Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

Abbott says something about bathrooms

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Typically wishy-washy of him. Gov. Greg Abbott is adopting a wait-and-see approach about anticipated legislation that would prohibit transgender people in Texas from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. “I have not seen any proposed legislation yet,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

So now what for Julian Castro?

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever he wants to do, which probably doesn’t include anything in 2018. Just a few short months ago, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro appeared to stand a decent chance of becoming the next vice president. A few weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on So now what for Julian Castro?

The latest abortion hysterics

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good grief. Women who are feeling pressured by their parents or partner to have an abortion are being advised by the state to pick up the phone and dial 911, according to a new pamphlet the state released Monday. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The latest abortion hysterics

The costs of the “fetal remains” rule

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to cost a lot of people a lot of money. State health officials have contended that the “minimum costs in complying with the rules” would total $450 a year per health care facility, arguing that those costs … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The costs of the “fetal remains” rule

The thing you need to know about the guy behind the “three million illegal votes” claim

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a known liar and grifter. When President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Sunday — without evidence — that “millions” of people voted illegally in the race for the White House, he invited a wrath of condemnation for again stoking doubts about … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Fetal remains” rule goes into effect

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Cue up that next lawsuit. Texas’ proposed rules requiring the cremation or burial of fetal remains will take effect Dec. 19, according to state health officials. Despite intense outcry from the medical community and reproductive rights advocates, the state will … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SBOE rejects that lousy Mexican-American studies textbook

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The State Board of Education voted 14-0 Wednesday to deny the adoption of a Mexican-American studies textbook decried by opponents as racist and inaccurate. The textbook, titled “Mexican American Heritage,” was the only submission the board received when it … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

As long as we’re talking about improving our voting machines

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Then this is what we should be talking about. [Travis] County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir called Rice University computer science professor Dan Wallach, who has been poking holes in voting-machine security for years. He’s testified before Congress on the subject. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Some Republican women unhappy about Sid Miller

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. For many female Texans working in Republican politics, last month’s release of a video showing GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump boasting about groping women was bad enough. They have since watched in astonishment as male elected … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Stan Stanart talks election security

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I have a few thoughts as well. Over the course of the presidential race, concern has grown about digitally safeguarding election results. New cyber security threats seem to emerge monthly. Republican Donald Trump has repeatedly contended the presidential election will … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The next abortion lawsuit should be on its way

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We were warned it would need to happen. Despite intense outcry from the medical community, reproductive rights advocates and funeral directors, Texas isn’t budging on a proposed rule to require the cremation or burial of fetal remains. Following an initial … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Obamacare: Still working

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Down doobie doo down down… Texas’ rate of uninsured people fell to 17.1 percent in 2015 as part of a steady decline in the share of uninsured residents following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to new Census … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Patrick whines about NCAA decision to pull events from North Carolina

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticized the NCAA on Tuesday for its decision to pull seven of its championship events from the state of North Carolina. The action came after North Carolina passed a law regulating the use … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Documenting the ways that proposed Mexican-American Studies textbook sucks

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Read the report. Saying that a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook is “dripping with racism and intolerance,” several educators and students are calling for the State Board of Education to reject the controversial book. “It is an utter shame we must … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Documenting the ways that proposed Mexican-American Studies textbook sucks

Paxton says he will meet with transgender child’s family

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton has pledged to meet with the Denton family of a transgender boy, even as his office continues its legal fight against federal school bathroom guidelines that the family supports. Paxton was … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

We won’t have Robert Morrow to kick around any longer

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Valar morghulis, y’all. The brief, zany tenure of Travis County GOP Chairman Robert Morrow came to an end Friday, as party officials made clear the conspiracy theorist abandoned his post by running for president and he accepted their conclusion without … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on We won’t have Robert Morrow to kick around any longer

Voter fraud: Still a myth

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, in case you needed one. Politicians and voting rights advocates continue to clash over whether photo ID and other voting requirements are needed to prevent voter fraud, but a News21 analysis and recent court rulings show little … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Voter registration numbers keep increasing

