Free Republic

Q: Let’s talk about your new book, “On My Honor,” which draws on your experience as an Eagle Scout and champions the values of the Boy Scouts of America, to whom you are donating your royalties. A: Yes, to their legal-defense fund. Q: Which has been fighting the A.C.L.U., to keep gays out of the scouts. Why do you see that as a worthy cause? A: I am pretty clear about this one. Scouting ought to be about building character, not about sex. Period. Precious few parents enroll their boys in the Scouts to get a crash course in sexual...

HOUSTON -- It did not take long Tuesday for the Texas Department of Transportation to find out what the Houstonians at a public hearing thought about the proposed 600-mile Trans-Texas Corridor, KPRC Local 2 reported. "George Washington, Sam Houston would vomit on you people," one attendee said. Chris Zora, who opposes the plan, attended the hearing at the Arabia Shrine Center in Southwest Houston. "I'd like to see a show of hands here of anybody that approves of this corridor," Zora said. "Is there anyone in this room who approves of this corridor? Raise your hands if you approve of...

WASHINGTON — Gov. Rick Perry, speaking to a national gathering of conservative activists, told the same crowd that booed Republican presidential front-runner John McCain that he would speak on McCain's behalf to as many different audiences around the nation as possible from now until November. "We should never give any quarter," he told the Conservative Political Action Conference. "Standing together, we're gonna fight, and we're gonna win. See you on the battlefield." The Texas governor had been an early supporter of GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, but he switched to McCain after the former New York mayor withdrew from the...

Despite failure, governor defends emerging technology fund AUSTIN — A company that received $3 million from Gov. Rick Perry's Emerging Technology Fund to develop a high-tech cooling device has closed down. NanoCoolers Inc., an Austin company founded in 2002, is the first firm to fail after receiving a grant from the state fund. It was working on a thermoelectric cooling system that would help cool semiconductors. The Texas Democratic Party criticized the Republican governor over the failure Monday, saying it proves "that his slush funds need more accountability."

AUSTIN — When Texas transportation officials talk about bridges these days, they don't necessarily mean steel spans and concrete girders. Instead, they are being taught how to "bridge" from off-message questions to their own talking points in a toll-road campaign. "You will often be asked questions that don't get to the points you wish to make or that you don't wish to answer," says a "radio interview techniques" section of Texas Department of Transportation documents released under the Public Information Act. "You can use bridging to turn the question to your points." One useful phrase, suggests the document — prepared...

AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry's endorsement Wednesday of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in next year's presidential race mystified some conservative activists and had one Republican statewide officeholder humorously questioning whether the governor had committed an act of treason. "Texans supporting the mayor of New York City? Get a rope," quipped state Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a staunch backer of former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, a recent entry into the GOP fray. "Why would the most conservative governor in Texas history endorse a pro-choice, rabidly anti-Second Amendment former New York City mayor who supported Democrat Mario Cuomo...

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday won the endorsement of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, despite their differences on abortion rights. Perry, an abortion opponent, said his biggest concern had been Giuliani's support for abortion rights but that he was satisfied Giuliani would appoint judges who view the issue conservatively. "The one (issue) that I wanted to hear him give me an answer and look me right in my eyes was that issue of who can I expect, what type of individual can I expect on the Supreme Court," Perry said at a news conference with Giuliani. "He...

AUSTIN — When Texas accountants closed the books on the 2007 budget period, the state had an unexpected $1.5 billion in unspent money, Comptroller Susan Combs told lawmakers Tuesday. The ending balance for the 2007 fiscal year, which closed Aug. 31, was $8.5 billion, up from the $7 billion expected when Combs earlier this year set her biennial revenue estimate. Most of the money can't be spent until lawmakers meet again and adopt spending legislation. "The increase was brought about by greater revenues, attributable to strong state economic growth, and lower expenditures, attributable to legislative and agency spending restraint," Combs...

Gov. Rick Perry's chief of staff met with key aides about a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer on the same day its manufacturer donated money to his campaign, documents obtained by The Associated Press show. Texas became the first state to require the vaccine against human papillomavirus earlier this month when Perry issued an executive order requiring it for girls entering sixth grade. Lawmakers are considering overriding the measure. A calendar for chief of staff Deirdre Delisi obtained under Texas' open records laws shows she met with the governor's budget director and three members of his office for an...

AUSTIN - Republican Gov. Rick Perry beat a unique set of challengers Tuesday for another term that could make him Texas' longest-serving governor as he presses priorities such as border security, strict state budgeting and an ambitious transportation plan. It was a less-than-cliff-hanging end to a race that started with a lot of potential for drama ? thanks to the entry of colorful independents Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn ? and ended with much of that potential unrealized. Early returns showed Perry ahead with about 40 percent of the vote, followed by Democrat Chris Bell, who had about 29...

