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Ted Poe: To Birth or Not to Birth

U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, is embarrassing his constituents again. I am one of them. Poe, the former headline-happy judge turned right-wing nut champion, has shown himself to be in the forefront of the “Birther” movement.

The so-called “Birthers” are those who either cling to the fantasy or have helped perpetuate it that President Obama was born in Kenya. Poe has at the very least done his share to make sure this second round of raising the birth issue gained a little press. Others among the Birthers believe Obama’s election to U.S. president is part of some larger conspiracy.

Poe, who shows up touting his right-wing views on CNN’s Lou Dobbs and various Fox News programs, was  one of the sponsors of a bill that would require presidential candidates to produce a copy of their birth certificate. Somewhat ironically, Poe and others pushing the “Birther Bill” voted for a resolution honoring Hawaii’s 50 years in the the union and noting the Aloha State is the birthplace of Barack Obama.

Officials in Hawaii today once again affirmed that Barack Obama was born in Honolulu.

Back to Poe, he has proven that he is more interested on hot-button issues that will get him on Must See Right-Wing TV than helping out the home folks back in the 2nd Congressional District of Texas. For instance he appeared on one right-leaning TV show, I think it was Lou Dobbs, using El Paso as a backdrop. While I too have concerns about El Paso I am not a congressman. Poe is and he doesn’t represent El Paso.

Although the district no longer represents the heart of the East Texas Pineywoods as it once did —  the 2nd being urban and in the affluent ares north of Houston certainly more Republican —  it is easy to determine that Ted Poe is no Charlie Wilson.

Maybe next election the folks of the 2nd Congressional District of Texas including Republicans will do as others did in electing Obama and a Democratic-controlled Congress, and turn out Ted Poe so he can do his wingnut act without taxpayers footing the bill.

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No police discount for you

A wise man once said: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

This morning I listened as a defendant appearing for sentencing before the local criminal court judge copped to stupidity as the reason the man committed the acts for which he pleaded guilty. Those charges were for evading arrest and impersonating a public servant.

I was in the criminal courtroom this morning for a freelance gig and while waiting through the docket call. I got to view the seemingly never-ending parade of idiocy that keeps our criminal justice system in business.

The facts in this particular defendant’s charges were not totally clear as he had already pleaded guilty and was only in court for punishment. But it appears that he ran from police on a motorcycle at speeds of what he said was near 100 mph. His charge of impersonating a police officer stemmed from his attempt to buy a range-finder for playing golf during which time he had asked for a police discount. Whether the two charges were related or if he flashed a phony badge eludes me.

I do know in a brief research of the defendant’s criminal records in three states that he had prior charges for reckless driving, speeding and criminal impersonation. It makes me wonder if he is a serial impersonator. He no doubt has a need for speed. He also claims to be a professional bike racer but given his history I am not sure I would take his word at face value.

The judge sentenced the man to probation and a fine on the two charges. Let’s just hope that the man doesn’t try to impersonate a probation officer.

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What'd I say?

Yesterday I commented about the remark made by President Obama at his press conference the night before. Among his statements, Obama said the Cambridge, Mass., police department “acted stupidly” in handling the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. The arrest has turned into a big racial controversy that I feel has more to do with a couple of people with bruised egos, one of which was arrested with charges later being dismissed.

I remarked that Obama was only half right about the incident in which white police Sgt. Jim Crowley arrested Obama’s friend Gates, who is black, for disorderly conduct. Police were called because Gates was thought to be breaking into his own home. Gates became upset over the confrontation, which led to his arrest. I said the incident should have ended when Gates produced identification. I still believe that. But I think Gates should have used common sense and perhaps kept a cooler head.

This morning several Boston-area police unions expressed their outrage — as have many other Americans, many of whom are Republicans — over the president’s remarks.

This afternoon Obama said, in a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing room, that he had called Crowley. While Obama did not apologize he said that he told Crowley he wished he had used a better choice of words during Wednesday’s press conference. Obama also is hoping to put together a “peace conference” over beers with Crowley and Gates. Great, they’ll all get drunk, wind up in a brawl and we’ll have an even bigger brouhaha! Just kidding.

Of course, the controversy won’t end there as I said yesterday it wouldn’t end anytime soon. As someone on cable news said this morning, whenever the president makes a statement on something it extends the matter at least another day. His opponents will certainly try to run the matter into the ground.

Let’s just hope the president can bring peace between the hostiles and have that beer.

