As of right now (5/3/22 at 6:30pm), abortion is still legal. And as of this moment, a Democratic majority in DC has failed to codify Roe v Wade.
A Democratic majority has failed to do much of anything because of the 60 votes needed to move and pass legislation that it does not have. But a Democratic majority has also failed to do away with the filibuster to get important legislation passed. A Democratic majority and a Democratic President have failed to be bold.
We can blame those who didn’t vote for Hillary all we want, but at some point in 2020, we came together to elect a Democratic majority to put in place legislation to protect the rights of many after four years of evil (Trump). And Democrats have failed miserably, choosing to practice some weak form of bipartisanship, choosing to waste time on all things Trump and wasting time on trying to save the republican party from itself and failing. Hell, even a photo op trip to Ukraine is a waste when all else goes ignored.
If you’re in a donating mood, give to Jessica Cisneros right now! And tell Nancy Pelosi to rescind Cuellar’s endorsement, while you’re at it.
Now, people are interested in coalitions when voting rights and immigration rights have gone ignored and left to rot in legislation hell. But those of us who are involved in other issues are still here. We never left the coalition. We don’t need to reminded by single issue people about our coalition because we fight for what’s right. All the time. On the other hand, those who make excuses for the inaction of a Democratic majority ignoring all other issues except their own are exhibiting their desperation while pointing to needing others’ help. But we’re still here.
As David Axelrod stated last night, it’ll be a “good issue” to use for November, as any good, highly-paid consultant would tell us. But all of the issues on which bold action has not been attempted have been used to win elections only to have those leading the Democratic majority place those issues on the back burner in the name of saving Democrats like Manchin, Synema, Cuellar, and others. What’s the use of a Democratic majority when we don’t even use it?
There is a lot of hypocrisy to go around as the rights of many are set to be diminished. Am I mad about Roe v Wade? Hell, I’ve been mad about a lot of things for decades and I’m disappointed and disheartened by the lack of bold Democratic action all around. You should be, too. It’s bold action by Democrats when in office that create more Democratic wins in any given November.
Posted onMarch 16, 2022|Comments Off on Low COVID; High Worries
The sight of Houston OmicRodeo events with tens of thousands of unmasked people was enough to freak me out a little. The news that COVID-19 rates aren’t only jumping in parts of the world, but are actually being seen in some wastewater test sites locally, even as COVID-19 positivity rates decline, is cause for concern.
The New York City and Houston areas and Miami-Dade County also gave conflicting reports of rising or falling coronavirus levels in wastewater, a disparity Bloomberg said was possibly due to small-scale outbreaks that had not grown large enough to be picked up at multiple sites.
Dr. Peter Hotez was on ABC-13 talking about the pandemic’s future and it doesn’t sound good, even with whatever one considers good news right now.
“Right now, the numbers are coming down precipitously and we’re in a very good place. For instance, in Harris County, we’re approaching maybe five new cases per 100,000 residents on a seven-day average, which is a really low level. It’s about as low as it’s ever been in the last few months,” said Hotez. “I think we do have to be aware of the possibility that we could start seeing an upswing again in the number of new cases of COVID. If that happens, it could happen by the end of this month or early into April.”
But with President Biden being forced to accept a spending plan that excluded COVID response measures, such as testing, medication and care for the uninsured, monoclonal antibodies among other items that will be needed when a resurgence or a new variant takes hold, we really need to accept the fact that it is not over. Unfortunately, too many people in government and society, generally, prefer to have their heads up their hind-sides rather than to be prepared for what may come.
From the good people at DosCentavos.net and the Medellin Family, to all of you: Get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask when in gatherings, you all know the drill. Merry Christmas!
I have no reason to wish the Covidnor well. I’m not running for office, so I don’t have to dole out faux compassion for public consumption. Abbott failed miserably at “personal responsibility.”
Honestly, my initial response was probably, “¡Andale, por pendejo!” after seeing him fiddlin’ around unmasked with fellow bigots at various campaign stops.
That said, Greg Abbott is just another “rare” breakthrough case of the virus. His press release says he’s in good health, fully vaccinated (and other sources say boosted?), and asymptomatic. So, how did he qualify for monoclonal antibodies?
You may be eligible for this treatment if you have tested positive for COVID-19, are 12 years of age or older (and at least 88 pounds), and are at a greater risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. In May 2021, the list of high-risk* characteristics has expanded to include many more people.
