Tx Capitol Report | A view from the Texas state capitol

Excerpts from President Barack Obama’s Address to the Nation on the End of Combat Operations in Iraq

“But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that our future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment. It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.”
 
***
 
“At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. As Commander-in-Chief, I am proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.”
 
***
 
“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country. This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.  Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq’s Security Forces and support its government and people. That is what we have done. We have removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.”
 
***
 
“Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest – it is in our own. The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. We have persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people – a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page.”
 
***
 
“Today, our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work. To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy.  We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs. This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President.”
 

Texas Education on i-Tunes

Texas teachers can use videos and podcasts on i-Tunes as extra resources for their students through a free new initiative, announced Tuesday by Gov. Rick Perry.

Texas Education on iTunes U is aimed at helping teachers with professional development and making support materials more accessible. It also is an attempt to provide a resource for students to download materials that will help them understand new concepts. State agencies and non-profit organizations will also be able to use the site to post videos.

“The quality of education in Texas is steadily improving as we continue to combine tried and true teaching methods with new technology to achieve educational success,” Perry said in a statement.

Interview with UTEP president about gunfire

Diana Natalicio, president of the University of Texas at El Paso, spoke about a weekend shooting in which a bullet hit the UTEP campus. Here are Natalicio's observations:

"I am very, very sad that the violence in Juarez has touched us directly in this way, but I am very grateful at the same time that this incident, a random stray bullet, arrived on our campus at 6:30 in the evening on a Saturday, which is probably one of the least likely times that it would find anyone around or anyone actively moving about the campus. We had the good fortune that this didn't occur at a time when the campus was crowded with students, faculty and staff and visitors. It is nonetheless very sad to me that we are, all of us in El Paso, being touched directly by the violence in Juarez.

"We recognize that it is a random occurrence, a random event, and there is not a whole lot we can do on a practical level to protect ourselves from random events, that's very difficult to do. However, there are precautions that we should take in terms of providing students faculty and staff with safety tips or suggestions. We have a text message mobile phone warning system that not a lot of our students have signed up for. We are going to strongly recommend that they do that because it could also be a case of natural disasters or lots of other things.

"We need to reinforce the safety precautions that we have developed on the campus and this is a good reminder that we have to refresh our memories in the way of procedures and things like this but in the way of preventions it seems to me extremely difficult to be able to develop strategies that would reduce the risk to zero.

"We are consulting with a whole host of law enforcement agencies and a number of other entities like the University of Texas System. I've already spoken with the chancellor and we are talking with them about risk assessment procedures. That will be an opportunity for our own health and safety people to consult with their risk assessment team, I've talked with Congressman Reyes' office and I've talked to the mayor. We are trying to make sure that we touch all appropriate bases to seek advice to make sure that we get all best practices because there are people who are very experienced at these kinds of things.

"We are trying to explore all possible avenues to protect students, faculty and staff. That is our highest priority. Random acts do occur and this was one of them. Our great good fortune was that it happened at a time when it resulted in minimal damage to the campus and the people on it. So, it's a very difficult situation to devise proactive strategies to prevent.

"Balance is really the important issue. Overreacting only creates more panic and I don't think we want to encourage or foster a notion that moving about in El Paso, Texas, is a highly risky proposition. It is very easy to exaggerate this and I think we should not contribute to that. We need to be measured in what we say and we need to think carefully about how we approach a problem like this. It's very complex and many of the variables are beyond our control.

"Everyone on the campus should understand that their safety and security is our priority and we have been working since this incident was discovered nonstop trying to work our way through all of the issues that are associated with it. I do think that we have to be realistic in assessing the situation. There is some risk but I think that overstating it or exaggerating it or using one incident, which appears to be random, we weren't targeted. It was not as though this was intended to enter the UTEP campus; it was a stray. This is the first time this has happened on the campus and I hope it will be the last time and we are going to do everything we can to prevent it from happening again. But realistically we are going to have to recognize that living at very close distance from a very violent environment is going to have some impact. It's going to impact us in a variety of ways. And, so the sooner that the situation in Juarez is brought under control, the better off we will all be. We have been sister cities forever and it is important that we return to a more peaceful co-existence.

"There is naturally apprehension on the part of people who may feel more vulnerable because their building is closer to the border but again I think we need to emphasize that this is the first time this has happened. It does not appear to be something that we can assume will be repeated.

"Keeping it in perspective is what's so difficult. You want to do everything you can to protect people but at the same time you don't want to overreact because you really do create more problems then in terms of people making bad choices or unnecessary choices. It is a balancing act. "There's really a limit to how much you can do. We are certainly going to have conversations with our risk assessment people and we are going to look at everything very carefully but again, the idea that you can protect yourself from a random bullet is probably not very realistic. There are certain precautions that we can take if gunfire does break out in Juárez. That people would move to another area or something like that. Those are the kinds of things we've been talking about.

"It's pretty difficult to build barriers. We do have a fence along the border. That didn't seem to have any effect. There is just a limit to what you can do.

