TX Election info:
Registration Deadline: Oct. 10
Election Info (registration, ballots, etc.): Texas Secretary of State/Elections AND VoteTexas.gov
Harris Cty, TX: HarrisVotes.com
United States:
Texans Together‘s mission is to develop grassroots leaders in Texas and to engage and empower their communities.
On September 28th, there was a huge victory for the Highlands and the San Jacinto River communities when the EPA announced their decision to remove the waste from the San Jacinto River Waste Pits.
The Highlands area community residents have been struggling with toxic waste in the San Jacinto River for a long time. In 2010, Texans Together joined the fight with local residents who created the San Jacinto River Coalition (SJRC). From the start, we knew it was and was going to continue to be a long hard fight and it did not disappoint.
The SJRC’s main goal was to have the waste from the Superfund Site called the San Jacinto River Waste Pits removed from the river. The site was called “a loaded gun” pointed at the “most vulnerable of sites.” The polluting companies wanted to leave the waste in the river under an “Armored Cap.” Their studies showed it would be safer and, of course, cheaper.
Through the outreach efforts of the SJRC, it went from a few individuals in a parking lot educating the community to monthly packed community meetings. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, Media Organization, and other Environmental Groups have attended and presented at the meetings.
There were long days with volunteers speaking with seriously ill residents that were skeptical or outright hostile to their efforts. Canvassers told stories of skeptics recounting terrible illnesses that affected them and their neighbors, but denying there was a problem. It had become normal for the community to see so many cases of illnesses, rare cancers, and diseases. They thought that was “just the way it was” and were hostile to people who might stir up trouble for them.
In 2010, Jackie Young began volunteering with the SJRC. After her and her family’s serious health problems, she began to research what was happening and it brought her to a degree in Environmental Geology and Texans Together.
As a volunteer, she told her story to the community and explained exactly how abnormal things really were. In 2013, she was hired by Texans Together to lead the coalition. She brought firsthand knowledge, passion, and a dedication to get justice for her community.
Jackie used her contacts in academia to get an independent study done of the site, and brought in an environmental activist, Lois Gibbs of Love Canal fame, to bring attention to the cause. Jackie’s work was featured on Fox News, and Al Jazeera America, and in Texas Monthly, Houston Press and the Houston Chronicle. She testified in front of the Harris County Commissioner’s Court, and the Texas Legislature. She led the SJRC to work with public officials to petition for health studies, to bring a lawsuit against the companies responsible for the waste, and to remove the waste. The persistent effort of the community with Jackie’s leadership led to the SJRC moving to her new organization, Texas Health and Environmental Alliance (THEA).
For more information about this decisive victory for environmental justice follow this link: http://txhea.org/
Congratulations to the Highlands Community, Jackie Young, and dedicated volunteers in the SJRC. You made change happen!
If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a leader helping your community to become healthier, please contact Texans Together at 713-782-8833 or info@texanstogether.org
If you wish to donate to Texans Together, you can contribute here: (Donate)
Follow Us: @TexansTogether on Twitter or Like us on Facebook/TexansTogether.
Copyright © 2016 Texans Together Education Fund, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Texans Together Education Fund
P.O. Box 1296
Houston, TX 77251
THINKWING RADIO MOVED TO MONDAYS @ 9-10 PM, BEGINNING 4/13/2015.
SHOW AUDIO:
Link is usually posted within about 72 hours of show broadcast.
Listen live on the radio or on the internet from anywhere in the world! When the show is live, we take calls at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.)
Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show (every Monday night from 9-10PM CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
GUESTS: (More complete biographical info on my guests are below Source links.)
OPEN FORUM
SOURCES WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT TO OTHER DISCUSSION:
=======================================================
THINKWING RADIO MOVED TO MONDAYS @ 9-10 PM, BEGINNING 4/13/2015.
SHOW AUDIO:
Link is usually posted within about 72 hours of show broadcast.
Listen live on the radio or on the internet from anywhere in the world! When the show is live, we take calls at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.)
Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show (every Monday night from 9-10PM CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
GUESTS: (More complete biographical info on my guests are below Source links.)
OPEN FORUM
POSSIBLE TOPICS: Texas & Local Elections, DAYLIGHTSAVING TIME, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF SEARS & ROEBUCK, , Syria: Boots on the ground, Turkey: Re-electing the strongman, Russia: A plane goes down in Sinai, and more
SOURCES WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT TO OTHER DISCUSSION:
=======================================================
THINKWING RADIO MOVED TO MONDAYS @ 9-10 PM, BEGINNING 4/13/2015.