*High risk includes any of the following characteristics:
65 years of age or older
Overweight (body mass index over 25)
Pregnancy
Chronic kidney disease
Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)
Weakened immune system
Currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment
Cardiovascular disease/hypertension
Chronic lung disease
Sickle cell disease
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Medical-related technological dependence
Of course, it is also specified that one can start the treatment early, even if one doesn’t feel too sick.
Like with most illnesses, a patient must be in charge of their treatment and advocate for themselves to ensure everything possible is being done for them. That doesn’t happen often, especially in communities of color who may not be too trusting of medical facilities until they are really needed, or just don’t know how to advocate for themselves. And if one is uninsured with even less access to medical care, well, they me be out of luck.
So, when Dr. Vin Gupta posted this on Twitter, I completely agreed with him.
So, yes, while the Covidnor of Texas is a privileged prick, he knows how to use that privilege for himself, while politicizing every aspect of the pandemic to keep right-wing nut-jobs happy. So, I won’t wish him anything as he and his fellow Trump followers have downplayed COVID-19 from the start and continue policies designed to make people sick, like no mask mandates and “volunteer” vaccinations.
That said, get vaccinated. And Mask-Up! Don’t be like the Covidnor.
And if you get a breakthrough case, even though people downplay it by saying only “.0009 percent” out of the 150 million vaccinated get it, advocate for yourselves and your sickened family members. Tell the docs you want what Abbott is having.
And if those who downplay breakthrough cases want to see how a good leader doles out inclusive stats about ones community, watch the Mayor of San Antonio. He doesn’t hide from the reality that 11% of hospitalizations in San Antonio are breakthrough cases. We need that kind of information nationally.
Art Acevedo is going to beachier pastures. Miami hired him because of the “national profile” he created for himself by hugging on BLM protesters on camera while his underlings arrested various protesters for no particular reason. Unfortunately, those that prefer symbolism to action ate it up and only helped Acevedo’s popularity. As Texas Monthly reported, the hero myth is real.
While the murder of George Floyd gave a national profile to the need for police reform and improved police-race relations for which Houston could have been an example, Acevedo took the opportunity to attack judges and activists who supported and worked toward police and bail reform. His tough talk laced with crocodile tears made for great centrism and avoidance of the problems faced in our communities. He’s perfect for Florida.
Frankly, with Acevedo gone, Houston has an opportunity to hire a police chief who will have the guts to take on the cops union and join forces with leaders who support police and bail reform. Police and bail reform should be a national priority that requires more action, and a lot less hugs and weightless platitudes for the cameras.
That’s really all that needs to be said. Also, he probably decided he couldn’t beat Matthew McConaughey.
Early on in this pandemic, I wrote about how much cooking I had been doing since I committed to staying at home, other than for essential tasks (work, groceries, family errands). It’s safe to say that, other than a couple of hamburger pick-ups at Jack in the Box, my kitchen skills continue to get honed during these days.
This weekend, I decided to conquer that Chicano (and Mexican) delicacy–Menudo! Some non-brown folks will automatically respond with, “Isn’t that for hangovers?” Kind of annoying, actually.
While its medicinal value after a night of drinking has been documented by various drunk uncles (me, included), the fact is that it is something that many of us actually enjoy eating every now and then. And while the thought of eating the stomach lining of a cow may gross some people out, it is actually pretty good when made right. For the most part, unless it was made by our mothers, actually ordering at restaurants was something that required research (mostly word of mouth) about how good a particular restaurant’s menudo was. Not all menudos are equal; in fact, some really suck. One local place that has some pretty good menudo is Andy’s Home Cafe in the Houston Heights. And the Ruchi’s on Richmond/Sage has been known to have some good stuff. And Balderas’ Tamales in Cypress, too. But, as is always said, homemade is best.
For years, I would see Flo (my Mom) make this stuff on special occasions. Or, sometimes, just a regular late Saturday night so that it would be ready for Sunday morning. As a kid, I was grossed out when seeing her washing and cutting the main ingredient–honeycomb beef tripe. The smell wasn’t all that great, either. Usually, one would have to go deep into the local meat markets to find the stuff. Nowadays, you can find it next to the ham hocks at HEB, though, my find was different: Beef scalded tripe–a 5 lb package, though not honeycomb. It’s all they had, so I bought it, since most menudos aren’t 100% honeycomb tripe.
What did scalded mean? It means HEBs butchers will scald (parboil) it in hot water before packing it. So, while the usual directions for honeycomb tripe will have you cutting larger chunks to make up for any shrinkage in the cooking of it, the scalded one seems to have little shrinkage, little fat, and little gaminess. After washing, cutting into bite size rectangles with kitchen shears, and then washing again, I marinated the chunks in lemon juice. This helped to tenderize and also get rid of any gaminess that lingered. After 30 minutes to an hour, it was ready for one more washing before heading for the stock pot.