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Always good news, though it’s hard to say anything definitive. County elections officials across Texas are reporting a spike in registered voters this election cycle, with one county now exceeding one million registered voters for the first time ever. Earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Voter registration numbers keep increasing

Auditor asked to investigate Heidi Group health care grant

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The left-leaning nonprofit Progress Texas is asking the state auditor’s office to investigate a $1.6 million state contract awarded to an anti-abortion group under the state’s new Healthy Texas Women program. […] The Heidi Group does not currently provide … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas finds a new way to be hostile to women’s health

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like it must be someone’s job somewhere to come up with stuff like this. A group led by an anti-abortion advocate appears to be one of the largest recipients of state funding from the “Healthy Texas Women” program, … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

As goes Pasadena

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If Texas Democrats ever figure out the secret of getting more Latinos engaged in the voting process, it’ll be in places like Pasadena where they find the key. When Oscar Del Toro tries to persuade his fellow Pasadena Latinos to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rick Perry still toadying for Trump

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Dude must really need a job. Former Gov. Rick Perry says he is open to serving in the administration of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his former rival in the race for the White House. “They know that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

From the “You can dish it out but you sure can’t take it” files

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. After years of Texas trying to lure businesses away from other states, New York has struck back — with an ad that paints the Lone Star State as unwelcoming and discriminatory to the LGBT community. The two-minute ad … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Ken Paxton does not approve of transgender bathroom policies

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Big surprise, right? Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday issued an opinion saying the Fort Worth school superintendent who made headlines for formulating guidelines to accommodate transgender students exceeded his authority. Paxton also said that a portion of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ken Paxton does not approve of transgender bathroom policies

On Dan Patrick’s hostility to the LGBT community

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey sums up the Dan Patrick tweetorrhea situation and tries to make sense of it. Lately, the lieutenant governor has been focused on transgender Texans and which bathrooms they should use — those of their identity or those of … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hotze and Woodfill take their hate statewide

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

These guys, I swear. The conservative organizers who helped topple Houston’s equal rights ordinance are pledging a $2 million advertising campaign against Target over the big box store’s transgender bathroom policy. Jared Woodfill and Steven Hotze of Conservative Republicans of … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Don’t know much about international relations

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sheesh. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday continued his campaign against the controversial Iran nuclear deal, urging fellow governors nationwide to ignore President Obama’s suggestion to lift economic sanctions. In a two-page letter, issued after he met in Dallas with … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Elsewhere in the local control follies

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Well, at least it’s not about bathrooms. El Paso is billing its effort to provide the indigent and undocumented with new municipal ID cards as a way to enhance public safety and build community. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Elsewhere in the local control follies

Patrick doubles down on potty politics

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s potties all the way down. Declaring that “this fight is just beginning,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday escalated his battle against guidelines in Texas and across the country that allow students to use the bathroom that corresponds with … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More on severance pay and the Land Commissioner’s office

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The law doesn’t apply here. After reports of state agencies keeping former employees on the payroll after they stopped working, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other agency heads have taken heat for stretching the rules on paid “emergency leave” … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Sugarek/Jeffery family is back together

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Wonderful news. Seven weeks after Child Protective Services caseworkers removed the boys following their foster mothers’ repeated complaints about suspected abuse by an older sibling living elsewhere in foster care, a CPS supervisor brought them back. The move followed a … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

You get a severance! And you get a severance!

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Everybody gets a severance package! Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has spent nearly $1 million in taxpayer money to entice dozens of people fired by his administration to agree not to sue him or the agency, a practice that … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Sheriff and Lord High Executioner of Edwards County

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In case you haven’t already, you really need to read this: The first thing she noticed was Sheriff Pamela Elliott standing across the street. It was an August evening in 2014, and Rachel Gallegos had just gotten home for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Sheriff and Lord High Executioner of Edwards County

What, me worry?

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ken Paxton? Sid Miller? Meh, no big deal. Gov. Greg Abbott is steering clear of the legal problems swirling around two of his fellow Republican statewide officials, saying he does not know the facts of their cases and expressing little … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment