Category Archives: government

Legal Podcasts

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A friend recently mentioned Liz Dye, sometimes featured on Legal Eagle, has her own Law and Chaos podcast. I regularly listen to the former but was unfamiliar with the latter.

• Legal Eagle (YouTube, Nebula) – varies from legal pop culture issue in the news to political legal topics
• Law & Chaos – new to me, hosted by Liz Dye

I also like along the legal podcast vein…
• Amicus with Dalia Lithwick and frequently Mark Joseph Stern – it’s primarily about the Supreme Court, but the follow other national legal issues as well. They both write for Slate.
• Main Justice (previously Prosecuting Trump, MSNBC) with Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, both previous DOJ prosecutors. He was on Muller’s team, they both have good insight into the DOJ.
• Strict Scrutiny – hosted by Leah Litman, Kate Shaw, and Melissa Murray… three constitutional law professors, sometimes cultural references, sometimes irreverent and humorous.
• #SistersInLaw – hosted by Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Barb McQuade and Kimberly Atkins Stohr – a variety of lived experienced makes this one quite varied. When things aren’t a total shit show (when they all agree), there can be some interesting differing opinions.
• Rational Security – From Lawfare.com, Scott Anderson hosts, Quinta Jurecic is a frequent guest. Usually three to five people total. Nominally about national security issues, but other legal topics will wanter in.
• Lawfare Daily – listening from the firehose from Lawfare.com

Behold, the Janus-Faced Governor

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“At about 3:30, the National Rifle Association played videotaped remarks from the governor in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Abbott had originally planned to attend the conference in person, but he canceled Thursday after facing enormous pressure to do so following the mass shooting that occurred at a Uvalde elementary school on Tuesday afternoon.”

300 miles away:

“Do we expect laws to come out of this devastating crime? The answer is absolutely yes. And there will be laws in multiple different subject areas,” the real-life Abbott said. “We need to have a discussion and pass laws to make sure that our schools are safer, and the people of Uvalde and the people of Texas deserve it.”

The status quo is unacceptable. This crime is unacceptable. We’re not going to be here and talking about it and and do nothing about it.”

Greg Abbott signed seven anti-gun safety laws in 2021.

Were the messages of Gov. Abbott different at two different places? – Houston Chronicle, May 30, 2022, Edward McKinley

The Trouble with Voting, 2018 Midterm Edition

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After spending the past year (post-Harvey) unemployed, I finally landed a new job (and I’m loving it). However, the new job took me to Austin. I started the new job on the first day of early voting: Oct 22.

"I voted" sticker.

2018 Midterm Early Voting

I went to the Harris County Clerk’s Office on Wed Oct 12 to request my ballot-by-mail. After a full week of early voting and not having yet received a ballot, I called and then officially wrote a signed letter delivered via email to the clerks office requesting a second ballot.

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Open Letter on Bike Path Diversion

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Mayor Sylvester Turner
sylvester.turner@houstontx.gov
@SylvesterTurner

Council Member Ellen Cohen
districtc@houstontx.gov
@EllenCohen1

Dear Mayor Turner and Council Member Cohen,

When I read the Chronicle article attached below, I understood the need for a detour around the often used route, and appreciated the thought put into it. It seemed like a good solution.

The article states “The detours will not be continuous, but periodic throughout the construction project when construction nearby could create unsafe conditions along the original bike trails” as well as “the detour and reroute are expected to begin between April and May and will last through the third quarter of 2017.”

However there seems to be either,

  1. a miscommunication,
  2. a failure to execute, or
  3. deception by someone

going on in this situation.

There are already signs up along the path redirecting users to use the detours. They have been up for over 10 days. There is also signage that appears to indicate that cyclists should use the sidewalk on the west side of Houston Avenue as the detour.

This is neither safe, nor acceptable.

I would like to know if the original decision has been changed or if there is a timing and communication failure occurring. Please remedy the situation.

Your Constituent,
Bill Shirley

“Heights Area Bike Trails to be Rerouted to Houston Avenue“, Tara White, Houston Chronicle,  Wed Mar 9 2016

CC:
Council Member Karla Cisneros (as the detour is in your district)
districth@houstontx.gov
@Karla4Houston

Deidrea George, TxDOT Houston Public Information Office (quoted in the article)
Email via web-form
@TxDOTHoustonPIO

Tara White, freelance writer for Chronicle (author of the article)
viewpoints@chron.com
@houstonchron

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