I placed the chunks of the tripe into the pot and added enough water to cover it. Also, one cannot forget the pig’s feet. After a long while to get the pot to a boil, I covered it. And then began 4 or so hours of boiling the tripe. In between, I added some crushed pepper (for a kick), a couple of bay leaves, a medium onion, and 4 cloves of garlic. I may have thrown in some oregano, though some only use it as a garnish. The smell of goodness started filling the air.
While you wait is a good time to make the red chile paste, as I prefer red menudo to green. After de-seeding, de-stemming, and cutting and washing a couple of packets of dry chiles anchos, I brought them to a boil and let them sit for 30 minutes. After adding some salt and another garlic clove for good measure, I pureed them in the blender throughly.
Once the tripe is cooked and soft, you add the puree to the boil, along with a couple cups of water. I, then, added a couple of 16 oz cans of white hominy. Of course, I forgot that my family loves hominy in their menudo, so an extra 32 oz can was added later. Cook for another 30 or so minutes and it was ready.
I remembered Flo usually skimming whatever grease happened to move to the top of the boil, but, to my surprise, no skimming was needed in mine. Sure, it was there, but nothing to really skim. After tasting a few pancitas (the tripe), the soup, and ensuring the softness of the posoles, I deemed it ready for consumption.
Garnishes like diced jalapeños, diced onion, and oregano go quite well with menudo. Some have corn or flour tortillas with it, while others have bolillos (or my brother-in-law-made sourdough bread) to dip in the soup. When I order it, there’s usually an auxiliary taco or two, but I gave all my time to the menudo-making. It’s all good, as long as the menudo is piping hot.
I think I made my Mama proud with this first attempt at menudo. At least, I think it would be “someone else’s” menudo that she would actually enjoy. It also brought some good memories of seeing my Mom and Pop in the kitchen working together creating whatever we were eating during the holidays.
Coming soon: Tamales! But, first, a bowl of re-heated menudo!
Posted onDecember 6, 2020|Comments Off on Los Blogs de Tejas – TPA Round-Up
The Texas Progressive Alliance has enjoyed all the headlines about Trump losing again (and again and again and again) as it brings you this week’s roundup.
Off the Kuff looked at recent Presidential results in the counties around Travis and Bexar County.
Posted onNovember 23, 2020|Comments Off on Performing Artists Take Multiple Hits During COVID-19
Los Texmaniacs at Heights Theater, Christmas 2019
Writing and reading about Grammy-winning performer Max Baca’s fight with COVID-19 had me thinking about the multiple hits (health and financial) artists and performers are taking during the pandemic. An article in the San Antonio Report about Baca and other musician’s struggles really hit me with this reality.
During the pandemic, Baca took care in keeping himself safe–virtual concerts on Wednesdays to make a few bucks via Paypal donations, and mostly living off of his savings. Eight months later, with savings depleted, Baca hit the road again to pay the bills and ventured into danger.
Trump’s promises that the pandemic was a temporary thing that would disappear were outright lies that fed into a disinformation campaign to keep people confused and acting stupidly; but, the reality is that it is long-term, cutting into most performer’s ability to make money and pay their bills. And that included Baca’s band Los Texmaniacs.
After whittling down his life savings trying to stay afloat while the coronavirus pandemic brought his live performances to a grinding halt, Baca knew he needed to look outside of his hometown of San Antonio for gigs to pay the bills.
That desperation took the guitarist and vocalist to Lafayette, Louisiana, where he found a few paying gigs playing with a stripped-down version of his Grammy Award-winning band Los Texmaniacs.
“I still gotta pay my mortgage because there’s no such thing as a deferred payment” from his lender, Baca said, noting that all his bills were urgently coming due.
It was a decision that has now put his career in jeopardy.
San Antonio Report, 11/22/2020
Baca contracted COVID-19 and has spent almost a couple of weeks in ICU recovering.
Another reality is that federal CARES funds that helped many small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic were quite complicated for musicians and performers to apply for and receive. The competition was fierce for the funds, not to mention that they were limited. And Baca, unfortunately, did not receive any funding. Now, he’s fighting COVID-19, on top of no performances, no health insurance, and the extra $600 in unemployment payments about to end.
