Texas Blue Mailbag: Week of 9/9/2007

We got some nice letters this week; we appreciate those. Keep the questions coming, though!

Amy implores:

Please sign and share. We have until 10/31/07 to gather 1,500 signatures. The petition will go to Entravision General Manager, David Candeleria, and the Santa Monica home office.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/825505557

George replies:

You know, we had a question about progressive talk radio just a couple of weeks ago. You'd think that with the clear niche audience, it would have done quite a bit better right off the bat, so why the number weren't there is still anybody's guess. I hope somebody figures that one out. Progressive talk radio feels to me just a little bit like taking the Republicans on on their home turf — and who doesn't like that?

The petition above is for returning Air America to El Paso, but I think every progressive Texan would be happy to have it return to the airwaves just about anywhere around here. You can sign the petition at the link above.

ED writes:

The news roundup is great.

ED

Josh replies:

Thanks. It is labor intensive! So we like to hear that people enjoy it.

Barbara Ann Radnofsky writes after Wednesday's roundup:

This was one of your finest issues, and one of the best of any newsletter I receive, period. Thank you. BAR

George replies:

Thank you, Barbara! Like Josh mentioned above, those roundups are remarkably time-intensive. Covering so many topics at once and trying to say something salient about each that will bring the message behind the story home takes much more time than we originally expected to spend doing those. But response has been so positive that we are happy to keep it up. It is great to hear that people read and enjoy them.

So, again, thanks — and make sure you tell your friends! ;-)

Chad asks:

What is this I hear about us ending up with more troops in Iraq when the surge is over?

Josh replies:

You heard right — apparently the AP has done some math, even though I currently lack the mental bandwidth to figure it out all the way down. The gist is that support staff for the surge are unaccounted for in the plan and ostensibly will remain, so even though the number of surge troops will drop, the total number of troops in Iraq may end up increased, on the aggregate. I like the irony in that the drawdown isn't a partial or qualified truth, but is apparently just a flat out lie.