Trump

We Need a Break from Spring Break

Paxton's droopy eyelid isn't the only thing limp at home. Could the Texas Porn boycott be driving the lecherous Attorney General into the arms of another mistress?

personal stories

Independence Way

I understood that there were economic and educational forces at work that made our lives abundantly different. My mother carried burgers and open-faced sandwiches as a waitress at a short-order restaurant. My father lifted bumpers out of a metal press for delivery to the assembly line.

Economy

A Broken Land

We are convinced the only two kinds of people in this nation are millionaires and those who will very soon be millionaires. There is little accommodation for failure. You are expected to pull yourself up by your bootstraps even if you were born into a family that cannot afford boots.

Texas Politics

Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain

In terms of issues on America's plate, there is more than Ukraine and Gaza to worry about. And Yass is just one of the many who have amassed a ton of cash and aren't afraid to spend it. In Texas, Three West Texas billionaires have quietly taken over Republican politics in the state.

Texas Politics

I Find Your Lack of Imagination Disturbing

Texas keeps turning ever rightward, and this last set of primary elections continues the trend. It would be nice to keep public education, but it's not a given. Imagine turning off Friday Night Lights in Texas.

Trump

The Borderlord: Chapter Two

Abbott is brazen about using state resources to promote his political agenda, and nothing is more important to him than the border. He has no desire to solve the immigration problem. Instead, he has created a multi-billion $ issues platform to raise his profile, and Texans are paying for it.

Trump

We've Been Here Before

"The fear of speaking ill of Putin is so great that when Vlad killed his chief critic, Alexei Navalny, the only mention from Donald J. Trump was to compare his legal troubles to Navalny. One more reminder, Mr. President, Navalny is, uh, dead."

national politics

The Burning Man

“Free Palestine, free Palestine,” he screamed as the fire brought him down. Colleagues who knew him in the military described him as kind, soft-hearted, and caring, the diametric opposite of the angry radical that he is being portrayed in widespread reporting.

Baseball

A Young Man's Fancy and An Old Man's Disdain

It's a tale of possibly the greatest baseball player to have ever picked up a bat, ball, and glove, and he came from an obscure little spot in a bend of a Texas river. Or we could just talk politics...

national politics

When Life is Like a Story in the Onion

"The party that once called the President a fascist and dictator, now wants him to solve the border crisis by Presidential decree. The folks who were adamant they needed a border bill, now say, Joe could have solved this all by himself."

Technology

Disrupting Evil

The nerds and geeks that were the butt of jokes in high school became "tech bros" and the titans of the information revolution. And with great power, came great irresponsibility.

Journalism

Outbound Train

"Mike and I had both earned college scholarships with our performances as high school distance runners and were formulating plans for our lives that did not include Vietnam or our home state, which is why he had agreed to drive me to the Canadian National Train station in Windsor, Ontario."

Election

Let’s Not Forget About the Other Threat to Democracy: The Gerrymander

Ninety-five percent of the 4 million newcomers to Texas are people of color, half of whom identify as Latino. Yet, the growing number of people of color in Texas is not growing in their ability to choose who represents them.

Baseball

It's February, People. Spring Training has Started

I'm having trouble focusing on politics. I mean, come on, baseball's coming.

sports

Superbowl Takeaways

Pro Sports, as exemplified by the Superbowl, struggle to avoid political and cultural minefields that might alienate their audience. Meanwhile, TV subscriptions and the cost of tickets are making games unaffordable for all but elite fans.

Biden

Scratchings in the Dirt

"The person who is making America great again is Joe Biden even as the opposition tries to portray him as a lost old soul, bent in the back, scratching pictures in the dirt with a short stick, alone and mumbling."

Trump

I Really Wanted to Ignore Him

But he just can't put a cork in it.

national politics

Welcome Back to Middle School

What on earth would trigger someone's fury over seeing a happy young couple enjoying themselves, enjoying each other, and enjoying life?

personal stories

Whither Thou Goest, America?

Whenever you are heading west across the Plains states, there comes a moment when you sense, not even feel, the earth begin to rise beneath your wheels. There is no explaining the moment or the emotion but a traveler begins to become hopeful.

International Politics

Can Anyone Here Play This Game?

Governor Ironside here in Texas has decided "Supreme Court/Schmupreme Court. I'll do what seems expedient...I mean, right and proper." Our Attorney General is tracking down trans kids in hospitals in other states. Mexican people are drowning in the Rio Grande and Willie still can't get legal weed.

Border

What Now?

What happens now? When the Border Patrol comes to exercise its federal authority to cut the razor wire to take immigrants into custody, will Texas soldiers turn their guns on fellow citizens charged with enforcing the law?

education

Weapons of Class Destruction: Education wars for Power and Mind control

Attempts to hide or manipulate information and truth are not new. This is the weapon of choice by those who want to control the minds, actions, finances, and lives of others.

national politics

Boeing! Boeing!

"You might be surprised to hear what one portion of the population thinks is the real problem behind the 737 Max mishaps. It's the black guys."

environment

Cold Weather

Me and friends from Houston have gone skiing out west. We’d unzip jackets and even remove them. It was dry there. We weren’t the wimps we seemed.

Economy

Masters of Our Universe

So many of our Masters of the Universe want to escape earth in their rocketships. If these guys are so smart... smart enough to plot interstellar real estate development, why aren't they smart enough to solve a few problems here, at home?