"The probability of something like that happening again is pretty remote but nonetheless, it's certainly not a good thing.

"I would like this not to become fodder for overreaction of any kind. It is definitely not a good thing that first, there is violence at this level in Juárez and second, that the violence has a way of touching us directly in El Paso on occasion. It is something that we should all regret very much but again I don't think that we want to overstate what happened here and generalize to a point that we conclude that living in this region, or attending the university, or going to your job at city hall is unsafe. That's quite a leap. We should all be measured in how we think about this and how we talk about it."

Senate candidate hosts community forum tonight

Jose Rodriguez, the Democratic candidate for state senate, is having a community forum tonight to talk about boosting job opportunities and decreasing poverty along the border.

Rodriguez faces Republican businessman and economics professor Dan Chavez in the general election this November.

The forum will be at 6 p.m. at Democratic Unity Campaign Headquarters, 6430 Gateway East, Suite A.

“Given the on-going recession, jobs continue to be a critical issue for El Paso," Rodriguez said in a press release announcing the forum. "While our Chambers of Commerce, REDCO, and others are working very diligently to develop new jobs and attract new industry, we must also focus on the needs of working families struggling to make ends meet."

Below is a portion of the release that provides a list of issues that will be discussed.

•Promoting decent wages and working conditions: (Johnny Ruiz, Building & Construction Trades Council) Are unions the only viable alternative to increase workers’ wages? What are the challenges workers face in their search for better wages and working conditions? How are the “right to work” laws helping or hurting Texas workers?

• Improving Workers’ Skills and Earning Potential: (Lorenzo Reyes, Workforce Solutions) What government programs have proven to be successful in transforming the skills of minimum wage workers? What labor skills does El Paso require to accelerate the transformation of our economy?

•Helping Working Families Build Resources & Prosper: (Mark Alvarado, Neighborhood Services of the City of El Paso) What role do the public housing programs play in helping low income families to come out of poverty? What is the importance of the neighborhood programs in strengthening the prosperity of low-income residents?

Gov. Rick Perry's campaign continues to hit on the issue of race

Gov. Rick Perry's campaign is hoping to continue talking about race to hammer at his opponent Democrat Bill White.

Perry has called on White to apologize for telling a group of African-American business and community leaders, “We need a governor who's a servant, as opposed to Rick Perry, who wants to be treated as master."  The quote was reported in the Dallas Morning News.

A new web video from the Rick Perry campaign calls White's comments "insensitive", "offensive", and "divisive".

It also mentions Republican Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams. Williams stood behind Perry and demanded that White apologize.

The video does not mention the White campaign's response to Perry's criticisms.

White's campaign has said that his comments were rooted in religion and had nothing to do with race. The campaign also provided a list of instances when White had made similar comments and said Perry never complained before.

Democratic state Reps. Barbara Mallory Caraway, who co-hosted the event, and Garnet Coleman came to White's defense. They said Perry was wrong and White's comments were not meant to be racial.

Asked for evidence of "terror babies," lawmaker yells at host

Two Texas lawmakers are arguing that undocumented immigrants are entering the United States to have children who will later be trained to become terrorists and conspire against the country.

The lawmakers claim that terrorists are plotting against the country with a plan that takes decades to develop. Under, this suggested plot, they say an undocumented immigrant would have a child in the country to establish citizenship. That child would then be trained to commit terrorist acts intended to hurt Americans.

Evidence has not been provided to substantiate such claims.

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, went on CNN to defend that claim but the conversation quickly deteriorated when Anderson Cooper pressed the congressman for evidence.

Cooper asked Gohmert to provide evidence after referencing an interview with a former FBI official who dismissed Gohmert's and Republican state Rep. Debbie Riddle's claims that FBI sources told them such tactics were being used.

Gohmert never offered proof to validate his claims. He did, however, yell at Cooper throughout the interview.

Gohmert told Cooper that he and the Daily Show's John Stewart could continue having fun at his expense.

A frustrated Cooper shot back, "Sir, I don't think there is anything fun about a congressman going onto the House floor and spreading scare stories. I don't think there is anything fun about that and going on some tv show where you don't get challenged about it. If you want to just yell about it all day long, you're certainly welcome to do that. We don't usually do that on this program. I've offered you to present some form of evidence and you've presented nothing."

New campaign website and video for State Rep. Joe Moody

The race issue: Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White

Gov. Rick Perry's campaign today demanded that Democrat Bill White apologize for "racially motivated" comments made during a speech to a black audience in Dallas.

The campaign pointed to an article in the Dallas Morning News that quoted White telling a group of African-American business and community leaders, “We need a governor who's a servant, as opposed to Rick Perry, who wants to be treated as master."

Perry's campaign manager Rob Johnson issued a statement calling the remarks "insensitive".

“Yesterday, Bill White showed just how low he will go in his race for governor, by making racially motivated remarks attacking Gov. Perry," Johnson said. "Instead of talking about issues that will move this state forward, Bill White has chosen a path based on scare tactics and division."

