You Too Can Throw A Shoe

So let the games begin click here and enjoy! Throw shoes at Bush with extra targets &
Many thanks to Amy Hoffman-Shehan for sharing this great games with WannaBeBlue.

DALLAS MORNING NEWS TEXAN OF THE YEAR NAMED

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
TEXAN OF THE YEAR
It's that time of the year when The Dallas Morning News names a Texan of the Year. They will consider your recomendations my sending a quick email to TOY@dallasnews.com

Here is their criteria for a recomendation:
"A Texan who has had uncommon impact; who exemplifies Texas traits of trailblazing, independence and staring down adversity; and who has affected or influenced lives." And we like to point out that this isn't a lifetime achievement award and should be for accomplishments in the past year. We bestow this distinction for "better or worse."

Here are the past winners since 2003 we can do better this year.
2003: George W. Bush
A president who took the nation to war to change the world.
2004: Karl Rove
The political maestro who orchestrated a second term for the president.
2005: The city of Houston
For a historic relief effort for waves of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
2006: Roy Velez
A father who exemplified strength after losing two sons in war zones
2007 The Illegal Immigrant credited with bringing us prosperity and blamed for abusing our resources.

WannaBeBlue has recommended the following indivual as Texan of the Year for 2008.

Dallas County's DA Craig Watkins fits your requirements in every respect. Not to mention the fact that if not for him there would still be the injustice handed out by previous DA's by their convict everyone mentality even if they knew the individual was innocent, thereby incarcerating the innocent. Mr. Watson uncommon impact was to provide a true representation of what a District Attorney should be about, to see that Justice is done. Craig Watson exemplifies, Texas traits of trailblazing, independence, staring down adversity; and one who has affected & influenced lives.

Please join us and send a quick email to TOY@dallasnews.com and recomend Mr. Watson as Texan of the Year.

AND THE WINNER IS!

DALLAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
THE HONORABLE CRAIG WATKINS

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING MR. WATKINS FOR THIS WELL DESERVED HONOR.

Read the DMN editorial
Here in the state that sanctions killing more often than any other, Craig Watkins is not just another cog in the machinery of death. The first-term Dallas County district attorney has quickly emerged as a transformational figure who has made a name not by securing convictions, but by clearing the way for them to be overturned.

Holiday Message from the President-elect

Bush's Pardons & Comutations

08-1148
President George W. Bush Grants Pardons and Commutation
WASHINGTON – On Dec. 23, 2008, President George W. Bush granted pardons to 19 individuals and commutation of sentence to one individual:

PARDONS:

• William Thomas Alvis III - Flushing, Ohio
Offense: Possession of an unregistered firearm, 26 U.S.C. § 5861; distribution of cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (1).
Sentence: May 21, 1990; Northern District of West Virginia; 13 months in prison, five years of supervised release following the prison term.

• John Allen Aregood a/k/a Johnny (Sonny) Aregood - Riviera, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to harbor and transport illegal aliens; 18 U.S.C. § 371, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii)(iii).
Sentence: Nov. 21, 1996; Southern District of Texas; three years of probation, $1,000 fine.

• Eric Charles Blanke - Parker, Colo.
Offense: Making impressions of obligations of the United States; 18 U.S.C. § 474.
Sentence: July 21, 1995; Southern District of California; three years of probation conditioned on performance of 50 hours of community service.

• Steve Doyle Cavender - The Villages, Fla.
Offense: Conspiring to import, possess, distribute and dispense marijuana; importing and causing to be imported marijuana; possessing marijuana with intent to distribute; 18 U.S.C. § 371, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 952(a).
Sentence: Aug. 6, 1973; Northern District of Alabama; six months in prison in a jail-type institution, five years of probation, two years of special parole.

• Marie Elena Eppens a/k/a Marie Elana Eppens - Lynden, Wash.
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; 21 U.S.C. § 846.
Sentence: June 9, 1992; District of Nebraska; four years of probation conditioned on 60 days of confinement in a jail-type institution on work release, four months of home detention and performance of 200 hours of community service.

• Lydia Lee Ferguson a/k/a Lydia Lee Helland - Sun City, Ariz.
Offense: Aiding and abetting possession of stolen mail; 18 U.S.C. §§ 1708 and 2.
Sentence: Nov. 5, 1990; District of Arizona; 18 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, $5,000 restitution.

• Eduviges Duvi Gonzalez-Matsumura a/k/a Eduviges Duvi Gonzalez - Clovis, Calif.
Offense: Aiding and abetting embezzlement of bank funds; 18 U.S.C. §§ 656 and 2.
Sentence: May 10, 1993; Central District of California; two months in prison, three years of supervised release conditioned on performance of 300 hours of community service.

