Gerrymandering has been blood sport in the US almost since the founding where partisans established districts that favored one party over another.  Both sides did it for decades up until computer modeling raised it to an art form in the early 2000s.

Starting in 2002, pushed by good ol’ Tom Delay, Texas Republicans rammed through a mid-decade redistricting that turned state politics on its head to take control of the state house and delegation to Washington.  The result has been a slow death spiral of our state by almost every measure causing declines in education, health care, and infrastructure lead by screwballs like Louie Gohmert, Dan Patrick, and Blake Farenthold.

To make matters worse, Republicans, knowing that their constituency of white angry people is aging and shrinking, have continued to tighten their grip to maintain power as the demographics of Texas push them into the minority.  When they yet again gerrymandered Texas districts in 2011, using computer technology and a technique called “packing and cracking”, people who tend to vote Democratic were either packed into small districts or spread out so much that their votes didn’t count.  These techniques discriminate against not only white Democrats, but disproportionately affect Hispanics and African Americans.

Friday, the story began to change when the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the redistricting plan of 2011 saying,

“The record indicates not just a hostility toward Democrat districts, but a hostility to minority districts, and a willingness to use race for partisan advantage.”

The court also noted the “strong racial tension and heated debate about Latinos, Spanish-speaking people, undocumented immigrants and sanctuary cities.”  Finally, a federal court has spoken the truth about those who lead Texas – that they’re racists.  The record of open hostility to minorities convinced the majority that this wasn’t just simple gerrymandering, which is bad enough, but actually a strategy to keep the votes of racial minorities from counting.

This judgment will very likely end up in an appeal to the Supreme Court.  In the meantime, Texas has to go back to the drawing board.  It’s about time.

Hey guys, I’m distracted now but some of you want to talk about the Texas redistricting and others want to talk about Preet Bharara.

Talk about what you want to.

Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

.

.

.

.

.

Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

.

.

Cecil Webster has been my friend for ten years, maybe even a little longer.  He’s a retired Colonel in the United States Army and one helluva gentleman farmer in Carmine, Texas.  A long time ago, Cecil married way above himself to the gorgeous and talented Marsha Webster.

Cecil is the former Democratic county chair of Fayette County, a national delegate for Barack Obama in 2012, and currently serves on the State Democratic Executive Committee representing Texas Veterans.

I like Cecil.  But even if I didn’t, he’s not a man I would want to piss off.

So, when Cecil got a call that his congressvarmint wasn’t going to do a town hall, but that he would have a mass phone call where he did all the talking, Cecil was willing to even do that.

It did not go well.

First came this …

Cecil is a patient man but when it became apparent that he’d been snookered …

Mike McCaul’s official name is now Grass.

I kinda think we ain’t heard the end of this.  At least I hope we haven’t.

Sic ‘um, Cecil.

Momma, do not click this link.

Listen to me, Momma, do NOT click it.

Everybody, click away.  It’s Dirty but it’s funny.

Or for the clean minded among you, there’s this.

In case you’re wondering where I have been all day, I got a better invitation.

We went to the zoo to see the an-mals.

Taken as Rick Perry was sworn into office as Energy Secretary.  Ted Cruz and Rick are suddenly best friends again. Either that or Rick is trying to make out with him.