I love Arkansas.  I love the Ozark mountains and the Capitol Hotel in Little Rock.  I sat on the floor and sobbed at the Central High School National Historic Museum.  I love Green Forest and my Aunt Rhea’s apple trees.  I love the Buffalo River in the fall and little cabins where you don’t even get radio reception.  I love The Winery and their sweet grape wines.

And then there’s this guy, State Senator Jason Rapert …

Jason and his very prissy mustache

A Republican state legislator miffed about an Arkansas judge’s ruling that struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban suggested on a conservative radio show that politicians should emulate Saudi Arabia by basing laws off Christian doctrine, as Saudi Arabia does with Islam.

And he’s not joking either.

That’s why they call him the Senator from Tealiban.

Thanks to Charles for the heads up.

I have to drive through LaMarque on my way to Galveston.  In the future, I won’t drink the water or breathe the air.

Connie Trube, a two-term La Marque City Council member, made the comments while discussing the financial and academic troubles in the La Marque Independent School District with the husband of a political adversary, reported KPRC-TV.

“It’s not going to get any better until you get those blacks off the school board,” Trube says on the recording. “She really turned black. She got on the school board with the rest of the blacks and they all just ganged up and that’s why the school system has gone to hell.”

And then, she refused to apologize.  Even though she has been censured by city council, she ain’t backing down.

“What is on the tape is nothing more than me stating my honest opinion, and I don’t back down from that,” Trube said. “I never denied what was on the tape.”

But, of course, we’re being intolerant of her intolerance if we ask her to be tolerant.

Thanks to Chickenbonewill for the heads up.

Actual Sign on my way home from Austin —

And the actual real building that goes with it.

It just seems a little disappointing.

My favorite breaking news in a damn year.

John Boehner has to be sweating orange crush.

He’s baaaaaack.

After losing his tongue for a while, Louie Gohmert is back with Nazis on his mind.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said on the House floor Friday that liberals who call anti-gay-marriage Christians “haters” are subjecting them to persecution similar to how Nazis treated Jews during the Holocaust.

“It is amazing that in the name of liberality, in the name of being tolerant, this fascist intolerance has arisen,” Gohmert began.

Louie, have we called the lions yet?  No, we have not.  Calm your butt down, child.

Pointing out your intolerance is not intolerant.  Ignoring it, however, is chickenpoop.

Thanks to Kyle for the heads up and John for the graphic.

Okay, campers, I’m in Austin today to holler at the Texas Democratic Party Platform Committee.

Our party chairman, Gilberto Hinojosa, put me on the platform committee.  Whether he’s the smartest man you ever knew or totally drunk when making the selection is up for speculation and your viewpoint.  I can promise you that the Texas Democrat roaches, who linger even after a decade of being proven wrong, losing everything, and throwing $11 million down the toilet, are still fighting for the “persuadable Republican” instead of firing up the base.  I have one thing to say, “persuadable Republicans” are like unicorns – fun to talk about but they don’t exist.

I will be there to fight for core Democratic values.  Y’all might want to organize a posse with some big ole encyclopedias –    not for the information but for the whacking upside the head value.

I’ll keep you updated if we get a break or some damfool drones on and on about how he dislikes section C, subtext 4, bullet point IV.

Bubba and I arrived last night and, as required by statute, went for Margaritas and tamales with some of our favorite people.  Little did we know that the hole-in-the-wall joint we chose for last night’s cuisine had won an award in 2005 from the Austin Chronicle, an alternative newspaper.

Here ya go.  It was hanging over the door as you exit.  Thanks to Mark for being tall enough to take the picture.  You might have to click the little one to get the big one.

If the Austin Chronicle cannot spell tortilla, then they are an alternative newspaper in every sense of the word – including spelling.

If you’re ever in Austin, their tortilla soup is amazingly great but their Margaritas are the worst ever.  The first hint was blue salt around the rim.

UPDATE:

We took it seriously and we worked nicely together.

I’m home.  We are going to have an excellent platform if it survives the convention committee.  I’m thinking of running for the convention committee.