SHOW AUDIO:
Link is usually posted within about 72 hours of show broadcast.
Listen live on the radio or on the internet from anywhere in the world! When the show is live, we take calls at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.)
Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show (every Monday night from 9-10PM CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
GUESTS: (More complete biographical info on my guests are below Source links.)
OPEN FORUM
POSSIBLE TOPICS: Texas & Local Elections, Trump and the Federal Reserve, Immigration and Population Growth, and more
SOURCES WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT TO OTHER DISCUSSION:
=======================================================
THINKWING RADIO MOVED TO MONDAYS @ 9-10 PM, BEGINNING 4/13/2015.
SHOW AUDIO:
Link is usually posted within about 72 hours of show broadcast.
Listen live on the radio or on the internet from anywhere in the world! When the show is live, we take calls at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.)
Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show (every Monday night from 9-10PM CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
GUESTS: (More complete biographical info on my guests are below Source links.)
OPEN FORUM
POSSIBLE TOPICS: Texas & Local Elections, Trump and the Federal Reserve, Immigration and Population Growth, and more
SOURCES WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT TO OTHER DISCUSSION:
=======================================================
Remember: “Polls don’t win elections. Votes win elections!” – Mike
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Michael,
We’ve designed an easy to read graphic that shows you where the statewide candidates stand on progressive issues you care about most. We’ve also included regional coverage for key races in Harris & Galveston County.
Let’s be honest – we got issues, man. Equal pay, restoring education funds, access to affordable healthcare, abortion rights, and every Texan’s freedom to marry.
We’ve also included other useful links such as information on what kind of identification is accepted at the polls.
As voters begin to head to the polls, we hope that you’ll check out our voter guide and share it with your friends and family.
Happy voting!
Ed Espinoza Executive Director, Progress Texas
Progress Texas | 500 San Marcos St. Suite 110 Austin, TX 78702
Chip in $10
|
SHOW AUDIO: KPFT_2014-03-05_2200-Charles-Kuffner-and Primary-Election-Results (A backup copy of this program was discovered at the station on 3/12/2014.) Unfortunately, due to technical circumstances beyond our control, the audio for this show was not archived.
Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show (every Wednesday night from 10-11PM CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig is usually a call-in show. Whether you’re listening live on the radio or on the internet from anywhere in the world, you can call in at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.)
GUESTS: Charles Kuffner, Houston-based blogger for local and Texas state politics. His blog is www.OffTheKuff.com.
TOPIC: Primary elections for the Democrats and Republicans were held yesterday, March 4th. We’re going to talk about results, what they mean, and some of the stories behind them.
NOTE: This post is subject to update before and after the show.
______________________________________________________________________
Some of the links used for this show are BELOW the break:
SOURCES (Below the break): Continue reading
Early voting is about to start in TEXAS Feb 18th-28th. ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. #Register #VOTE!
Harris County (Texas) Voting Info: http://www.harrisvotes.net/EarlyVoting/EarlyVotingLocationsSchedule.pdf …
Texas State Voting Info: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/
National Voting Info: Can I Vote.org
On Wednesday, August 8 from 9:05-9:25am (CDT), I’ll be doing a show which I think may be a little groundbreaking.
My guest will be Baber Mohammed, a labor organizer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 1 in Houston.
Progressives, Democrats and various pro-labor groups and individuals can often be heard waxing eloquently about all the benefits which organized labor has brought to the American workforce, both union and non-union. One topic rarely discussed in media is, how do you start to unionize? Where does a person or small group of workers begin?
This will be the topic for a show which I’m entitling “Unionizing For Dummies™ (Part 1)”. Baber and I will be discussing some of the most basic “‘how-to’s” of unionizing, starting with the question, “Where do I begin??”
It is my hope that this will be the first in a series of “Unionizing For Dummies™” episodes.
You will be able to listen live in Houston on 90.1 FM, or online here.
The show will also be added to the Thinkwing Radio blog on the archive page shortly after it becomes available.
Join us!
On Friday, August 3rd from 9:05-9:55am (CDT), I will be interviewing famed honest-election journalist and advocate Brad Friedman. This will be a “Thinkwing Radio” edition, and will combine “Open Journal-Community Conversation” with “Open Journal-Community Spotlight”. (“Community Conversation” will be live from 9:05-9:30am. Brad’s interview will run from 9:30-9:55am, and will be pre-recorded.) You will be able to listen in real time in Houston on 90.1 FM, or online here.
