Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 42, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 25, 2013 Page: 3 of 20
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Co-Publishers
Mary Henkel Judson
& Murray Judson
Editor
Mary Henkel Judson_
Port Aransas South Jetty
Opinion
Member
Texas Press Association
South Texas Press Association
Texas Gulf Coast Press Association
National Newspaper Association
Thursday, July 25, 2013
3A
Turnover
biggest since
’98 elections
The political
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McNEELY Rick Perry has
V finally said
that he wont run for re-election in 2014, after
14 years in office.
The political land rush will add to turn-
over of at least six statewide offices. That’s
the most since 1998, when sue also changed
hands - every non-judicial office except
governor.
Days after Perry said he wouldn’t seek
re-election came the long-anticipated decla-
ration from Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott that he’s
running. Abbott has been squirreling away
money for years, including almost $5 million
in the two weeks following the fundraising
hiatus during and just after the regular legisla-
tive session.
He now has more than $22 million in his
campaign account. That’s about 100 times as
much as the $221,000 raised by Tom Pauken,
the former chairman of the Texas Republican
Party, and Perry appointee as chairman of the
Texas Workforce Commission. He announced
he was running before Perry got out or Abbott
got in.
Perry, who’ll be the state’s longest-serving
governor in history by a full six years, is ap-
parently making a try again for the Repub-
lican presidential nomination in 2016 - an
effort he flubbed badly in 2012.
But with his announced exit, six of the
seven statewide jobs up for election next year
will have different occupants in 2015. And it
could be all seven.
The seventh is lieutenant governor. The
incumbent, David Dewhurst - a Republican,
like all the other officials mentioned here - is
the only current officeholder seeking re-elec-
tion.
But the wealthy Dewhurst’s presumed un-
beaten political stoutness, with plenty of help
from his own wallet, was badly undermined
by losing a GOP primary for a vacant U. S.
Senate seat to Tea Party darling Ted Cruz,
who now occupies the senate seat Dewhurst
had coveted for years.
Dewhurst had already drawn the oppo-
sition of Agriculture Commissioner Todd
Staples and Land Commissioner Jerry
Patterson, whose current jobs are up for
grabs. Both expressed interest in 2011, when
Dewhurst first announced his Senate race.
That neither has backed off indicates they
think he’s damaged goods and beatable,
despite his big bucks.
State Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston also
jumped in the race June 27, two days after
Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis filibus-
tered for 11 hours against legislation limiting
access to abortion and, according to Demo-
crats, women’s health care.
Patrick’s entry means he’s also giving up
his Senate seat, because it also is on the 2014
ballot. You can’t run for two offices simulta-
neously, unless one of them is president or
vice-president.
Along with Patterson and Staples, Comp-
troller Susan Combs had sparked part of the
office turnover when she announced several
weeks ago she wouldn’t seek re-election next
year. Though she wanted to run for lieutenant
governor, she said she won’t after Dewhurst
said in January he’d seek re-election. She said
Dewhurst is a friend, and had told him she
wouldn’t run if he did.
Yet another statewide office will open up as
Railroad Commission member Barry Smith-
erman joins those hoping to replace Abbott as
attorney general.
So, a bunch of people are planning to run
for office next year - so far, only Republicans.
No Democrat yet seems ready to chance that
the Republicans’ edge of 10 percent or more
in the last few elections can be overcome in
2014.
One who is receiving pressure to run is
Davis, whose dramatic filibuster lit up the
social media, made her a national name over-
night, and has already generated more than
$1 million in campaign funds. But since her
senate seat is also up fair election next year, the
big question is whether she’s willing to take
a gamble on moving up, over the prospect of
moving out.
In addition to governor and lieutenant gov-
ernor, here’s the prospective line-up so far:
Attorney General - (incumbent Greg
Abbott, since 2003.) State Rep. Dan Branch
of Dallas; state Sen. Ken Paxton, McKin-
ney; Railroad Commission member Barry
Smitherman, a former member of the Puolic
Utilities Commission.
Comptroller - (incumbent Susan Combs,
since 2007.) State Sen. Glenn Hegar, Katy;
state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, Kerrville; for-
mer Tea Party gubernatorial candidate Debra
Medina. Senate Finance Committee chair
Tommy Williams of the Woodlands consid-
ered running, but decided not to.
Agriculture Commissioner - (incumbent
Todd Staples, since 2007.) Former state Rep.
Tommy Merritt, Longview; state Rep. Bran-
don Creighton of Conroe.
Land Commissioner - (incumbent Jerry
Patterson, since 2003.) George P. Bush, Fort
Worth, nephew of President and former Texas
Gov. George W. Bush and grandson of former
President George H.W. Bush.
