruptly removed three of its members, including the chairman. The new chairman, Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley and conservative ally of the governor, says he needs time to study the Willingham arson report.

The report that was made public in August found:

The investigators [in Willingham's case] had poor understandings of fire science and failed to acknowledge or apply the contemporaneous understanding of the limitations of fire indicators. Their methodologies did not comport with the scientific method or the process of elimination.

To make matters worse, the Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers are now suing Gov. Rick Perry for not releasing a clemency report that could have stopped the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. The report was used by Perry to decide whether to give Willingham a 30-day stay of execution.

More evidence the GOP inner circle are cutting their ties with Perry, there are other high profile Republicans – particularly those close to former GOP President George W Bush – who have publicly endorsed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. A couple of those Republicans have close ties with the Bush family, Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and former Bush fundraiser Jim Francis.

Earlier this month, I mentioned Gov Rick Perry was trying to pull a Rove by trying to get the media to focus on something else – possible hacking of campaign website – other than the 2004 execution cover up. It seems it has backfired.

It would be wise for Hutchison to finally set a date for her resignation is she truly wants to take full advantage of her support. Although she is not required to resign from the Senate to run for governor, she did publicly state she intended to resign in October or November. Now that she has backed out, her creditability certainly can become an issue.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters, Mark Miner, campaign spokesman, said:

“Today’s ‘Talkin’ Texas’ webcast by Gov. Perry was deliberately interrupted by a denial-of-service attack, preventing countless users from logging in to view the Governor’s remarks. This planned and coordinated attack was political sabotage, and we are working to identify those responsible for this illegal activity.”

Over the weekend, the FBI decided to open an inquiry into whether hackers disrupted Gov. Rick Perry’s live webcast. FBI spokesman Erik Vasys told the AP that “The FBI confirms that it is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the possibility that an intentional intrusion was conducted on the governor’s computer from out of state. The FBI considers this a hacking event with unknown origin at this time.”

However, there are more questions than answers. According to KXAN News Austin, the problem didn’t resemble a distributed denial-of-service attack, (DDoS), which causes the server act extremely slow or inaccessible to most visitors. Instead, the site displayed a Drupal, content management platform, generated error message reading “unable to connect to database server.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Something stinks in the state of Denmark!

Negative campaigning is nothing new. It has become part of the American political process, we have come to accept it. But there is something familiar with the recent news story and how it was played out. Almost Rovian in design – leak, lie, defame, obfuscate, and deny.

Faux Attacks

It will come as no surprise that one of Karl Rove’s most notable tendency in close races is to go negative against his opponent, early and often. One of Rove’s most valuable assets is his knowledge of gaming the media in order to achieve the desired result. He has often relied on the media to cover a controversy because he knew if the story was dynamic enough, even if story was not true, the media would breathe life into it by being caught up in the he said/she said side of the story.

One of the highlights in Rove’s career is the tight 1986 Texas governor’s race, in which Republican oilman Bill Clements, sought to oust the Democratic incumbent Mark White. Just before a debate between the two candidates – which, coincidentally or not, distracted attention from the debate in which Clements was expected to lose – Rove claimed that someone had bugged his office and hinted that Democrats might be responsible.

Another instance occurred in Alabama’s 1996 hard-fought race for a seat on the Supreme Court between Rove’s client, Harold See, and the Democratic incumbent, Kenneth Ingram. In a 2004 edition of the Atlantic Monthly, Joshua Green writes:

According to someone who worked for him, Rove, dissatisfied with the campaign’s progress, had flyers printed up-absent any trace of who was behind them-viciously attacking See and his family. “We were trying to craft a message to reach some of the blue-collar, lower-middle-class people,” the staffer says. “You’d roll it up, put a rubber band around it, and paperboy it at houses late at night. I was told, ‘Do not hand it to anybody, do not tell anybody who you’re with, and if you can, borrow a car that doesn’t have your tags.’ So I borrowed a buddy’s car [and drove] down the middle of the street – I had Hefty bags stuffed full of these rolled-up pamphlets, and I’d cruise the designated neighborhoods, throwing these things out with both hands and literally driving with my knees.” The ploy left Rove’s opponent at a loss. Ingram’s staff realized that it would be fruitless to try to persuade the public that the See campaign was attacking its own candidate in order “to create a backlash against the Democrat,” as Joe Perkins, who worked for Ingram, put it to me. Presumably the public would believe that Democrats were spreading terrible rumors about See and his family. “They just beat you down to your knees,” Ingram said of being on the receiving end of Rove’s attacks. See won the race.

