The Texas Blue: Articles
Putting The "Texas" Back In Texas Hold 'Em
By Josh Davis
Mon, 02/05/2007 - 10:46am
The new blockbuster Bond film Casino Royale largely takes place in beautiful Montenegro, where a gamble-to-the-death takes place between the film's hero, James Bond, and the villain, Alex Dimitrios. Texas, believe it or not, is crucial to the film and the plot, because Texas Hold'em is the game they play. The Texas Hold 'Em scene literally takes up half the movie. The director chose the game because Texas Hold 'em can hold the audience's attention. We understand the game, so we can follow the action, as subdued as it might seem compared to the wicked-awesome opening scene.
TAKS Season
By Chris Bell
Mon, 02/05/2007 - 8:12am
It used to be that a new year would roll around and kids would be completely left out of one of the major topics of conversation: tax season. Adults would lament the fact they had to prepare their returns and voice great fears about the looming damage to their bank accounts. Children had to sit idly by without anything to lend to the discussion. No longer. Now young people, especially public school students, have their own TAKS season and, while spelled differently, it carries the same dread and anxiety.
Iran, Iraq, and Vietnam
Mon, 01/29/2007 - 1:06pm
As a second US carrier strike force propels itself towards Iran and the Persian Gulf with potential for a parallel to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, we find the US State Department now claiming rapprochement with Iran "not possible" until Iran satisfies demands of halting uranium enrichment. This demand requires our end game be met before discussions start.
Is Our Children Learning? (Civics edition)
Mon, 01/29/2007 - 1:06pm
This November's passing of another midterm election with lackluster voter interest and turnout leads me to consider several questions about the health of democracy in the United States. Voters had multiple issues to consider, including U.S. actions in a failing war in Iraq, questionable leadership on foreign policy with North Korea and Iran, ethics violations by at least a dozen members of Congress, high gas prices, stagnated wages, and an overall sense that our country is on the wrong track.
An Open Letter to President Bush
Tue, 01/23/2007 - 9:52pm
Mr. President:
The rite of custom brings you to the Congress each year for an address on the State of our Union. The rite of custom brings you to the Congress, but the unfortunate rite of linguistic custom demanded a change from the prepared mention of "the Democratic majority" to the spoken "Democrat majority." Senator McCarthy's favored pejorative endures, even from beyond the grave.
Proposed legislation to watch
Mon, 01/22/2007 - 6:19pm
The following bills were identified before the start of the 80th Session as key bills to watch; we will bring you updates on them as they see action, either in committee or on the floor.
Financing Public Education
By Karl Lynch
Mon, 01/22/2007 - 8:35am
Financing public education in Texas is linked to the goal of achieving a "general diffusion of knowledge." Article VII, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution requires that our lawmakers set up a system that accomplishes this mandate. The roadblocks are intentional, set up by the framers of the state to guarantee the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people through free public education. Proponents of the voucher system tout this redistribution system as the cure-all for education problems in Texas. The current research does not support this argument.
On Running Races and Pointing Fingers
Thu, 01/18/2007 - 8:57pm
UPDATE: We interviewed David Van Os, where he spoke on his reaction to the 2006 campaign cycle, his race, and his response to this article. You can hear the Van Os interview here.
As Democrats, we are a big-tent party. We pride ourselves on letting a broad spectrum of opinion come to the table for discussion. We believe in Holmes' marketplace of ideas, in letting all voices be heard. So it stands to reason that one could take personal affront when they feel like their particular voice is not getting equal time in the discussion.
Lampson Faces Uphill Battle in '08
By Cody Yocom
Wed, 01/17/2007 - 7:44am
The midterm elections in 2006 signaled an important change in the mood of the American public, heralding the inevitable swing of the pendulum back towards the left. The Democratic wave occurred mainly due to public opinion - a well-executed national campaign 16% as independents. In 2006, Lampson was able to consolidate the Democratic vote and much of the independent vote, and goodplan only helped shore up the sentiment that already existed within the electorate.
Wanna Talk? No, Not Really
By Susan Larsen
Mon, 01/15/2007 - 7:29am
Here is a quiz question for you: what branch of Texas government has two uber-divisions in Austin, fourteen intermediate divisions throughout the state, and ninety-eight officials elected for six-year terms?