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Here's to stupidity in America

Let’s not talk about health care reform. It makes my head spin and my doctor said I could stop taking the medication that has made my head do that for the last several days. So, it need not spin more.

I watched President Obama’s news conference last night as he talked mostly on reforming the nation’s health care system. Jeez that guy can be long-winded sometimes. I may have to start calling him Gabby, except that reminds me of Gabby Hayes the old coot Western star as well as a freaked-out parrot I know.

Instead of health care I will briefly mention Obama’s remarks on the controversy regarding the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates is the distinguished prof who was confronted while breaking into his own house by a Cambridge, Mass., police officer. The white officer, basically seemed to dislike Gates’ attitude and arrested the black man for disorderly conduct charges which were later dropped.

Obama admitted his bias in the controversy because he is a friend of Gates but commented that Cambridge police “acted stupidly” during the incident.

It seems after reading of the actions of both Gates and the officer, Sgt. Jim Crowley, that Obama got “it” half-right. If you take the word of both Gates and Crowley, and I see no reason why not to, even though both may be exaggerating a wee bit because they both seem pretty stubborn and pig-headed, both share some blame for the outcome.

First off, the cop was doing his job responding to a call of a possible break-in, something for which Gates should be grateful. Gates showed his ID and the incident should have ended there. But it didn’t. Gates got his nose out of joint.  Crowley got into a snit. Things took off from there.

Before we get all racial let me say one thing. I have seen cops act pretty stupid toward me when I wasn’t doing a thing illegal. One woke me up in the middle of the night and demanded to see my federal ID because I was using a government car and the place in which I was staying was not exactly Beverly Hills. I have had them ID me for walking down the road and when they couldn’t find any other reason to jack with me, they said I was walking on the wrong side of the road. So some, by no means all, police do act stupid at times.

When I do encounter stupidity as such, I try to just let it slide because I know if I don’t I’ll probably be arrested and taken to jail on some trumped-up charges similar to those for which gates was busted.

Granted, I’m not a black man. I haven’t been subjected to what many black men have over time such as DWB, driving  while black. I could imagine it would get very old but I think many would think as I do that if they lose it they go directly to jail, no matter if they are innocent. Oh and here is a dirty little secret, some white people including some white cops don’t like black people, especially black men, who among other names are known by such cops as “perpetrators.”

Thus, from what I can tell in reading about the situation that night in Cambridge, it seems that both the officer and Gates went somewhat over the top. There is a difference though. Gates did live in the house. He apparently broke no laws other than copping an attitude, pardon the pun. So it appears that he was a victim of false arrest.

All of this points to an opinion that, Obama probably shouldn’t have commented, or deflected the question as he can so aptly do at times. Or otherwise Obama should have said both share some blame even though the Cambridge police acted even more stupidly than the president’s friend and in fact falsely arrested a man in his own home.

But it’s water under the bridge. Too bad the water won’t just flow on down silently toward the sea. I just don’t see that happening.

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Houston VA: Ve Vant to see your papers!

If you are going to the Department of Veterans Affairs complex in Houston beginning Wednesday, July 29, you better have some official VA identification — either for employee or patient.

Houston VA officials said in a press release hot off the mojo wire this afternoon that all vehicles entering the complex will be stopped and occupants will be required to show some form of  VA identification. Required is a VA identification badge, VA parking tag, veteran identification card or an appointment letter.

The massive ID check for the busy complex which includes both the VA Regional Office and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Hospital is an attempt to reduce unauthorized  parking at the center, which is located in Houston’s busy Texas Medical Center.

Anyone who has ever been to the Houston VA hospital can appreciate the difficulty in finding parking, especially in the mornings. This seems to be a problem at many VA hospitals. But such an identification check does raise questions. If the check is at the entrances to the center, what effect will it have on traffic, especially those cars headed on Holcombe Boulevard in the mornings for the many different Houston hospitals? What about the veteran from Podunk, Texas, who left his appointment letter at home, 100 miles away? What about the veteran who is going to the VA for the first time to enroll for services and has no ID, only his proof of military service? Finally, what about the many veterans who are not going to see this little notice because the majority of the news media, especially outside Houston, are not going to report such information?

It kind of makes you wonder. But hey, I did my part. If you have any questions, call the Houston VA police through the main hospital number, and good luck getting through. It can be quite challenging to call someone at the Houston VA hospital. Then again, patience is a necessary virtue for VA patients.