White's campaign said the former Houston mayor has been talking about "servant leadership" with many groups and added that his remarks have nothing to do with race.

"Bill White would welcome a debate with Rick Perry about servant leadership and ethics," Bacon said. "Perry's lack of ethics and his belief that state government exists to serve him shine through every day. Perry, a 25 year career politician, thinks he's the master of Texas."

Bacon provided the following list of White's comments to different groups.

•Bill White Speaks to Kingwood Tea Party
"We need as our governor somebody who is a servant, not a career politician who's acting as if they're in control and they're the master," White said. "Leadership is not about dividing a state or a community up into red teams or blue teams or teams that are on the sidelines and playing people off against each other. It's about finding common ground and moving us forward, and that I know how to do." (Ultimate Kingwood, Bill White Visits Kingwood)
  

•Bill White Speaks to Texas Farm Bureau
"If a governor ever acts like he owns positions on state boards and commissions, and appointees are expected to serve his personal re-election agenda, then surely it is time to find a new governor. We need a governor who understands that he should serve as a humble servant rather than a demanding master," White said. (Bill White for Texas, Bill White's Remarks before the Texas Farm Bureau)

•Bill White's Speech at Democratic Convention

"In Rick Perry's Texas, state boards and agencies are pressured from the top to serve those who help the Governor's re-election. In our Texas, government will be the servant, not the master, and our customers will be ordinary Texans," White said.  (Texas Observer, Bill White's Acceptance Speech at the Democratic Convention)

•Bill White in Palestine, TX
"We need somebody who will be a servant and not think they are the master of the state," White said. (Palestine Herald, Governor hopeful White says he wants to serve Texans, not tell them what to do)

•Bill White in Corsicana, TX

Bill White said he wants "to be a governor who is a servant, and not a master." (Corsicana Daily News, White Greets Local Dems)

•Bill White in Seguin, TX
Texans, White said, deserve a governor with a servant's heart who knows he works for them. "You deserve someone who will be responsive to you," White said. "I will have a servant's heart, and I will never forget where I came from. With your help, we will have a new governor in November." (Seguin Gazette, Gubernatorial hopeful makes Seguin stop)

Republican Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams provided this statement:

“Bill White’s use of the terms “servant” and “master,” conjuring up images of slavery, are simply ignorant and offensive.  Pandering to an all-black audience by inserting race into this political campaign should be offensive to not only us African-Americans, but all Texans.

“This is another example of a politician who doesn’t have a record to run on.   As mayor of Houston, home to the largest African-American community in Texas, he missed an opportunity to earn a record of inclusion, diversity and expanding opportunities for all Texans.”

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, issued this statement:

"The Governor needs to stop trying to use African-Americans as a wedge for his divisive and partisan political campaign.  We don't have to parse the Governor's words to find animosity towards communities of color, a simple look at his actions during his 25 years in office makes clear his position."
 
"Rick Perry has spent the last ten years as Governor ignoring the values of the African-American community in Texas, in both his policies and his politics.  Rick Perry has cut vital state services that affect communities of color in education, health care, and housing.  He's passed policies that allow for skyrocketing college tuition rates and homeowner's insurance rates, placing a target on the backs of both limited and middle income families.  Rick Perry has tried to limit Texans' right to vote and put secession on the table.  Rick Perry actively celebrates state's rights, a movement to return our country to a time when separate but equal was still the law of the land.  Rick Perry has celebrated the Tea Party movement, a movement that has sanctified some of the most racist behavior we have seen in our country in almost fifty years -- and never once has he denounced any of it."

   

Obama spokesman responds to questions about Bill White's absence

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White was not in Austin today to greet President Barack Obama.

Deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton was asked on Air Force One about the implications of White's absence and what it said about the president's coattails, image and popularity.

"I don't think that it says anything broadly about the President's coattails," Burton said according  a White House pool report. "I think it says that Bill White had something else going on today that he would rather do than campaign with the President."

Burton was then asked if the President was insulted by White's absence.

"No, he thinks that candidates should make their own decisions about how best to spend their time," Burton responded. "He definitely does not take that as an insult."

Gov. Rick Perry and President Barack Obama

    President Barack Obama received a letter from Republican Gov. Rick Perry today in Austin that called for an additional 1,000 troops along the Texas border with Mexico.

    "The need for border security along the Rio Grande should no longer be underestimated by the federal government, Mr. President," Perry wrote in the letter. "An unsecured border is a threat to our national security and to the safety and security of all our citizens."

    Perry attempted to give the letter to Obama directly but instead it ended up with an aide, according to the press pool report

    In his letter, Perry detailed events along the border that he said showed the need for more security. He mentioned bullets that hit El Paso City Hall.

    "On any given day, the Mexican border region is beset with vicious murders, torture, kidnappings, and armed confrontations with Mexican law enforcement and military," Perry stated in the letter.