(October 30, 2006)—The multi-billion-dollar Trans Texas Corridor will pump billions of dollars into the state’s economy and will create millions of jobs according to a new study by Waco-based economist Ray Perryman. Click Here To Read The Full Report In “Moving Into Prosperity: The Potential Impact of the Trans-Texas Corridor on Business Activity in Texas,” Perryman says the project will make the state’s economy more competitive. “Because the TTC enhances efficiency, improves logistics, and reduces transportation time and costs, it increases the ability of companies within the region to expand intrastate trade and operations, and, thus, increase market size and...

Incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry faces Democratic challengers Chris Bell and Independents Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn in the 2006 gubernatorial race. In the fourth part of News 8 Austin's five-part gubernatorial forum, the candidates discuss transportation and energy. Q: Now, let’s combine public transportation and developing renewable energy. What do you think we should be doing to make Texas the leader in the nation in these areas and why should Texans care about that? Strayhorn: Well, we certainly need every renewable energy and we need wind generation and we also need telecommuting. Fifteen percent of my employees are...

Two private-sector groups have submitted proposals to develop the Trans-Texas Corridor-69, a 600-mile thoroughfare that may wind around Lufkin and Nacogdoches one day. The bid process is part of the effort to create a public-private partnership that the Texas Department of Transportation says would speed the construction of "one of the state's priority transportation projects." Trans-Texas Corridor-69, if and when it is built, is expected to connect with Interstate 69, which will stretch from Canada to Mexico. The proposed Texas corridor would start in South Texas and pass Houston, Lufkin and Nacogdoches before hitting Texarkana and/or breaking off into Louisiana....

The governor's race is becoming a referendum on the Trans-Texas Corridor toll road. Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Perry supports the TTC that would parallel Interstate 35 from Laredo to Oklahoma. However, it could gobble up 81,000 acres of rural land according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Also, a large chunk of the land used would be in North Texas. Lance Haynes, a Republican, said he wonders if his family's 68 acres in rural Collin County might be covered in concrete in the near future. The land lies within the path where the state could route the TTC and he's...

Secret parts of a contract for the Trans-Texas Corridor have been out for more than two weeks now. So has a development plan that outlines how state transportation officials and a foreign-led consortium plan to plow the countryside with toll roads and railways to relieve growing traffic on Interstate 35. That's plenty of time to begin scouring the thousands of pages — on the Web at KeepTexasMoving.com — to find out what the big secret was. But so far, no one can or will say if there's a detail, some twist or mumbo jumbo that, if found, would blow the...

Details of a new television campaign ad from independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn: TITLE: "Beyond" LENGTH: 30 seconds. PRODUCER: Alex Castellanos, media consultant; WF of R Inc., media placement. AIRING: Started Friday in most markets; will be airing statewide by Monday. SCRIPT: Carole Keeton Strayhorn: "Tolls across Texas? "Gov. Perry's plan is beyond anything we've ever known. It's the largest land grab in Texas history. A deal to seize more than a half million acres of private property and hand it over to a foreign company, so they can charge us tolls. "I believe Texas property belongs to Texans,...

On Sept. 30, about 100 people carrying protest signs and handfuls of dirt rallied at the Alamo to protest Gov. Rick Perry's massive toll road plan. Perry's feisty challenger, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, spoke at the event, which was not covered by the Express-News. Our no-show wasn't a judgment call. A reporter who was notified about the rally simply did not pass the information on to editors who decide what to cover and who will cover it. It was a flub, primarily by the Express-News, but also by the organizer, the San Antonio Toll Party, which needs to be more effusive...

The more William Molina heard about toll road plans, the more outraged he got, until finally he picked up his camera and did what he does best. Molina spent the past several months shooting more than 40 hours of footage at public meetings in San Antonio and nearby towns, talked to activists, tried to talk to toll road advocates and spliced together a film documenting what he says is a nexus of tremendous change. "I just wanted to capture history," the veteran filmmaker said. "One day we're going to look back at this and say, how did this happen." "Truth...

All four candidates, one GOP, one Dem and two Indys will be holding the only debate for Texas Governor tonight at 7:00 p.m. Central time. Gee, I wonder whose influence had this debate scheduled during Friday night football?

The Milam County portion of the “Hands Across the Corridor” Statewide Rallies was held Saturday, Sept. 30, on the Milam County Courthouse lawn. We had a great assembly of concerned Texans, Democrats, Republicans, Strayhorn Independents and even a couple of really “Kinky” folks. Everyone in attendance agreed that our current Governor and many of our senators and representatives have forgotten the constituents that they are supposed to represent. They seem to be representing only ‘big money contributors and companies' whose interests are not what is best for Texas, but how much money the ‘projects' (toll roads and corridor) can make...

The Texas Transportation Commission unrolled Sept. 28 the long-awaited road map for the Trans-Texas Corridor. Release of the Master Development Plan will result also in public disclosure of the full contract between the state and Cintra-Zachry, a private joint venture between the Spanish firm Cintra and the Texas highway contractor Zachry. Both Cintra-Zachry and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) appealed a ruling from the Texas Attorney General’s office that the full contract is an open record. A trial was scheduled for Oct. 10 in Travis County district court. The master plan calls for the prompt building of seven segments...