Rove’s finger prints could also be found in the 2002 Iowa Senate race between Tom Harkin and GOP candidate Greg Ganske, just before the election, a story was leaked that the Harkin campaign hired a “mole” to spy on the Ganske campaign. There was no proof of course, and no one was ever actually accused.

Karl Rove’s approach to politics can be found in the strategy memo that Rove wrote for former Texas governor Bill Clements. Quoting Napoleon, the memo says: “The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack.”

Gov. Perry is no newcomer when it comes to using Rovian “dirty tricks” to win an election. During Perry’s run for agriculture commissioner in 1990 against incumbent Jim Hightower, Perry’s campaign was directed by Karl Rove. During a Washington, D.C., fundraiser, Rove told reporters that Hightower’s office was under investigation by the FBI and that Hightower and several aides “faced the possibility of indictment.”

During the 2002 gubernatorial race against Democrat Tony Sanchez, Perry claimed that Sanchez’s defunct Tesoro Savings and Loan had been used by Mexican drug lords to launder $25 million in drug money, which was used for the murder of a law enforcement agent. Mr. Sanchez was cleared of any wrongdoing, but Perry continued to link Sanchez to Mexican drug lords to instill fear by playing on stereotypes of Mexican-Americans as drug dealers.

Perry, Texas’ longest serving governor, is set to run for an unprecedented third four-year term in 2010. Like the 2002 election, Perry is facing a serious challenger, not from a Democrat, but from somebody in his own party, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The Texas Democratic Party is such in disarray, Democratic governor hopefuls – former Bush ambassador Tom Schieffer, Smith County rancher Hank Gilbert, entertainer Kinky Friedman – are having a hard time convincing its party base they can win a statewide race. So word on the street, Hutchison is his only real challenger.

According to Rasmussen Reports, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is now leading by 2-points – 40% to 38% – in the volatile 2010 Republican Primary race for governor. This is bad news for Perry, since Perry lost his mid-July 10-point lead over Hutchison.

One does have to wonder if last weeks hacking allegations by Perry was an attempt to pull a Rove on Republican challenger Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Before you dismiss this as the wild ravings of a conspiracy theorist, consider a few points.

Phillip Martin reports that the attack occurred 10 mins before the schedule event. When pressed on whether the campaign thought Kay Bailey Hutchison was behind the “sabotage,” Miner responded: “I hope not. I hope they would not be that stupid.” Miner may not have directly blamed that somebody from Hutchison’s campaign hacked Perry’s website, but is leading the reader to conclude that it is possible.

Another thing to consider, Perry’s website coincidentally was hacked the same week a bombshell that could have been politically damaging. The Houston Chronicle reported that Gov. Rick Perry had canceled a meeting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission because it was sure to produce headlines claiming that in 2004 he authorized the execution of an innocent man.

To make matters worse, Gov. Rick Perry replaced the head as well as two others on the nine-member Texas Forensic Science Commission. Perry said his move was a typical use of his power on appointments, the same argument used by former President George W Bush to replace US Attorneys.

We may never know if the hacking scandal will be traced back to Perry’s campaign, but the real question is, how much longer are we willing to put up with Perry’s win at all cost “dirty tricks?”

Recently, at a news conference, Gov. Rick Perry announced a special team of Texas Rangers will be deployed to the border. He said the effort was launched in August because of “the federal government’s ongoing failure to adequately secure our international border.”

However, not everybody is too thrilled of the Rangers arrival. Last week, Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada criticized Perry’s plan. The Texas Border Coalition, a group of border mayors and county executives, wrote Gov. Perry to voice concerns about his latest plan to deploy the Texas Rangers to the Texas-Mexico border. Chad Foster, chair of the TBC and mayor of Eagle Pass said:

“While each of our communities has their own unique issues, being overwhelmed by criminal elements from Mexico is not one of them. If you are devoting additional law enforcement personnel to our region, we would appreciate you and your staff taking the time to make sure that our efforts to secure the border are complimentary and coordinated.”

