Dallas

Let us all be careful and pray that our public health system is up to containing this.

#LtGovDebate

The Lone Star Family enjoyed watching the debate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas tonight.  Please remember, Mamas, that Dan Patrick wants to de-fund our children's education and restrict our access to health care and equal pay.  Vote Leticia!

Spider Lily Day

I am 43 today and cheered in spite of my antiquity because we have relief on the Girl's health scare of the past few weeks, which is definitely all I wanted.  Also, my spider lily bloomed and that is just extra reassurance as far as I am concerned.  I love my family so much and have so treasured this weekend of relief with them.

We dropped the Girl back off at her dorm and drove back today and I enjoyed the drive like I used to before I was all worried about her.  The roads of South Texas are so really beautiful.

Here is to a happy, healthy autumn for everyone.  Spider Lily Blessings!

Our Scout

Lone Star Baby:  Are the Juniors going to get to work on badges of their own again this year?

Me:  Yes.

LSB:  I want to do Inside Government!

Me:  We are all going to do Inside Government together.

LSB:  Yes!!!!

Feeling Better

About two and a half weeks ago, a health scare with the Girl at college got me very worried.  In addition to being scary in itself, it made clear the weaknesses in the system we had tried to put in place for dealing with her health care needs while she is away at college and made clear that the system is going to need a couple of more strong pieces - like a good (different) GP here in Corpus and a good (different) GP in the Valley - to cover the gaps (please let me know if you know anyone).  I traveled last night to pick her up and bring her back here to see a specialist, thinking that it might lead to more tests, etc., but, given the nature of the issue, not entirely sure that any kind of resolution could sensibly be found at this point.

I am so relieved.  

When I picked her up, she told me about the resolution of the scary symptom that she had noticed that day and it was confirmed by the doctor and she is okay (still a bit sick with an unrelated bug, but okay!!!)!  I cannot even tell you how relieved I am.  I feel like I need to sleep for a couple of days to reset my stupid adrenaline but I am so relieved.

So, so grateful.

Thanks to everyone who put up with me while I was a big, exposed nerve (not like it was the first time, but thanks).

I hope everyone has as happy day as I am having. Blessings.

Voter Registration Week

This is Voter Registration Week!  Are you registered to vote?  Make sure that you are and then ask five people in your family if they are registered to vote!  Exercise the franchise, Mamas!

Happy Banned Books Week

Read everything.

People's Climate March

Today people all over the world took to the streets to demand action on climate change from our leaders and from each other.  This occurred before the coming week's summit on climate change in New York, which over 100 world leaders are supposed to attend.  Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in New York today to march and there were other events in over 150 countries.

If, like me, you could not make it to the events, there are still things you can do to march against climate change in your own life.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently taking public comments on a proposed rule change that they announced in June which would lower carbon pollution from existing power plants by 30% by 2030 from 2005 levels.  This rule would help stop climate change and encourage clean, green technology to revitalize our economy and protect our health and our futures.

You can find instructions on how to comment on the proposed rule here:

http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/how-comment-clean-power-plan-proposed-rule

Please show your solidarity with the People's Climate March by commenting today, Mamas.  It is our kids who will live in the world we create.

Bridging & Re-Dedication Ceremony

  
On Saturday, we had a ceremony for the Flying -Up of four of our Brownies and the Re-dedication of all of the girls.  It was beautiful.

Happy International Day of Peace

I pray for Peace in our hearts and in the world.

Sisters

#TexasDebates

Lone Star Pa and I watched the Texas gubernatorial debate that took place in Edinburg this evening on television (word is that our eldest offspring watched it in person, and even had breakfast with Wendy!).  We thought Wendy seemed awfully nervous and scripted at first, not a great thing when Abbott had a very comfortable vibe going on, but that soon changed.  Definitely Wendy had better answers for Texas.  

There were things I did not like about either of them - the death penalty, border surge, drug tests for SNAP recipients - it bothers me that we can't seem to get any candidates that will drop that sort of rhetoric.  Wendy, however, had a better vision for Texas in every way in which the two candidates differed.

Wendy Davis will fight for Texas working families to have decent wages, she will fight for education funding and voting rights and access to health care for women.  The choice is clear.

Team Wendy for Texas! 

Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional

Things have been so busy around here that I have been pretty remiss at reporting current events of interest to Texas families, but this was a big one.

On August 28th State District Judge John Dietz ruled that Texas' school financing system is unconstitutional because it does not provide adequate funding for public education in Texas or distribute the funding fairly to all Texas schoolchildren.  

This case had its roots in the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature's decision to cut $5.4 billion from public education in 2011, prompting more than 600 school districts to sue the state because they no longer had adequate funding to meet the educational needs of an ever-growing Texas population of schoolchildren.  Greg Abbott will doubtless appeal - maybe already has appealed; I have been busy - this ruling to the Texas Supreme Court.  If the Court upholds Judge Dietz' decision (as it should, according to the Texas Constitution), then the Lege will have to overhaul the way we fund public education in Texas.  I rather doubt the appeals process will be over before the 2015 Session is, though.

It may take awhile, but if we can defeat Greg Abbott and his cronies, there is hope for public education in Texas!

Voter ID: United States v. Texas Starts Today

Today in Corpus Christi, the trial of United States v. Texas began, a Justice Department challenge to Texas' racist Voter ID Law, Senate Bill 14.  This bill discriminates against poor voters who may not be able to afford one of the eligible photo IDs that are now required to vote in Texas (or the documentation required to obtain one) and is clearly targeted at suppressing the votes of the non-white and non-rich.  

Student IDs, with photos, even issued by state universities do not, by the way, qualify.

Texas has not been able to identify even one case of in-person voter fraud but at least 780, 000 Texans are believed to be without an ID that will allow them to vote under the law.

Texas tries to suppress minority voting every chance it gets and has done so every chance it has gotten since the 15th Amendment.  The gutting of the Voting Rights Act and our subsequent release from federal oversight opened the floodgates for this sort of voter suppression.  I hope the trial results in a return to federal oversight because our voting regulations still totally need to be supervised, I am sorry to say.





 

The Plaid Dress Goes to College

Happy Birthday, Ann!

We remember our Governor.

Happy Labor Day, Texas!

Let's work to get out the vote for candidates who care about the working families of Texas more than they care about the profits of big corporations!