Voter rights and election integrity have been under assault in ways that we have not seen since the 1965 Voting Rights Act became law. Why that’s the case, what can be done about it, and how you can take steps to protect your vote will be among the topics of discussion during this hour.
The show will also be added to the Thinkwing Radio blog on the archive page shortly after it becomes available.
Join us!
On Thursday, July 26th from 9:30-9:55am (CDT), I will have the pleasure of interviewing Lane Lewis, the recently-elected Chair of the Harris County (TX) Democratic Party. This will be the “Thinkwing Radio” edition of “Open Journal – Community Spotlight”. Among the topics I intend to discuss are the current primary runoff elections and Obama’s assertion that Texas can become a ‘toss-up’ state for the Democrats.
I hope to take some phone calls with Lane during the second half of the show.
You will be able to listen live in Houston on 90.1 FM, or online here.
The show will also be added to the Thinkwing Radio blog on the archive page shortly after it becomes available.
Join us!
There are still some runoff elections as a result of undecided primary races. To vote in the runoffs, you must have voted in that party’s primary. [8/1/2012: This is apparently only partially accurate. Please see the CORRECTION at the bottom of this post. – Mike]
For early voting and ballot information in Harris County (my home area, encompassing most of Houston) you can visit this site: http://harrisvotes.org/.
(Non-Texas voters may find some useful info for their localities here: http://gottavote.org/en/?choose-state=true)
I try to maintain some general voting and political reference material here: https://thinkwingradio.com/political-information-and-resources/
Your state may vary, but the information in Texas is as follows:
The early voting period for the July 31st Runoff Election is July 23 – 27, 2012.
From VoteTexas.org: Any registered voter may vote early by personal appearance (in person). Early voting by personal appearance for the July 31, 2012, Primary Runoff Election begins on July 23, 2012, and ends on July 27, 2012. You may vote at any early voting location in your county of registration.
You can see a list of runoffs for Texas Statewide positions (US Senator, etc.) here: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/, and here: http://votetexas.gov/voting/what.
You can contact the Texas Secretary of State (SoS) about election-related questions or complaints here: http://votetexas.gov/contact/
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CORRECTION: Thanks for this submission by J J Smith, on 2012/08/01 at 6:28 AM | In reply to ThinkWingRadio.
New News for all of us….. From http://votetexas.gov/faq/registration#1120:
Q. Does a voter have to vote in the primary election in order to vote in a runoff-election or on November 6, 2012?
A. A voter does not have to vote in the May 29, 2012 primary election in order to qualify to vote in a primary run-off election on July 31, 2012, OR in the general election on November 6, 2012. If you voted in one party’s primary on May 29, 2012, then you may not vote in the other party’s runoff on July 31, 2012. Remember if you signed a petition in lieu of filing fee for a candidate for one party, you many not vote in another party’s primary or primary runoff that voting year (2012). Whether you voted or not in the primary, you may vote for whomever you choose in November. Party affiliations expire on December 31.
On Friday’s 6/15 show (KPFT 90.1 FM, 9-9:30AM CDT), I want to discuss this incident which I reported in an earlier post, duplicated below. I think it’s important on several levels.
No, this is unquestionably an effort at propagandistic indoctrination foisted upon a public doing government business in a government office, with no other options. Imagine the uproar if a Democratic Tax Assessor-Collector was running MSNBC and/or KPFT as entertainment for the ‘customers’.
While this original blog post was written on November 17, 2011, I visited the Griggs Road office today (June 14, 2012) and confirmed that nothing has changed. It’s despicable, and we need to talk about how to embarrass Don Sumners and his office into changing their policy.
I urge you to call and complain. Write and complain. Post comments on this article and tell me if you’ve taken action, what sort, and what if any response was obtained.
You can reach Don Sumners or Fred King by calling the main office and asking for them.
| Main Telephone Number: 713-368-2000 |
 |
| Physical Address Downtown: 1001 Preston Houston, Texas 77002 |
|
| Office Hours: Downtown and Branch Offices normal hours, Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM thru 4:30 PM |
This article was revised 6/11/2012: Contact information for the Harris County Tax Office was added at the bottom. ~ Mike
====================
Back in February of 2011, I posted this tidbit about the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters televisions suddenly becoming Fox News-centric after John Kasich was elected governor. You can read that bit here: “You watch, we decide what” (Cleveland.com, Posted on February 4, 2011)
Don Sumners, Houston Tax Assessor-Collector
Apparently, similar affliction of Fox News on innocent (and helpless) government office patrons has now come to Harris County, Texas.
