Thursday Roundup: There Is No Why

I usually spend roundups talking about Bad Things That Have Happened Recently. Today, however, I would like to talk about a few good things. For instance, did you know Texas led the nation in alternative fuel vehicles last year?

Here's another Good Thing, and if you can believe it, it comes from Rick Perry: Texas now has Level 4 radio interoperability throughout the state. "Level 4" is a metric for measuring how well first reponders and emergency managers can communicate across their varying radio systems, and the highest level you can obtain is 6, which you would find in Austin and Houston and other urban areas. The good news is that now firemen, police, EMT's, emergency response crews and other disaster-related personnel can all talk to each other, all the way through the state. There's also a border security aspect to it, and as the non-urban areas on the border approach Level 6 ratings, it will get even easier to communicate.

W. Gardner Selby tells a tale about various truths either discovered or reinforced during this year's session. It is quite funny, especially the part about Warren Chisum asserting that homeless people don't have computers.

I guess this could be Good or Bad News, depending on your politics or lack thereof: Anna Tinsley from the Star-Telegram points out how Texas has become candidate-rich early in the Presidential race. Mitt Romney is up in our neck of the woods today, hitting two events and very likely dodging questions about hunting for varmints.

The state Senate has a plan for the TYC, which is also Good News. The proposal represents a huge overhaul and made it out of committee, no doubt on its way to the floor. Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, a Democrat representing the McAllen area, is responsible for the bill, so it is nice Democrats were able to take up some leadership on the issue. Senator Whitmire has also been instrumental in the prime moving and shaking of late.

In Good News for people that want kids to have access to health care, community groups and religious leaders are taking it to Dewhurst over his malfeasance on CHIP restoration. I think in the coming years we'll see more groups normally thought to be solidly Republican or conservative start to drift away from the GOP due to discord with their policy and morals.

And now for the reason I wanted to talk about Good News today: Kurt Vonnegut died last night. Anyone who's ever wanted to be an American writer has likely come across Vonnegut in one form or another, and while he was no spring chicken, it is still a bummer. He is responsible for some of my favorite lines ever, like

Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.

or even

And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

and definitely

The two real political parties in America are the Winners and the Losers. The people don’t acknowledge this. They claim membership in two imaginary parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, instead.

But I remembered this last night when I heard about it, and reproduce it here, believing that it still talks about Good News:

If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC

Blues For America — 07 January, 2006