AUSTIN - Can the four major candidates for Texas governor debate each other for an hour on live television without being seen or heard? Probably not, but Belo Corp., sponsor of the only such gubernatorial showdown this fall, will test that possibility Friday night, both with its restrictive distribution rules and the time slot. Originating in Dallas, the debate will be carried live on the company's WFAA flagship; Belo affiliates in Houston (KHOU-Channel 11), San Antonio and Austin; Belo's Texas Cable News (TXCN) and will be streamed live on their Web sites. TV stations in smaller towns outside Belo markets...

Border security doesn't seem to matter to politicians, there is a move afoot to create a North American Union where the United States, Canada and Mexico would essentially be one market with a single currency -- the "Amero," a top Texas Eagle Forum official said Tuesday. Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams spoke to some 54 people at the Petroleum Club. Formed by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972, the St. Louis, Mo., and Washington, D.C.-based Eagle Forum is pro-family, pro-life group. She said those attending should keep their eye on the 2008 presidential race, ask their state representatives and senators to support...

North Texas grows by 150,000 people a year – about the population of Richardson and Rowlett combined. McKinney and Frisco each add 200 newcomers a week. Keeping pace with the mobility needs of the mushrooming region is a losing proposition if we use only traditional means: state fuel taxes and leveraged federal funds. Yet most positions taken by candidates for governor are unrealistically wed to yesterday's formulas for financing roadways. Here's the size of the North Texas funding gap over the next 25 years: a nearly $28 billion shortage for new highways and related projects, according to the Regional Transportation...

HILLSBORO, Texas — Leroy Walters has survived many a threat on the farm that has been in his family for 120 years — droughts, hailstorms, tornadoes, grasshopper attacks. But now he sees a manmade danger on the horizon: a colossal, 600-mile superhighway that will plow clear across Texas, perhaps cutting through Walters' milo and corn fields, obliterating family houses and robbing his grandchildren of their land. "I don't think they're going to want to pay a toll to go across this land," he said. "They want to enjoy it free, as Texans should enjoy it." That kind of fear and...

Perry and Strayhorn have regressed, Strayhorn by a considerable margin, while Bell (15 to 23) and Friedman (16 to 23) have moved up. Bell is finally consolidating Democratic support (from a pathetic 32 percent in April to 44% in July and 55% this time) and is getting more Independents (from 10% to 18%), while Friedman has picked up Republicans (from 10% to 23%) and more Indies (32% to 39%). Both Perry (65% to 56%) and Strayhorn (20% to 14%) have seen their GOP strength decline. Strayhorn has also seen her Democratic support wane, as she's dropped from 30% to 20%.

AUSTIN - Comedic candidate Kinky Friedman has far and away the most individual donations in the governor's race this year, collecting campaign cash from thousands across Texas and across the country. Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads in total money, followed by independent Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn - both piling up millions of dollars and benefiting from some large contributions of $100,000 or more. With Perry and Strayhorn holding that strong financial advantage entering the Nov. 7 election, Friedman will be working to capitalize on what appears to be a grassroots bloc supporting his rebel campaign. The election outcome should answer...

Gov. Rick Perry's campaign opponents are hoping his Trans-Texas Corridor becomes a central campaign issue, and it is now the focus of a new online campaign attack. It's an animation, like the JibJab cartoons that took aim at President Bush during the last election. But the creators say their message is anything but funny. It's the latest shot in the Texas governor's race, and it takes aim at Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor. An online animated video calls Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor a land grab that will use eminent domain to kick Texans out of their homes, farms and ranches. "Eminent domain is...

AUSTIN — Days after being criticized for derogatory comments about Hurricane Katrina evacuees, independent gubernatorial hopeful Kinky Friedman struck back at candidates who pander to minorities. "I don't eat tamales in the barrio, I don't eat fried chicken in the ghetto, I don't eat bagels with the Jews for breakfast," said Friedman, who is Jewish. "That to me is true racism." The comment last week was intended to reflect that he's not afraid of risking a little unpopularity for the sake of being honest, campaign spokeswoman Laura Stromberg said Monday. "He's not going to become the politician that people in...

BOSTON -- During last year's St. Patrick's Day breakfast in South Boston, Democratic Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi abandoned the good-natured roasting typical of the event to acidly kid about the airline tickets he saw sticking out of Governor Willard Mitt Romney's pocket. "I don't want to keep you too long. You can leave any time you want," he said, to which the ever-unflappable Romney shot back, "I'll be here until you get funny." It was enough cool to make DiMasi lose his for a moment. "You being President of the United StatesO That's a joke," he sneered. A...

Gov. Rick Perry vetoes $35 billion public education budget and calls lawmakers back for special session. Details to come... Just the headline, so far.