Continue reading
Below is a modified re-post about run-off elections in Houston.
If you live outside of Houston, be sure to check for any current or approaching run-off elections in your area.
As is obvious to anyone who follows this blog, I support the #Occupy movement. But the most important thing IS to Occupy is the Ballot.
Statistically, more Americans identify as Democrats than as Republicans (Republicanians?). However, GOP voters are more likely to show up at the actual polls on election days.
Change begins at the ballot box. #OccupyTheBallot. Don’t let a majority of less than 10% of the electorate choose your Council members!
I received an email … which has most of the information that a Houston resident will need. (I have slightly revised it.) It is posted below the jump. 
Continue reading
As is obvious to anyone who follows this blog, I support the #Occupy movement. But the most important thing to Occupy is the Ballot.
Statistically, more Americans identify as Democrats than as Republicans (Republicanians?). However, GOP voters are more likely to show up at the actual polls on election days.
Change begins at the ballot box. #OccupyTheBallot. Don’t let a majority of less than 10% of the electorate choose your Council members!
I received and email today which has most of the information that a Houston resident will need. (I have slightly revised it.) It is posted below the jump.
Continue reading
This article was revised 6/11/2012: Contact information for the Harris County Tax Office was added at the bottom. ~ Mike
====================
Back in February of 2011, I posted this tidbit about the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters televisions suddenly becoming Fox News-centric after John Kasich was elected governor. You can read that bit here: “You watch, we decide what” (Cleveland.com, Posted on February 4, 2011)
Don Sumners, Houston Tax Assessor-Collector
Apparently, similar affliction of Fox News on innocent (and helpless) government office patrons has now come to Harris County, Texas.
Continue reading
I received this announcement in my email today. This should be of interest to anyone who believes in the principle and importance of separation of Church and State; a line of separation which Texas Governor Rick Perry and other Republicans are trying, with increasing stridency and boldness, to blur.
Mike
PS: [7/20/2011, 6:53PM] Just minutes ago, I received a robocall from Rick Perry inviting me (an unwelcome Jew, I might add) to this event. Absolutely, this is a United States Governor advocating and presiding over a religious event under color of his authority as an elected official sworn to uphold the Constitutions of both the United States of America and the State of Texas.
My question: Has this now reached the level of an impeachable offense?
UPDATE (10:22PM, 7/20/2011): The robocall came from a phone number in Tupelo, MS. My CID stamps it by “Unknown Caller” at 6:43PM (7-20-2011) from 662-821-2011. As of this writing, you can call that number to hear the message.
__________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 20, 2011
CONTACT: Kirsten Bokenkamp, (832) 691-7013 or kbokenkamp@aclutx.org
Perry’s “The Response” Blurs The Lines Between Separation Of Church And State
HOUSTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas today requested that Gov. Rick Perry and other officials disclose the amount of tax-payer dollars and other state or local government resources used to promote the prayer event, The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, set for Aug. 6 at Reliant Stadium.
“We are concerned that Gov. Perry is using public office to endorse a sectarian religious event and to advance specific Christian beliefs,” said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director of the ACLU of Texas. “We are seeking information on the degree to which state resources have been or will be used for the planning and promotion of this event and for state officials’ participation in it.”
The ACLU of Texas filed open records requests with the governor’s office as well as the Harris County sheriff’s, auditor’s and fire marshal’s offices and the City of Houston.
“The ACLU of Texas values the diversity of belief systems in public life, and each of our beliefs calls us to address problems in different ways. But none of us, especially an elected official, is in the position to say whether believers or non-believers should lead the way in solving our common problems,” said Terri Burke, Executive Director of the ACLU of Texas. “We believe that diversity is protected, society is best served, and the U.S. Constitution is respected when government actions remain separate from religious action, when religion is neither forced upon us, nor prohibited, by government. The Response certainly does not seem to follow that principle.”
One of the cornerstones of the ACLU’s work is to ensure that the First Amendment is upheld and to safeguard against government promotion of, or interference with, religious practice.
Under the state’s open records law, government officials have 10 business days to respond to open records requests. The ACLU of Texas expects a response on or before August 3.
For a copy of the documents filed with state and local government offices, please go to our website.
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