.

I like the Texas Observer just fine.  I do.  I’ve written for them and they’ve written about me a couple of times.  I subscribe and I also donate money to them.  I bought a Jim Hightower hat and a Molly Ivins shirt at one of their auctions, neither of which was a bargain.  I thought we had a pretty good relationship.

I have met the editor of the Texas Observer, Bob Moser, one time in passing, and he seemed like a nice guy.  He’s a good writer, and knows his way around Texas political shenanigans.  He wrote an article, and it’s a dandy, for The Nation Magazine this week.  Only problem is: he embarrassed me like the time I got the back of my dress caught in my garter belt and flashed the entire congregation of the First United Methodist Church.

To be honest, it’s nice to be quoted with the likes of Paul Krugman and Bill Hobby.  Moser quoted me and tried to nicely attributed the quote.  I appreciate the effort, but everybody at my house is laughing at me today.

“Texas is setting a new standard by setting new lows,” says East Texas blogger Susan DuQuesnay Bankston.

I am not a blogger.  It says that very clearly over there on the right.  I can’t be a blogger because I got blackballed by the Texas Progressive Alliance Blogger’s Club.  Seriously.  No, seriously.  They wouldn’t even tell me the secret handshake.  I couldn’t attend their secret meetings, where they traded, oh, I dunno, secrets.  One of them even publicly said, “She’s not a real blogger.”  So, there ya go.  I can’t be a blogger if I can’t get ordained.

No, seriously, they really blackballed me.  It’s a damn hoot.

And then there’s that East Texas thing.  I don’t live in East Texas.  Not that there’s anything wrong with living in East Texas – some of the finest liberals in Texas history came out of the Piney Woods.  Archer Fullingim, Bill Moyers, Ralph Yarborough, Wright Pattman, Charlie Wilson … all came from East Texas.  But, East Texas has changed.  If I lived in East Texas now, they would have strapped me to a tree nakkid, poured honey all over me and called the fire ants.  Heck, they do that to moderates in East Texas.

I live near the Brazos River bottom, closer to the Gulf Coast than to East Texas.  So, Bob, I don’t know what you can call me.   “Queen” is already taken and so is “Lady Gaga.”  I guess we’re gonna have to come up with something if I intend on continuing to be quotable, and I sure do.

Go read Bob’s story.  It’s really good.

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Andrew Sullivan put this picture on his blog.

Juanita weighs in, “The rest of America is probably kinda stunned that our Governor is posing like he’s damn Saddam Hussein or something.  But Texas is stunned that our Governor is wearing sissy French cuffs on his shirt.  Unless those cuff links have that nakkid girl you see on mudflaps or at least six shooters on them, he’s lost some votes in West Texas.”

Thanks to Kewalo and Judy for the heads up.

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I got an email from Tom Johnson —

Hello: I am a senior scholar in the School of Journalism at University of Texas. My research partner and I are conducting our seventh online survey, investigating social media use and political attitudes and behaviors. Steve Whichard from Doing my Part for the Left suggested that I contact you about help in promoting our survey Frankly, conservatives are kicking our butts; the vast majority of our survey respondents have been conservatives. We are embarrassed we can’t convince more liberals to fill out our survey. Could you provide us a mention on Juanita Jean’s to help provide a liberal balance? We also include questions about how people found out about Osama Bin Laden’s death, what sources they used to get further information and how they shared information about his death.

Our survey has been approved by the Internal Review Board at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. As part of the permission process it is guaranteed that all submissions are anonymous and confidential. Any identifying information (i.e. IP address) will be deleted by the researchers upon receipt. Tom Johnson

I think you get karma points by participating.  In fact, I’m sure of it.

Click here to get started.

Hook ’em!

.

Uh oh.

Iceland’s most active volcano started erupting Saturday, with a white plume shooting 18,000 feet into the sky, scientists said.

The eruption was followed by around 50 small earthquakes, the largest of which measured 3.7 on the Richter Scale, according to Iceland’s meteorological office.

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Father J. Cletus Kiley, from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, shows how REAL Christians act for God’s children.

Thanks to Bud for the heads-up.

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“Honey, Honey, Honey, do not believe it when Governor Rick Perry says Texas does not have enough money to pay teachers,” Juanita begins on this Friday morning.

“We certainly have enough money for the really important things – like Formula One racing!”

Texas, which may balance its budget by firing thousands of teachers, plans to commit $25 million in state funds to Formula One auto racing each year for a decade.

Red McCombs

Four years after motorsports’ most popular series left the U.S., Texas investors including Clear Channel Communications Inc. co-founder B.J. “Red” McCombs are building a 3.4-mile (5.5-kilometer) track to bring the event to Austin. Comptroller Susan Combs has agreed to pay $25 million for races through 2022, a subsidy questioned by critics and lawmakers as the state cuts costs to close an estimated $15 billion two-year deficit.

“I don’t understand,” she says.  “If this is such a dandy idea, why the hell ain’t Red McCombs and his cigar-smokin’ buddies putting up the $25 million?  That’s pocket change to them.”

To make matters even worse …

Formula One races have failed to gain traction previously in the U.S. Since the 1970s, the series has been hosted by Long Beach, California, as well as Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and, most recently, Indianapolis. The races there ended in 2007 on declining attendance.

“Honey, Formula One looks like a sport ready for an autopsy,” she says.  “Why don’t we just parachute into a live volcano and save the $25 million?”

“I think we should study-up on a better way to spend our money than to give it to Red McCombs to put a $100 saddle on a $20 horse.”