• George Clarence Greene Jr. - Gray, Ga.
Offense: Mail fraud; 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 2.
Sentence: Nov. 21, 1985; Northern District of Georgia; three years of probation, $1,000 fine.

• James Won Hee Kang a/k/a Won Hee Kang - South Barrington, Ill.
Offense: Trafficking in counterfeit goods; 18 U.S.C. § 2320.
Sentence: May 9, 1985; Northern District of Illinois; one year of probation, $5,000 fine.

• Alan Stephen Maiss - Reno, Nev.
Offense: Misprision of a felony; 18 U.S.C. § 4.
Sentence: Dec. 20, 1995; Eastern District of Louisiana; one year of probation, $5,000 fine.

• Richard Harold Miller - Tallahassee, Fla.
Offense: Conspiracy to defraud the United States; 18 U.S.C. § 371.
Sentence: April 13, 1993; Northern District of Florida; five years of probation, $10,000 fine.

• Delano Abraham Nixon - Neosho Rapids, Kan.
Offense: Forging the endorsement on a U.S. Treasury check; 18 U.S.C. § 495.
Sentence: Feb. 2, 1962; District of Kansas; three years of probation conditioned upon payment of restitution.

• John H. Overholt - Black Hawk, S.D.
Offense: Concealment of information affecting Social Security benefits; 42 U.S.C. § 408(a)(4).
Sentence: Feb. 2, 1998; District of South Dakota; two years of probation, $1,500 fine, $10,620 restitution.

• Morris Keith Parker - Georgetown, S.C.
Offense: Misprision of a felony; 18 U.S.C. § 4.
Sentence: Oct. 2, 1991; District of South Carolina; three years of probation conditioned on performance of 150 hours of community service.

• Robert Truman Reece - Redondo Beach, Calif.
Offense: 1 and 2. Unauthorized absence. 3. Unauthorized absence; missing ship's movement.
Sentence: 1: Oct. 12, 1949; 15 days of confinement, 30 days of extra police duties and forfeiture of $15 pay per month for six months. 2: Nov. 28, 1949; six months of probation. 3: Sept. 21, 1950; forfeiture of $30 pay per month for two months and a bad conduct discharge. 1, 2 and 3: U.S. Navy court-martial.

• Donald Edward Roessler - Harrison, Ohio
Offense: Embezzlement of mail matter; 18 U.S.C. § 1709.
Sentence: April 19, 1971; Southern District of Ohio; two years of probation.

• Issac Robert Toussie - Brooklyn, N.Y.
Offense: False statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 18 U.S.C. § 1001; mail fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1341.
Sentence: Sept. 22, 2003; Eastern District of New York; five months in prison, three years of supervised release conditioned on five months of home detention, $10,000 fine.

• Charles Thompson Winters - Miami
Offense: Conspiracy to export, and exportation, of a military aircraft to a foreign country in violation of the Neutrality Act of 1939; 22 U.S.C. § 448(a).
Sentence: Feb. 4, 1949; Southern District of Florida; 18 months in prison, $5,000 fine.

• David Lane Woolsey - St. George, Utah
Offense: Aiding and abetting violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act; 16 U.S.C. § 470ee (a) and 18 U.S.C. § 2.
Sentence: Oct. 6, 1992; District of Utah; three years of probation conditioned on performance of 100 hours of community service.

COMMUTATION:

• Reed Raymond Prior - Des Moines, Iowa
Offense: Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1).
Sentence: April 11, 1996; Southern District of Iowa; life in prison, 10 years of supervised release.
Terms of commutation: Prison sentence to expire on Feb. 23, 2009, leaving intact and in effect the 10-year term of supervised release with all its conditions.

###

08-1148

Air America's Maron v Seder: Marc and Sam’s Remedial Theater:

Having trouble understanding what’s going on with your pension fund?

George W. Bush Updates His Resume'

Many thanks to our good friend and neighbor Laura Bass for forwarding W's new resume'.
I will be available for employment in January 2009, and I am willing to relocate.

RESUME: GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington , DC 20520


LAW ENFORCEMENT:

* I was arrested in Kennebunkport , Maine , in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I plead guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been 'lost' and is not available.

MILITARY:

* I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam ..

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

* I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

* I ran for U.S. Congress and lost.
* I began my career in the oil business in Midland , Texas , in 1975. I
bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.
* I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.
* With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas .

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS :

* I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union . During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America .
* I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.
* I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.
* With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida , and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President of the United States , after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

* I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

* I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.
* I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.
* I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
* I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
* I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.
* In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues.
* I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My 'poorest millionaire, 'Condoleezza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.
* I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S. and world record -holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations. My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. history, Enron.
* My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.
* I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution.
* More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.
* I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed..
* I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.
* I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
* I appointed more convicted criminals to my administration than any President in U.S. history.
* I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States Government.
* I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.
* I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
* I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.
* I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. 'prisoners of war' detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
* I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US election).
* I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television..
* I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period.
* After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.
* I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U..S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
* I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind..
* I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, preemptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. Citizens and the world community.
* I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.
* In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.
* I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.
* I am supporting development of a nuclear 'Tactical Bunker Buster,' a WMD.
* I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

* All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.
* All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
* All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President attended, regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review..
* I specified that my sealed documents will not be available for 50 years.