Railroad Commission - (incumbent Barry
Smitherman, since 2011 appointment. Elected
2012. Three members serve staggered six-year
terms.) State Rep. Stefani Carter, an attorney
from Richardson, and Dallas attorney Malachi
Boylus, say they’re running.
Contact McNeely at davemcneelylll@
ymailcom or (512) 458-2963.
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WEVER.
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Restrictions apply to all
Heads up.
The stage 2
water restric-
tions that went
into effect last
week apply to
everyone.
Full-time
residents. Part-time residents. Long- or
short-term visitors. No one is exempt. Not
the mayor, the justice of the peace, the
constable, the county judge, Gov. Good Hair,
our ever-so-able State Rep. Todd Hunter, not
President Obama. Noooo-body.
It’s like this, if we run out of water, we all
run out of water.
So we all need to make sure we don’t run
out of water.
One of our readers stopped by to tell us
some short-term renters near her home were
cleaning their beach chairs and washing
their big of trucks with the water hose.
She politely told them of the restrictions,
but they weren’t impressed, so to speak.
She then called the rental agencies that
rent property in her neighborhood and
asked them to inform their clients of the
restrictions.
Good idea.
If folks in the short-term rental business -
whether it’s vacation homes, condominiums
or motels - would let their clients know
about the restrictions, we’ll all be better off.
We all can take these restrictions a step
farther on our own and, perhaps, delay fur-
ther restrictions.
Since we live in what is essentially a
semi-arid climate, daily water conservation
should be a way of life, not just something
done during recurring droughts.
It’s a whole lot easier to conserve for the
long term than to suffer through severe
shortages.
So (as has been written here time and time
again) on a daily basis:
• Turn off the water while you’re brushing
your teeth. All that running water isn’t going
to help fight gingivitis or plaque build-up.
• Don’t run your dishwasher or your
washing machine until you have a full load.
Think about it. You’ll reduce the number of
times you have to unload either one.
• Take a shower instead of filling a bathtub
up to your chin. Now, this is particularly
difficult for me. A bath is one of the most
relaxing things in my vocabulary. I figure by
going with showers I’ll appreciate the occa-
sional bath even more.
• If you don’t already have one of those
potties that uses less water, fill a water jug
with water and insert in the potty tank. I re-
ally don’t get the science of that, but I know
we did it in a drought during the 90s. That’s
when households were limited to a certain
number of gallons a month. Baths were off
limits. We were getting in the shower, getting
wet, turning the shower off, lathering up,
then turning the shower on to rinse off - real
quick! At that point, I would have killed for a
bath! (Please, don’t anyone take me literal-
ly and start writing letters accusing me of
inciting violence.)
We’re all in this together - not the
bathtub, the drought. So let’s all find ways
to conserve water. Every day. All year long.
Always.
Mary Henkel Judson is editor and co-
publisher of the South Jetty. Contact her at
southjetty@centurytel.net, (361) 749-5131
or P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.
Mary
Henkel
Judson
Letters to the Editor
Ban alcohol in public
In reference to the holiday woes (af-
ter Fourth of July). Solution: Make Port
Aransas city limits alcohol-free in public ar-
eas. Or petition the county to go “dry.” That
should eliminate many people from visiting
thepublic areas like the beach.
There is an over-reliance by many to use
alcohol to have fun and there are too many
people flocking to your area on holidays.
If something is not done, Port Aransas will
become just like South Padre Island and
Galveston. Trashed and over crowded!
Bill Hoglan
Georgetown
Only boring bored
I was laying on the beach there in Port
Aransas last week, drinking a cold Bud [in a
can of course] and taking in every line of the
famous South Jetty newspaper when I came
across your editorial suggesting that the local
Port Aransas school teachers are unqualified
to teach simply because you were bored stiff
all through elementary, junior high, high
school and I suspect at TU as well.
Well, at the risk of appearing disrespectful
to a esteemed editor, I would like to leave
you with a very wise quote from my old
Grandpa:
“Only boring people get bored!”
Have a great day, Mary!
John Roberts
College Station
P.S. Did you know that several years ago
A&M determined that print journalism was
such a boring subject that we did away with
the Department of Journalism completely?
[Editor’s note: The editor was not
educated in Port Aransas, and in no way
implied that Port Aransas school teachers
are unqualified to teach. Journalism studies
in the College of Liberal Arts has been
restored at Texas A&M University.]
You are us, we are you
In the seven years that we have acted
and directed at the Port Aransas Commu-
nity Theatre, we have encountered many
inspiring, wonderful plays and musicals.
But none has brought us more pleasure than
participating in “Shrek, the Musical” that is
opening Thursday, Aug. 1.
