Musings

The Honorable William Wayne Justice, the maverick justice of the Eastern District of Texas died Wednesday at the age of 88, and will be mourned by folks like us because he was the last of the breed of judges who sought broad reform from the bench because it was the right thing to do. He presided over the desegregation of Texas public schools and the measures needed to change Texas prisons into a relatively humane institution. Although Texas is constantly attempting to backslide into its plantation days, major change was brought about by his mighty hand.

Speaking of Texas prisons. Texans loves them some executions, hmmmmmmm hmmmmm hmmmmmmmm.
However, it seems like Gov. Goodhair might have had a hand in officially snuffing out a certain innocent man and has been caught covering up. As others have noted, it remains to be seen how Kay Baily Hutchison will make political hay from this when Texans love killing prisoners about as much as football, and folks probably expect a few to slip through the cracks being not guilty-like.

Will somebody explain to me how seemingly the entire right wing of the country can't understand what is racist about condemning the press as race-baiters while at the same time demeaning a professional athlete because of his skin color? I'm gonna pass on a little lesson I learned when I was a kid: if everybody you know is trying to take your keys away because you're drunk - you're drunk, No amount of arguing about your pristine sobriety while you're pissing your pants, or heaving on people's shoes is convincing.

I saw Michelle Shocked tonight at Casbeers. If there where fifty people there, I'd be surprised. She mentioned that her manager quit recently and she considered herself a victim of the recession. I wish that club owners would stop putting pressure on struggling bands to fill seats when nobody has any money or goes to see live music much anymore to the point that big names can't even fill small venues, (or sell CD's).

God Bless Balloon Boy. Have a nice weekend.