The Gulf Of Texaco

Dear BP,

Enough with the commercials already.
It's been almost two years and you're still cleaning up.
I don't need to see ads telling me to get my family to the gulf coast for a vacation.
It ain't happening.
In fact, the more I see your ads, the more I realize how fucked up the gulf must be...

So please, for the children, give it a rest BP, my kids won't dip one toe in that water. Ever.
They will know who ruined it for them, and how it could have been prevented.
They will learn of your deception, corner cutting, and your bottom line.
They will learn how our country had to foot part of the bill with tax dollars.
They will learn of the cover up.
They will witness those who helped clean up the mess, mysteriously start to die off, one by one.

I may take them to Galveston, and sail via cruise liner through the sludge, onto bluer waters in Mexico, or the Caribbean.
As far as Gulf coast adventures go,
I'm not buying it.

-Dr. J

The White Whale

Me:  The republican debate is on, did you TiVo?
Amanda: Why are they still debating? Why don't they just pick someone already?
Me: They want to make sure whomever they pick doesn't have an "October Surprise."
Amanda: What does that even mean?
Me: Ask Mitt Romney.

Of the 3 candidates remaining for the right-winged, corporatist, and most of all, FAKE, Republican Party. Which one will burp up the best, "October Surprise?"

I'd venture to say Obama's got a surprise for all three of em come October, but Newty-Newt would be fun television.
Oh, who am I kidding. Any of them will.
 
I think the weakest candidate is the one they are attacking the least.
Today, that person is Ron Paul. Who for some reason, has his clammy grip on many of my friends minds; they are mesmerized by an idealistic dream of Utopia circa "Logan's Run."
 

I Tell U What...
Wouldn't Romney be the Republican sweetheart if he wasn't a Mormon? Unfortunately for Romney,
he is...

That leaves Newty-Newt.
The Jabba the Hut of Washington.
The reason it's called a "Beltway."
He's the Rush Limbaugh-type bully they're looking for.
His words are already throwing chum in the waters, the sharks are thirsty for their blood, yes blood,
the 2012 republican party is on a quest to land the White Whale.


I think Republicans think that if they're gonna lose anyway in 2012, they might as well watch an asshole like Gingrich come in and insult Obama, insult the Democrats/Progressives, and put the middle-class back in their place while he's at it.
We're already hearing the rhetoric:

"if invited to speak to the NAACP, I would urge black people to demand paychecks instead of food stamps."

"Obama is the "Food Stamp President."

 Newt paused to take time to toy with Juan Williams, the Fox commentator who last Monday -- in the pivotal moment of the campaign in S.C. -- had questioned whether Gingrich was seeking to "belittle people" by talking about the "food stamp president" and by suggesting that urban youths do janitorial work in schools.

Gingrich's sneering, "Well ... Juan," reply in that debate brought the crowd to its feet and launched him toward the lead. In Orangeburg, he went further. Kids need to learn the virtues of work at a young age, the former speaker declared. Williams, Gingrich said, his voice dripping with condescension, thought that the "idea of work" was something "worthy of academic study, not something to inflict on young people."

The crowd howled with laughter. Gingrich did not mention that Williams is black. He did not have to. But the point was not that Newt targeted a black man. It was subtler than that. It was that he was not afraid to do so.

Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance thanks South Carolina for all the laughs as it brings you this week's blog roundup.

The big story last week was the SCOTUS ruling on interim redistricting maps. Off the Kuff has an initial look.

It turns out that PDiddie and Paula Deen have more in common than just their initials; there's also a morality tale involved. Read "Paula Deen, diabetes, and Novo Nordisk" at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is tired of the media ignoring grossly untrue, inflammatory, and just plain disgusting things Republicans like Rick Perry say.

Perry's run for the presidency is over! WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on it here: Good riddance for now; Perry drops out.

This was a big week of action culminating in the defeat (for the time being) of SOPA, including January 18 when many sites blacked themselves out. Darth Politico refused to go dark, and instead went dork -- with a snark/irony blog supporting SOPA (or "Why Death Stars are a good thing").

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw mourns for Texas in "Poor Texas: Forrest Homer Simpson is Coming Back". An eloquent requiem for a candidate who brought untold levels of derision to our state when he revealed how truly shallow and narcissistic he is. Give it a read!

Neil at Texas Liberal wrote this week abour how Houston school board member Manuel Rodriguez got away with using anti-gay campaign materials in his recent re-election victory. Everyday citizens, civil rights groups and the Houston GLBT political caucus all gave Mr. Rodriguez a free pass despite his hateful words.

The New Not So Improved Terillis

This past weekend, the wife and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary with a night out at an old staple of romantic dining in Dallas.
The newly rebuilt Terilli's on lower Greenville was the setting; complete with live piano and a vocalist singing all your favorites.
Terilli's has been through a transformation in recent years as the old one burned out and it had to be rebuilt.
They've done a nice job with the new layout. It's much more open, the bar is spacious, there are three levels with a rooftop lounge overlooking Dallas with a outdoor fire pit.
I called for reservations at least a week in advance and asked for a special table for the occasion.
I called again the "day of" to confirm the reservation and was told by the day manager not to worry, our table was secured. We were set for 8:30.
Our cab dropped us off at about 8 and we ascended to the rooftop lounge for some cocktails and to take in the view while our table was being made ready.
 At about 9 our pager went off and we went down to find our table was not what we had hoped for.
The hostess and waitress explained that a group of ladies had set up camp in our spot--a romantic booth in the corner-- and were showing no signs of leaving anytime soon. So we had to settle for the smallest two top they had. It was located in a busy walkway.
Ugh...
This is what I hate about living in Dallas.
You go out to these places to see and be seen. You certainly don't go to Terilli's for the food; as it is average at best, and with a hefty price tag.(Like so many Dallas restaurants.) You go for atmosphere and people.
The problem with Dallas is that it's full a very rude people. People who've never worked a day in the food service industry. People who condescend to servers, bartenders, managers, and other patrons.
All I'm saying is that if they had done the right thing and got us our reserved table, then I could have put up with the bland food, slow service, high prices and poor host stand. So to the ladies who ruined our special night, I say get a clue. On a busy Saturday night we should all be conscious of others and free up space as soon as we are finished eating. They have plenty of room at the bar or perhaps another place down the street if you feel the need to keep the conversation going. Is it really too much to ask for a manager to walk over and explain this? Apparently it is...

On the Dr. J rating scale from 1-5 I give the new Terilli's a 2.

I might go back for drinks on the roof, or a happy hour at the bar, but that's about it.
I WOULD NEVER GO BACK FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION! I urge you to consider this before you do too. Don't fall into the Terilli's trap.
They're just not equipped to handle that.

UPDATE: At no time during our meal did a manager come over to check on us or even comp us a dessert. Nothing. We paid full price. I've emailed the owner and have not got a response.

UPDATE: We should have gone to Kirby's.

UPDATE: I received an apology via email from Joey Terilli and he mailed me a gift certificate. I told him I was willing to give them another shot, lets hope we get the right table next time... Just goes to show that you never know who you're dealing with when you're bumping people from their reserved seats... Hostesses, servers, and especially managers, beware.

Monday Funnies