This play, which is the “child” of director
Ken Yarbrough and assistant director Katie
Sikes, involves about 100 people, many of
whom are children from different cities of
the Coastal Bend.
This delightful play teaches us that, al-
though different, we are all the same people,
belonging to this wonderful world. King-
doms come and go, beauty exists only in the
the eyes of a beholder, a true love is worth
waiting for, and you can cross a bridge over
molten lava if you hold onto the hand of a
friend.
It teaches us that we must believe in a
better future and unite in building it. Besides
this, it is extremely entertaining.
Ludmila and Jim Hagans
Port Aransas
We welcome your Letters to the Editor
Deadline is Noon Monday
Unsigned Letters will not be published.
Signature, phone number, mailing address required.
Limit 300 words.
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and evening telephone numbers where the writer may be reached • names of
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or opposing political candidates are political advertising and should be taken to
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not be published in the last two editions before the election • all letters are subject
to editing • letters of complaint about private businesses will be forwarded to the
business and will not be published • “thank you” letters are classified advertising
and should go to the classified ad department
southjetty@centurytel.net
or
P.O. Box 1117
Port Aransas, TX 78373
President’s
take on race
President
Obama rare-
ly misses an
opportunity to
insert himself
into an issue.
Last Friday, he
appeared in the
White House
Cal m,
Thomas
(c) 2011 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
pressroom to
comment on the
George Zimmerman verdict. The president
said he could have been Trayvon Martin.
Not likely, given his private schooling and
the way he was fast-tracked to success.
The president said the history of Afri-
can-Americans partially explains the way
many black people view the case. He spoke
of blacks hearing car doors lock as they
cross the street and of white women who
clutch their purses tightly when a black
person enters an elevator.
Then he touched on the real prob-
lem: “Now, this isn’t to say that the Afri-
can-American community is naive about the
fact that African-American young men are
disproportionately involved in the criminal
justice system, that they are disproportion-
ately both victims and perpetrators of vio-
lence. It’s not to make excuses for that fact,
although black folks do interpret the reasons
for that in a historical context. We under-
stand that some of the violence that takes
place in poor black neighborhoods around
the country is born out of a very violent past
in this country, and that the poverty and
dysfunction that we see in those communi-
ties can be traced to a very difficult history.”
OK, but what about poor people in the
same neighborhoods who don’t engage in
violent behavior? What values are they being
taught? Don’t they have the same history,
but make different choices?
It is not news that much poverty in the
African-American community stems from
broken or never-started families; or that
too many black men leave black women to
raise children on their own; or that the way
“gangsta culture” is portrayed in the media
does not produce an image that is endearing
to white employers; or that public schools in
minority neighborhoods are failing to build
the foundations necessary for a successful
life; or that the abortion rate among black
women is four times higher than non-His-
panic whites among 15-19 year-olds, accord-
ing to the Guttmacner Institute. Abortion,
which the president has done nothing to
curtail, also devalues-African-American
lives.
The politics of race plays a role. When
black people kill each other, or murder a
white person, the president usually feels
no need to comment (the recent murder of
15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton being a rare
exception); Al Sharpton doesn’t march, Jesse
Jackson doesn’t call for boycotts, or label
Florida an “apartheid state,” as he did fol-
lowing the Zimmerman verdict. Are black
lives only worth mentioning when they are
extinguished by non-blacks?
There are black people who are disgust-
ed by the behavior, clothing, attitude and
language of some young black men. On the
Washington Post’s website last week, be-
neath a transcript of the president’s remarks
last Friday, a reader posting under the name
“Chaquital” offered a personal story about
recently being on a train and watching an
African-American woman give the evil eye
to a pair of young African-American males
in “gangsta wear making a commotion.
They became belligerent, talking about “the
fat lady glaring at them.”
The woman arose, Chaquital wrote, “and
said ‘Trayvon Martin died for nothing. His
death did not empower you, it should have
been a wake-up call.’ She then returned to
her seat, looked straight at me and said, ‘You
have white trash. We have black trash.’”
Discussions like this should be included
in any “conversation about race” the pres-
ident says he wants, along with how such
attitudes and behavior contribute to racial
conflict.
Contact Cal Thomas at Tribune Media
Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114,
Buffalo, N.Y. 14207, or e-mail him at tmsedi-
tors@tribune.com.
Attention
Hospitality
Industry
Owners/
Managers
in
Port Aransas
Check your FREE listings for
Restaurants, Night Life,
Lodging and Things to Do in
Port Aransas
in the Spring Visitors’ Guide
and call or email
changes/updates by
Thursday,
July 25
www.portasouthjetty.com.
or
(361)749-5131
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Judson, Mary Henkel. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 42, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 25, 2013, newspaper, July 25, 2013; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth505827/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.