Perhaps one of the reasons the border communities are opposing the idea of having the Texas Rangers at the border has to do with the long history vigilante violence directed at Latinas/os. It does not conger up men of law and order, but a group of men closely linked to Jim Crow Texas and the lynching of Tejanos, where thousands of died at the hands of the legendary Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers have been praised and romanticized through history books, folklore, movies and the T.V. series -The Lone Ranger, Larry McMurtry’s epic tale Lonesome Dove, Chuck Norris’ Walker, Texas Ranger – as intrepid heroes who brought justice to the Old West. The narrative is the same – a recreation of some supposed attack by “Mexican Bandits.” So it is no surprise a shrine has been built dedicated to the Texas Rangers – Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Rangers, first recruited in the 1820’s by the early settler Stephen F. Austin to control the Indians, are throughout South Texas for their wave of shootings and lynchings. Better known as Los Rinches de Tejas in the Valley or Los Diablos Tejanos by Mexicans during the Mexican-American War – the Texas Rangers were lawmen who operated without restraint and with seemingly unchecked power. Under the guise of maintaining law and order; they took the law into their own hands and lynched Mexican-Americans and Mexican children, women and men without suffering any repercussions from Texas courts.

In The Conquest of Texas, Gary Anderson details the “culture of violence” that existed in Texas. Land provided the impetus for conflict, a conflict masked in the rhetoric of race and the assumption that Indian territory was an available wilderness to be conquered and tamed by “civilized” whites. As Texas became a nation and then a state in the United States, policy and strategy was formed around racial violence that “gradually led to the deliberate ethnic cleansing of a host of peoples, especially people of color.”

In Texas, “corridos,” a narrative song or ballad that is often used to tell the tales of heroes and events, defending his rights, were written about Los Rinches. One of the best known corrido in Texas is the “El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez. The corrido is based on an incident that occurred in 1901 when Gregorio Cortez shot and killed Sheriff W. T. Morris in self defense after the two had an argument. Morris’s death resulted in a massive search for Cortez by the Texas Rangers. As they followed him to the Mexican border, the Rangers thought little of shooting innocent Mexicans whom they considered to be part of a nonexistent Cortez gang. In a show of solidarity, the Mexican community organized to raise money and social awareness about the Cortez affair.

Some believe this is just political posturing by Perry since it is election time and is facing a primary challenger. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is challenging Perry and called his announcement more “empty rhetoric and broken promises.” Whether this is just political posturing or not, given the current anti-immigration climate, Gov Perry seems to be taking a page from one of his processors.

In 1874, newly elected governor, Richard Coke, created two branches of the Texas Rangers, a Frontier Battalion under the command of major John B. Jones, and a designated Special Force, commanded by Confederate officer and Texas Ranger captain, Leander McNelly to restore order at any cost. Their mission was to protect the people who lived in the Rio Grande Valley from Indian raids and Mexican raiders. In his pursuit, McNelly allowed the torture of prisoners, lynching, and other atrocities – all in the name of the law.

There are millions of Latinas/os living in this state. Yet, Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison, along with this state’s Democratic leadership approach the immigration issue as if there were no Latinas/os in the state. If the state’s Democratic Party is wanting to win back this state, it is time to for them speak out and begin to have faith that we, the voters, will not abandon ship come election time.

The saying that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Sadly, the state Democratic party refuses to learn. The attitude during the dark days of Texas can be summed up from a vigilante who said “To shoot these Greasers ain’t the best way. Give ‘em a fair trial, and rope ‘em up with all the majesty of the law. That’s the cure.”

These attitudes of indifference toward Latina/o life have survived into the present day, with “wetbacks” and “illegals,” or those perceived to be undocumented, as the primary targets of violence and threats of violence. Although Latina/o immigrants have been the primary targets of vigilante violence, this violence has already reached all corners of Latina/o life in the United States.

If one feels this may be over blown, consider the statement made by Tony Leal, the first Hispanic to lead Rangers, “It is my goal to continue to uphold the Ranger tradition, while moving ahead with the goals of the department as a whole.

In this frantic hunt for would-be terrorists, Gov Rick Perry’s move to deploy the Los Rinches is not just a step backwards, but it will only aggravate the public’s inclination to assume its role as vigilantes, enforcing media-fueled conceptions of legal obligations and the public good.