Testimony Sent to The Advisory Committee on the Texas Democratic Party Convention/Caucus System

Over 2.8 million Texans voted in the primary and gave Clinton a 100,000 vote margin over Obama, thereby wining. Just hours later, the Texas caucus registered an Obama win over Clinton. Allocation of the 126 primary pledged delegates were Clinton 65 and Obama 61. Allocation of the caucus pledged delegates were Obama 38 and Clinton 29. Obama actually won 5 more pledged delegates than Clinton in Texas. Common sense begs the question if this result was truly in line with the will of the Texas voters.

Texas awards delegates in a convoluted process involving both a primary election and caucuses. Over half of would-be voters did not participate in the caucuses. This alone shows the fallacy or inequity this system provides. The process seems to me to be a form of voter suppression in that some voters are unable to participate in the caucuses. How would those citizens have voted if they had been given the chance? And, how would their votes have impacted the overall election results? It is not a true representation of a majority of the voter’s choice. We see only one advantage to this system. It helps the party’s leadership base remain somewhat exclusive.

Just make it simple a primary election where a majority vote decides the winner & the winner takes all delegates. I suppose the super delegate system is not included in this change. Although this too needs to be seriously scrutinized.

Please let your voice be heard send an email to testimony@txdemocrats.org

A Chance to Change the Primary/Caucus Election System

Remember how confusing and difficult it was to conduct a precinct convention after the polls closed on March 4th 2008? Well here is your chance to let the State Party Chairman & Advisory Committee on the Texas Democratic Party Convention/Caucus System know what your feelings are about the system and how it should be changed. The following is a letter from Chairman Boyd Richie that give you a chance to testify in person or via email. (see links below)

Dear Fellow Democrat,

This historic election year is changing the political landscape for the Democratic Party on both a national and state level. I am proud to report that approximately 1 million Democrats participated in our state's convention/caucus system. Such a groundswell of participation proves that our state's Democratic base is flourishing with the same strength that is mirrored in our national party. This surge of participation resulted in both excitement and revelation. The intricate workings of Texas' unique hybrid primary/caucus system were magnified by this year's participation levels, resulting in logistical challenges for some of our Precinct and County/Senatorial District conventions.

In response to this evolution in voting behavior, I have appointed the Advisory Committee on the Texas Democratic Party Convention/Caucus System to examine our primary and caucus system. The Committee will conduct a series of meetings which will allow Democrats from all across the state to share their primary/caucus experience. The Committee will then consider this feedback and make recommendations to the State Democratic Executive Committee for possible changes. For more information about the committee click here. meetings
Hearings will be held in Dallas at the following times and locations:

December 17, 2008
Dallas, TX
Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center (at 5150 Mark Trail Way, Dallas Texas 75232) 4 p.m.

Your testimony at these hearings will play an important role as we continue to explore our current Democratic Primary process. If for some reason you are not able to attend any of these hearings, you are encouraged to submit written testimony by e-mailing it to the Committee email address > testimony@txdemocrats.org

Only by working together will we be able to grow and strengthen as a Party.

Your friend and fellow Democrat,
Boyd L. Richie

Wanna Be Blue - Gonna Be Blue

Texan Wanna Be Blue and Texas is gonna be blue according to Rod Dreher a Dallas Morning News editorial columnist. Read his column make a comment and keep working hard to make it so. It is not an inevitable occurrence without your continued support through donations, volunteering and activism for the party. Remember the wise words of Ben Franklin when he said, "Energy and persistence conquer all things"
Things are tough all over for Republicans these days, but at least the GOP is holding tough in Texas, right? After all, the state party's Web site asserts, "Without a doubt, Texas is the strongest Republican state in the nation."

It's an empty boast. A shocking survey of registered Texas voters taken after the November election shows that the party that has dominated Lone Star politics for a generation is in very serious trouble.

Opinions on Health Care

Join the Discussion: Former Sen. Daschle responds on health care. Click on this text to watch the video & to make a comment or suggestion.

Help President-elect Obama Reclaim Democracy

We have the chance to help President-elect Obama reclaim democracy and restore the rule of law in our country, which he can do on his first day in office. By shutting down the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison facility. Watch the video from bravenewfoundation & sign the open letter to President-elect Obama urging him to restore the rule of law in our country.



Add your name to the open letter to President elect Obama.