I just happen to be in San Antonio this week.

There are certain cities that seem to belong to all Americans – New York, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and San Antonio are a few of them. They are cities unlike any others – they are anything but generic.

I was born in Houston and love it, but my heart lives in San Antonio. It is diverse, colorful, happy, hot, and loud. San Antonio is a 12 year old boy. The Air Force does basic training here and it is a very popular place for military retirees. But the city is dominated by young people because a dozen universities are here.

One of my sons went to college here. My sons are 5th generation Texans. His roommate, Miguel Tapia, was a 6th generation Texan. “I didn’t cross the border,” Tapia said, “the border crossed me.”

So, when a gifted young man of Hispanic background was the victim of obscene racist slurs for simply singing the National Anthem at a Spurs game, I was sickened.

Today I got to be a witness to this city, with class and grace, respond.

Sebastian, thank you for singing at the Spurs game again tonight. Thank you and this city for responding to hate with courage, class, and kindness.

I love yew, San Antonio.

State Rep. Ken Fredette of Maine, USA, decided to explain his vote on whether or not Maine should except money from Obamacare for Medicaid on his brain. Or maybe lack thereof.

After explaining that he knew the name of the book “Men are from Mars and Women are From Venus or Some Such Crap” but had no idea what they meant, he kept digging …

Because if you listen to the debate today, in my mind — a man’s mind — I hear really two fundamental issues. From the other side of the aisle, I hear the conversation being about ‘free. This is free, we need to take it, and it’s free. And we need to do it now.’ And that’s the fundamental message that my brain receives. Now, my brain, being a man’s brain, sort of thinks differently, because I say, ‘Well, it’s not — if it’s free, is it really free? Because I say, in my brain, there’s a cost to this.'”

He later apologize for being “inartful” with his remarks that men are innately smarter than women because it’s easier to fool women.

Oddly enough, every damn economist who has penciled the numbers says we’ll save a truckload of money enacting Obamacare.

So, the only thing that appears to be free is Mr. Fredette’s date night.

Everybody reading this spends at least part of every day wondering if you are raising or have raised your kids right. We’re Democrats so we worry about that. We want our kids to know that we are all God’s children and to be mindful that to whom much is given, much is required.

I rarely talk about personal matters here but Little Bubba answered my wondering today for at least today.

Little Bubba and Bubba

Little Bubba, Attorney at Law, favors Bubba in the looks department. A little.

To be honest, I’m not sure that I had much to do with his birth and had I not been there when he was born, I would need convincing that I’m his mother.

And Little Bubba,  who is known professionally as Mark D. Bankston sent  an email to his Bubba and me today.

You guys would be so proud of me.  I just chewed out the CVS V.P. for Texas over the new installation of self-serve checkout machines in their Main Street store.  The poor lone employee was totally overwhelmed trying to run a conventional counter plus supervise five self-serve machines, and the manager refused to help or even speak to me about the machines.  The employee told me that three employees had been fired and basically replaced with these infernal machines.

So I used some google magic to find their corporate number in Texas, and found the VP for Texas.  I told him those machines are offensive to working men and women, and that it caused me to be stuck in the store for 20 minutes on my way to work.  I told him that I used to like CVS because they had been good to the working man in the past, and that CVS always had great customer service.  Also, the Main Street store typically had lines at 9am and 5pm (understandably), and that it’s insulting in this economy not to hire additional help in the store, but rather fire people and replace them with machines.

I told him that as long as those machines are in the store, I won’t be.  He got very nervous and told me he would call me next week.

I want to tell you one thing about this kid.  When he gets hold of something he don’t let go.  I pity the Texas Vice President at CVS.  Nah, I don’t pity him and neither should you.

You can call him and tell him that your Momma raised you right, too.

And Little Bubba, I am proud of you every day.  Every damn one.

Little Bubba and his proud Grandma at his office.

What could possibly go wrong?

Sometimes we folks in Texas take neighborhood patrol seriously. Very seriously.

It’s a frightening sight to some Denton County neighbors: an armed gunman in a helicopter, hovering near North Texas homes. A gun range allows target practice from the air; the shooter hangs out of a helicopter, firing close to homes near Aubrey.

The owner of the helicopter charges $795 per person for 15 minutes. Make your reservations right here. He is quick to assure people in nearby neighborhoods that it is very quiet and will not disturb their everyday lives. You know, unless somebody accidentally shoots you. M

It appears that no mental health certification is required for the pilot or gunners. That’s nice because we wouldn’t want to make this difficult.

Thanks to Irene for the heads up.

I told you that last Saturday I went to the Texas Senate Redistricting Hearings. Bubba and His buddy Kyle Longhofer, attorney at law, spoke. They, of course, we were wonderful.

I couldn’t go back today for the House Redistricting Hearings because I had to be in San Antonio by 5:00 and the hearings started at 2:00. Kyle, however, went. I am told by folks who were there that this hearing was a lot more raucous and fun. I don’t know how that could be since I wasn’t there and there are rules in Texas about having fun without me.

To speak at the senate hearing, we filled out one form and submitted it.

Oh, not so such with the House.   Lookie here at the picture at the bottom.

That’s the forms just to speak.

Kyle spoke for Fort Bend County and got a standing ovation at the end of his speech. Kyle knows election law like I know hair spray, and, Honey, I know hair spray.

After he spoke, while they were on a break, State Represenative Rick Miller, whose district is gerrymandered so badly that it looks like an octopus on crack and who is a Thug at Large, came up to Kyle along with Rick’s silly wife and confronted him in an attempt to intimidate him. They wanted to know why Kyle didn’t like him and why he spoke out against him. “My husband is a good man,” Mrs. Miller insisted.

No, Trixie, he is not. Rick is mean, hateful and vicious to women , a coward of the worst sort, a reactionary, dishonest, encourages voter fraud, and stood and watched a 70 year old woman get beat up.. And I have to stop to catch my breath before I get wound up again.

Kyle will not be intimidated. No Democrat is intimidated by you. We hold you in contempt because you are a jerk.