We are now at a critical juncture, in order move forward toward Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream and humanistic unity, we, as Texans and Americans, must find some way to resist the pressures by nativist pundits and find it within us to respect of different cultures and their contribution to America, recognition of human rights, and resist the acknowledgment of the invigorating effects of immigration.

The time is now to pass a humane comprehensive immigration reform, not a system that invest them with an unfair stigma, then used against them.

Perry in the past has decided what law enforcement agencies receive about $23 million a year in Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grants. Now, because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Perry will have an additional $90 million to hand out.

While Perry’s office is the conduit for the federal money, the governor chooses which agencies receive the money and how it is spent. The political payoff has been great.

About $6 million in Byrne grants helped Perry win the endorsement of border sheriffs in 2006. Perry last year held a news conference to promote $557,000 in grant money he was giving to the San Antonio Police Department to target transnational gangs.

Every time Perry doles out the federal Byrne grants, he sounds like the money is his.
…
Perry created a controversy this year when he rejected $550 million in federal unemployment compensation funds, saying it had too many “strings attached,” but he later accepted more than $12 billion in stimulus funds to balance the state’s budget.

This is the same governor who cited our constitutional right to secede during a ‘tea party’ protest rally. Perry’s “secessionist” moment helped inspire the formation of a secessionist group called the Texas Nationalist Movement, who recently held a secessionist rally on the steps of the state capitol; and a Texas legislator, Rep. Brandon Creighton, to draft a resolution, HCR 50, asserting that Texas “claim sovereignty” from the federal government.

One does wonder if anybody sees the contradictions and hypocrisies? One might claim Perry’s Republican primary challenger, US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, is stepping up to the plate, but they would be mistaken. She too has also given mixed signals.

In February, Sen. Hutchison voted against the Recovery Act, however, once it passed, she had no problem attacking Gov. Perry for turning down the same stimulus money she believed “doesn’t actually stimulate.” Sen. Hutchison criticized Gov. Perry for turning down the stimulus money that would have expanded unemployment benefits.

“Governor Perry recklessly turned down the federal unemployment insurance money. He never even looked at cutting the ridiculous federal strings attached to that money like I would have done. He didn’t even attempt to negotiate a way to relieve employers from a tax increase while helping Texans affected by the economic downturn.”

Today, Texas is on the brink of ranking last or near last in almost every category. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation and is ranked near last in teen birth rates. Texas is dead last in the percentage of residents with their high school diploma (21%) and near last in SAT scores. Texas ranks second to last in providing aid to eligible people who are receive benefits. Texas ranked last in the nation in dealing with child homelessness.

Amidst news of rising unemployment, faltering stock markets, and uncertain government coffers, Texas does not need any more politicians who are more interested in winning elections by playing with people’s lives. Texas needs a leader who will make the much needed improvements to assure greater financial stability for it’s residents, now and in the future. We need a Governor who is willing to roll-up their sleaves to make serious reform to our education, workforce, and public infrastructure systems.

As Texans, we must demand better access to health care; measures to prevent unplanned teen pregnancies; stronger investments in existing food and housing programs for families with children; and a statewide commitment to strengthening our state’s neighborhoods, communities, schools, families, and child care centers.

It is now or never people. I choose NOW!

On Wednesday, TX Governor Rick Perry proved my point.

“Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that,” Perry said. “My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that.”

Think I am crazy now? Now compare that last sentence to Chuck Norris’ message about his willingness to run as President for the Lone Star State.

“That need may be a reality sooner than we think,” he writes. “If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.”

Texas was once a state people used to look up to, but now, people around the country continue to see us Texans as backwards people because of statements like these. As long as Gov Perry continues to make these outrageous statements, Texas will continue to be the butt of everybody’s jokes.

Some will say that I might be making too much out this and this is nothing more but Rick Perry appeal to the far right to muster up support for his upcoming re-election coronation as Texas Governor for Life. True, but it does plant the seed for serious consideration.

Others posts written from Texas Progressive Alliance:
Dos Centavos
McBlogger – McBlogger’s post and Mayor McSleaze’s post
Rachel Farris
Off the Huff
Texas Liberal

Related blog post on Huffington Post
Joe Cutbirth
James Moore
Lincoln Mitchell

It must be the genes.