For many performers, the gigs are their livelihood, and we have seen a recent uptick in live performances at clubs and event centers around the state. And all of this during the current COVID-19 surge. Are these the next super-spreader events that we are not hearing about in the news?
Because that is the reality: Crowded performances mean more infections if CDC protocols are not followed. And it seems the maskless and easily offended by the CDC always win in Texas, thanks to Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick. Still, venues and performers have a responsibility to enforce CDC protocols, including testing before performances–even requiring it for attendees of these indoor events. There is very little (or none) of this happening.
Houston recently announced a program dedicated to helping musicians and music venues get through the pandemic. Musicians are eligible for up to $5000, while venues are eligible for $50,000 to $100,000 depending on budget size. Unfortunately, we’re only talking about $3,000,000. But it’s something.
Some bands have built a good infrastructure to continue despite COVID-19. Unfortunately, many of them did not have the ability (or maybe confidence) to create a strong virtual presence. Bands like The Mavericks have taken to pay-per-view concerts based on a loyal fan base willing to pay the virtual door fee. Intocable were one popular band that were able to do a mini-tour of outdoor parking lot concerts in various parts of the state to some success.
And there are others in the Tejano industry who have done Facebook Live gigs asking for donations. Unfortunately, virtual gigs don’t give a band the feel of a live show with an energetic crowd. Still, it’s an opportunity that some of these Tejano bands have not fully utilized and that fans have not fully appreciated (through good donations).
There doesn’t seem to be much of a solution and as long as COVID-19 surges, there will be an eventual shutdown–or more limits on attendance. It is easy to tell these bands and venues that they have a responsibility to keep people from attending super-spreader events, but somewhere along the way, musicians were left to fend for themselves with little to no help. Thus, some are back on the road with no CDC compliance and a fan base that feels invincible to the disease (until they find out they aren’t). It’s a vicious circle.
While the HEROES Act passed by the Democratic US House sits in limbo because of a vindictive Republican US Senate and President, at the very least the $600 of extra unemployment benefits must be extended beyond Christmas. A better solution would be for Republicans and Trump to get off their asses and pass/sign a HEROES Act that takes care of gig-to-gig performers and artists whose talents have always been taken for granted.
Wear a mask. Wash hands. Stay home. And if you must work or be out and about, wear a mask, wash hands, and physically distance yourself from people outside of your home circle.
UPDATE: Los Texmaniacs report that Max Baca is now recovering at home. This is great news!
Comments Off on Performing Artists Take Multiple Hits During COVID-19
After Los Texmaniacs reported that their leader Max Baca had contracted COVID-19, I was really worried. Sure, he’s a Grammy winner and an accomplished bajo sexto player, but he’s also a really nice guy and always willing to have a conversation about his craft so people like me can write about it for posterity. Thankfully, good people like Hector Saldana at the Witliff Center at Texas State University kept us posted on his own FB feed after actually speaking to Max.
At this writing, Baca’s been in the ICU for a grueling 10 days.He says when he was admitted, his blood oxygen level was critically low.Healthy lungs keep blood at about 95%.
Max Baca: “I got here and my oxygen level was 70%. And so now due to the breathing exercises that they have me do and then they have the therapy and treatments have been able to breath 95, maybe 97 on my own.”
As a measure of how sick he got, he spent several days on a ventilator.
Max Baca: “I was on for a little bit, for three days. But thank God (now) I’m able to talk and I’m able to breathe. And you know, thank God for the medical facilities and all the doctors and nurses and everybody has some blood transfusions, things that other patients have made it (through COVID-19), was able to help me out with that a little bit.”
“And also, you know, it’s kind of sad here in the E.R. You just hear people coughing and coughing all around you. And then all of a sudden they stop coughing and then they roll them out on the bed with a blanket over the face because they didn’t make it.”
Texas Public Radio, Nov 20, 2020
¡Hijole, que susto!
Here’s hoping the worst is over and that Max heads home soon to fully recover and rest after this ordeal.
This is just a reminder that COVID-19 is real. I’ve seen a lot of musician friends head back on the road for shows, since the work provides for their families. Some practice safety protocols, others not so much. The crowds at these shows don’t seem to care much about masks, though. As much as I love live music, I’m fine watching a livestream from home and I’m even happier to give a donation through their paypals, venmos, etc.
Whether you’re a musician or a fan: Wear a multi-ply mask! Wash hands! Stay home! And if you really need to be out and about (or working) practice safety protocols to take away any opportunity to get infected.
UPDATE 11/23/2020 – Los Texmaniacs report that Max Baca is now recovering at home. Great news!
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